I  B  R.ARY 

OF   THE 

UN  IVERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 


.\ 


HUNOIS  KiSTCRICAl  SJJ8VW 


HISTORY 


WHITESIDE  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


From  Its  Earliest  Settlement  to  1908 


By  WILLIAM  W.  DAVIS,  M.  A. 


ILLUSTRATED 


With  Biographical  Sketches  of  some  Prominent  Citizens  of  the  County 


VOL.  I 


Chicago: 

THE    PIONEER    PUBLISHING    CO. 
1908 


FOREWORD 


This  is  not  a  directory  of  names,  a  gazetteer  of  places,  a  census  report 
of  tables,  <but  a  simple  narrative  of  Whiteside  county  as  it  was,  and  as  it 
appears  to  the  observer  today. 

The  work  lays  no  claim  to  completeness  or  infallibility;  and  if  there 
are  errors  in  names,  dates,  places,  or  events,  the  author  asks  the  charity  of 
the  critic,  who,  doubtless,  could  not  do  any  better. 

Be  to  her  virtues  very  kind ; 
Be  to  her  faults  a  little  blind. 

f 

Whiteside  is  a  wide  field  to  traverse  in  a  short  time. 

To  the  editors  of  the  Daily  Gazette  and  of  the  Daily  Standard  of 
Sterling  upon  whose  columns  he  has  freely  drawn  and  to  the  editors  of  the 
excellent  weeklies  throughout  the  county  <who  so  generously  extended  the 
'courtesies  of  their  sanctums,  and  to  the  good  people  in  town  and  country 
who  so  kindly  gave  all  desired  information,  the  author  returns  a  thousand 
thanks,  acknowledges  obligations  that  can  never  be  forgotten. 

The  play   is   done;   the   curtain   drops, 

Slow  falling  to  the  prompter's  bell; 
A  moment  yet  the  actor  stops, 

And  looks  around,  to  say  farewell ! 

Sterling,  Illinois,  June  J,  1908. 

WILLIAM  W.  DAVIS,  M.  A. 

I 


I    I  r\r\A  ocr 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

DIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY   OF 

WHITESIDE    COUNTY,   ILLINOIS 


INDIAN  HISTORY  IN  AN  OIL  PORTRAIT. 

Lo,  the  poor  Indian  whose  untutored  mind, 

Sees  God  in  clouds  or  hears  him  in  the  wind. — Pope. 

In  a  discourse  delivered  in  Providence,  Dr.  Swain  said  when  a  traveler 
would  speak  of  his  experience  in  foreign  lands,  he  must  begin  with  the 
sea.  So  in  a  narrative  of  our  western  country,  it  is  customary  to  begin  with 
the  Mound  Builders.  Their  artificial  hillocks  are  found  all  over  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley,  in  our  own  county,  at  Fulton,  Como,  Sterling,  and  their 
origin  has  given  rise  to  much  speculation.  A  theme  for  the  poet.  Bryant 
in  his  "Prairies"  gives  wings  to  his  fancy  as  he  saw  them  in  an  early 
visit  to  his  brothers  in  Princeton: 

A  race,  that  long  has  passed  away, 
Built  them ;  a  disciplined  and  populous  race 
Heaped  with  long  toil,  the  earth,  while  yet  the  Greek 
Was  hewing  the  Pentelicus  to  forms 
Of  symmetry,  and  rearing  on  its  rock 
The  glittering  Parthenon. 

But  we  must  give  up  our  fantastic  theories.  Robin  Hood  and  William 
Tell  are  myths.  One  pretty  childish  legend  after  another  disappears.  An 
article  in  the  Handbook  of  American  Indians,  issued  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  1907,  sums  up  the  researches  of  the  ethnological  authorities  in 
a  few  sentences.  "The  articles  found  in  the  mounds,  and  the  character  of  the 
various  monuments  indicate  a  stage  of  culture  much  the  same  as  that  of  the 
more  advanced  tribes  found  inhabiting  this  region  at  the  advent  of  the 
whites.  Moreover,  European  articles  found  in  the  mounds,  and  the  state- 
ments by  early  chroniclers,  as  those  of  the  De  Soto's  expedition,  prove  beyond 
question  that  some  of  these  structures  were  erected  by  the  Indians  in  post- 
Columbian  times." 

AN   HISTORIC    OCCASION. 

Every  place  has  its  memorable  event:  Boston  its  tea  party,  Paris  the 
destruction  of  the  Bastile,  Philadelphia  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
Chicago  its  great  fire,  and  in  our  own  county,  last  but  not  least,  the  presenta- 


8  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

tion,  October  24,  1877,  of  a  portrait  of  the  Indian  Prophet,  by  Hon.  E.  B. 
Washburne,  to  the  people  of  Whiteside.  It  was  painted  by  Healy  from 
sketches  made  by  Catlin.  Washburne  was  then  in  the  fullness  of  his  fame. 
After  his  long  and  honorable  service  in  Congress,  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Grant  as  minister  to  France,  and  while  in  Paris  during  the  Franco-Prussian 
War,  1871,  he  sheltered  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at  the  American  embassy 
hundreds  of  defenseless  foreigners  from  the  wrath  of  the  Commune.  Never 
did  the  old  flag  exercise  a  nobler  humanity.  It  was  a  city  of  refuge.  The 
German  emperor  and  people  were  profuse  in  their  thanks.  Who  was  George 
Catlin?  A  Pennsylvania  artist  who  went  to  the  far  West  in  1832,  spending 
eight  years  among  the  Indians,  and  painting  nearly  five  hundred  portraits  of 
the  chiefs  and  prominent  members  of  various  tribes.  Healy  was  a  Boston 
artist  who  spent  most  of  his  time  in  Paris,  with  occasional  visits  to  America. 
In  his  six  hundred  portraits  is  nearly  every  celebrated  man  of  his  day  from 
Louis  Philippe  to  Gen.  Sherman.  His  Webster's  Reply  to  Hayne  hangs  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  Boston.  It  seems  Washburne  found  Catlin  at  Brussels,  and 
secured  the  Indian  original  for  Healy's  brush. 

The  presentation  took  place  at  the  Morrison  fair  grounds.  After  an  intro- 
duction by  Capt.  John  Whallon,  supervisor  ffom  Lyndon,  Mr.  Washburne 
arose  amid  generous  applause.  After  acknowledging  his  pleasure  in  meeting 
his  former  constituents,  he  entered  upon  a  careful  discussion  of  the  men  and 
events  concerned  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Prophetstown  was  in  the  center 
of  hostile  operations.  The  Indian  name  of  the  Prophet  was  Wa-bo-kies-sheik. 
He  was  a  son  of  the  chief  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes,  but  two  of  his  wives  were 
Winnebagoes.  A  splendid  specimen  of  his  race,  tall,  intelligent,  clear-headed, 
he  always  exercised  great  influence  over  his  people.  He  was  the  lieutenant 
and  right  arm  of  Black  Hawk,  and  followed  him  to  the  bitter  end. 

THE    NAME    OF    WHITESIDE. 

Further  in  his  address,  Mr.  Washburne  alludes  to  the  origin  of  our 
county  name.  There  was  a  Kentucky  family  of  Whiteside,  well  known  as 
Indian  fighters,  and  the  son  of  John,  Samuel  Whiteside,  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Reynolds  commander  of  all  the  Illinois  troops  in  1832  in  the  expedition 
against  Black  Hawk.  "My  judgment  is  that  the  county  was  named  after 
Gen.  Samuel  Whiteside,  as  he  resided  in  the  Galena  country,  was  known  to 
the  people,  identified  with  their  interests,  and  a  leading  figure  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war."  As  he  closed  his  speech,  he  pulled  the  flag  covering  the  picture, 
and  as  the  portrait  of  the  Prophet  was  displayed  to  the  audience,  the  air  was 
rent  with  cheers. 

PROF.  c.  c.  BUELL'S  ACCEPTANCE. 

In  replying  to  Mr.  WasbJburne's  closing  remark,  "Gentlemen  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  citizens  of  Whiteside  county,  and  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
I  now  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  the  Prophet,"  Prof.  Buell,  of 
Montmorency  arose :  "Honored  sir,  it  is  made  my  pleasing  duty  on  behalf  of 
the  county  board,  and  of  the  people  of  AVhiteside  county,  to  accept  this  gift." 
Mr.  Buell  then  complimented  Mr.  Washburne  on  the  efficiency  of  his  public 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  9 

life  at  home  and  on  his  distinction  abroad,  and  concluded:  "Accept,  sir, 
the  thanks  of  this  people  for  this  significant  and  valuable  gift.  As  a  work 
of  art.  as  a  memento  of  Catlin,  the  painter  and  traveler,  and  of  the  dis- 
tinguished artist,  Healy,  as  the  portrait  of  the  great  Winnebago  chief,  whose 
tribe  once  occupied  this  region,  and  whose  principal  village  was  but  a  few 
miles  from  the  spot  where  we  stand,  it  will  deserve  to  be  carefully  preserved  by 
the  people  of  this  county.  Whatever,  sir,  may  be  your  future  home,  what- 
ever responsibilities  you  may  be  called  to  bear,  we  tender  to  you  assurances  of 
the  continued  sympathy  and  confidence  of  the  people  of  Whiteside  county." 
At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Buell's  address,  a  banquet  in  Floral  Hall  was 
followed  by  toasts  and  responses:  Paris  in  1870,  E.  B.  Washburne;  Our 
Country,  Wm.  H.  Allen,  of  Erie;  Prophetstown,  the  Home  of  the  Prophet, 
by  P.  B.  Eeynolds  of  Prophetstown ;  Our  Sister  State  of  Iowa,  by  Hon.  Waldo 
M.  Potter  of  Clinton  Herald;  Common  Schools,  by  Prof.  M.  R.  Kelly  of  Mor- 
rison. A  private  banquet  in  the  evening  at  the  Revere  House  concluded  a 
day  of  precious  reminiscence  for  all  who  were  so  happy  as  to  participate 
in  the  festivities. 

BLACK  HAWK  AND  KEOKUK. 

Black  it  stood  as  Night, 
Fierce  as  ten  Furies,  terrible  as  Hell, 
And  shook  a  dreadful  dart. — Paradise  Lost. 

Among  the  Indian  warriors,  there  are  some  names  almost  as  celebrated 
as  Hannibal,  Caesar,  and  Alexander.  Osceola  of  the  Seminoles,  Red  Jacket 
of  the  Senecas,  Pontiac  of  the  Ottawas,  Tecumseh  of  the  Shawnees,  are  familiar 
to  every  reader.  They  figure  as  prominently  in  the  first  half  of  the  last 
century  as  Jackson,  Scott,  or  Harrison. 

As  Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk  were  conspicuous  leaders  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  they  deserve  special  consideration.  They  were  types  of  opposite  pol- 
icies. Johnson  drew  a  parallel  between  Pope  and  Dryden,  and  we  may 
contrast  in  a  general  way  our  two  Indian  chieftains.  Keokuk  was  con- 
ciliatory, Black  Hawk  was  defiant.  Keokuk  sought  the  friendship  of  the 
whites.  Black  Hawk  aimed  to  provoke  their  hostility.  Keokuk  knew  that 
Indian  supremacy  was  hopeless  and  gracefully  accepted  the  situation,  Black 
Hawk  saw  the  danger,  but  like  an  infuriated  beast  madly  rushed  to  destruc- 
tion. Keokuk  was  a  considerate  prophet,  Black  Hawk  a  desperate  devotee. 

Keokuk  was  a  member  of  the  Fox  clan,  and  born  on  Rock  river  about 
1780.  His  mother  was  said  to  have  been  half  French,  and  this  may  account 
for  his  vivacity.  He  was  a  natural  orator,  and  he  soon  arose  to  a  controlling 
influence  in  his  tribe.  He  was  stout,  graceful,  commanding  in  appearance, 
fond  of  athletic  sports,  and  so  fond  of  display  that  on  occasions  of  tribal 
ceremony  he  always  appeared  on  horseback  whether  his  companions  were 
mounted  or  not.  So  persuasive  in  argument  that  he  often  carried  the  vote 
of  the  tribe  when  every  member  before  his  speech  had  determined  on  the 
contrary.  But  when  the  war  finally  burst  forth  against  his  protest,  he  with- 
drew from  the  scene  of  operations. 


10  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

After  the  war  Keokuk  again  comes  to  the  front.  In  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington in  debate  with  the  Sioux  before  the  government  officials,  he  estab- 
lished the  chain  of  the  Sank  and  Foxes  to  the  territory  comprised  in  the 
present  state  of  Iowa.  His  town  during  the  Black  Hawk  war  was  on  the 
rapids  near  the  mouth  of  Des  Moines  river.  Here  is  the  city  of  Keokuk, 
named  in  his  honor.  The  treaty  of  1832  gave  him  a  reservation  of  forty  miles 
square  on  Iowa  river  to  which  he  removed.  In  1845  he  moved  to  Kansas, 
and  three  years  later  was  poisoned  by  a  member  of  the  Black  Hawk  band. 

Keokuk's  life-long  rival,  Black  Hawk,  was  also  born  on  Rock  river,  at  its 
mouth,  in  1767.  A  warrior  from  his  youth,  at  seventeen  he  attacked  an 
Osage  camp,  and  returned  with  the  scalp  of  a  victim.  In  1812  he  fought 
for  the  British.  He  seemed  to  cherish  a  hereditary  dislike  to  the  Americans, 
and  to  the  last  resisted  their  occupation  of  the  country.  No  wonder.  It  is  a 
charming  valley,  like  ancient  Canaan  to  the  Israelites,  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey.  His  last  speech  contained  these  pathetic  words:  "Rock  river  is 
a  beautiful  country.  I  like  my  towns  and  my  corn  fields,  and  the  home  of 
my  people.  I  fought  for  it.  It  is  now  yours." 

Various  complications  led  to  the  Black  Hawk  war.  By  the  treaty  of 
1804  at  St.  Louis,  the  Sauk  and  Foxes  agreed  to  surrender  all  their  lands 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  for  the  payment  of  one  thousand  dollars  a  year. 
This  was  repudiated  by  Black  Hawk,  who  affirmed  that  the  chiefs  were 
drunk  when  they  signed  the  treaty.  Meantime  after  the  war  of  1812,  set- 
tlers began  to  pour  into  the  old  Sauk  and  Fox  territory,  and  troubles  soon 
arose.  In  1823  Keokuk  and  his  followers,  bowing  to  the  inevitable,  moved 
into  Iowa,  but  Black  Hawk  remained.  By  the  spring  of  1831  so  much 
friction  had  occurred  that  Gov.  Reynolds  of  Illinois  called  out  the  militia, 
and  on  June  30,  Black  Hawk  signed  a  treaty  to  abstain  from  further  hos- 
tility and  leave  the  country. 

This  was  simply  to  gain  time,  for  during  the  following  winter  he  sent 
emissaries  to  excite  various  tribes  to  a  general  insurrection  against  the  whites. 
When  Gen.  Atkinson,  April  1,  1832,  received  orders  to  demand  from  the  Sauk 
and  Foxes  the  members  who  had  massacred  some  Menominee,  he  found  that 
Black  Hawk  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  two  thousand,  five  hundred  of  them, 
warriors,  had  crossed  the  Mississippi  into  Illinois.  The  militia  were  called 
out  and  the  settlers  warned.  The  conflict  was  on.  Black  Hawk  passed  up 
Rock  river,  undisciplined  militia  in  pursuit,  and  Stillman's  brigade  met 
with  a  disastrous  defeat.  On  June  24  he  was  repulsed  in  an  attack  on 
Apple  river  fort,  and  the  following  day  he  defeated  Major  Dement's  bat- 
talion with  heavy  loss  to  himself. 

But  the  end  was  near.  On  July  21,  while  trying  to  cross  to  the  west  side 
of  Wisconsin  river,  he  was  overtaken  by  volunteers  under  Gen.  Henry,  and 
defeated  with  a  loss  of  sixty-eight  killed  and  more  wounded.  Retreating 
with  the  remainder  of  his  force  to  the  mouth  of  Bad  Ax  river,  and  about  to 
cross  the  Mississippi,  the  steamer  Warrior  shelled  his  camp.  The  following 
day,  August  3,  the  pursuing  troop*  under  Atkinson  appeared,  and  after  a 
desperate  struggle,  killed  or  drove  into  the  river  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  band,  and  captured  forty.  Those  who  reached  the  other  side  were  cut 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  11 

off  by  the  Sioux.  Black  Hawk  escaped,  but  was  followed  and  captured  by 
some  Winnebago.  Thus  closed  the  chapter  of  the  only  race  tragedy  on  our 
borders. 

As  Black  Hawk's  courageous  operations  had  excited  general  attention 
throughout  the  United  States,  he  was  taken  with  some  of  his  warriors  on  a 
tour  in  the  east,  visiting  the  principal  cities  with  the  two-fold  object  of 
gratifying  popular  curiosity,  and  also  impressing  the  savage  mind  with  the 
power  of  the  nation.  In  1837  he  accompanied  Keokuk  on  a  second  trip.  He 
died  in  1838  near  lowaville.  His  obsequies  were  spectacular.  His  body  was 
dressed  in  a  uniform  presented  by  Jackson,  accompanied  by  a  sword  from 
the  hero,  a  cane  given  by  Henry  Clay,  and  medals  from  Jackson,  Adams, 
and  Boston.  But  one  night  everything  was  stolen,  and  the  bones  made  into 
a  skeleton  found  their  way  to  the  Burlington  Historical  Society,  where  they 
were  destroyed  in  1855  with  the  burning  of  the  building. 

In  connection  with  the  Black  Hawk  War,  it  is  interesting  to  recall  the 
names  of  several  men  who  were  summoned  to  our  valley,  and  who  after- 
wards won  undying  fame.  Jefferson  Davis  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point 
in  1828,  and  a  staff  officer  in  the  infantry.  Lincoln  volunteered  in  a  Sanga- 
mon  county  company,  and  remained  in  the  service  until  mustered  out  by 
Lieut.  Robert  Anderson  of  Fort  Sumter  fame.  Zachary  Taylor,  the  hero 
of  the  Mexican  War  subsequently,  was  colonel  of  the  first  infantry,  and  with 
Atkinson's  army  moved  up  the  Rock  river  valley  after  Black  Hawk.  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott  with  troops  from  the  east  had  established  his  headquarters 
at  Rock  Island. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  STATE  AND  COUNTY. 

By  the  rivers  gently  flowing, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
O'er  thy  prairies  verdant  growing, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Comes  an  echo  on  the  breeze, 
Rustling  thro'  the  leafy  trees, 
And  its  mellow  tones  are  these, 

Illinois,  Illinois. 

Our  readers,  young  and  old,  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  Illinois  will  be  surprised  to  learn  that  its  boundaries  were  not  always 
the  same.  As  ye  know,  the  Mississippi  valley  was  claimed  by  the  French 
through  the  right  of  discovery  by  La  Salle  and  the  Jesuit  explorers,  and 
then  by  the  decisive  defeat  of  Montcalm  by  Wolfe  at  Quebec  in  1759,  passed 
into  possession  of  the  English.  This  was  the  condition  at  the  opening  of 
the  Revolution  in  1775.  The  Indians  were  induced  by  the  British  to  take 
up  the  tomahawk  against  the  American  settlers,  and  were  continually  on  the 
war-path. 

George  Rogers  Clark,  a  frontiersman  from  Virginia,  saw  the  situation 
and  determined  to  relieve  it.  He  laid  his  scheme  before  the  governor  and 


12  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

council  of  Virginia,  who  approved  it,  and  gave  him  authority  to  raise  troops. 
He  drilled  his  men  at  Louisville,  and  on  June  24,  1778,  he  set  sail,  passed 
safely  over  the  rapids,  landed  at  deserted  Fort  Massac  on  the  Ohio  river, 
started  across  the  country,  and  after  a  six  days'  march,  surprised  Kaskaskia, 
then  the  center  of  operations,  and  took  quiet  possession.  The  other  French 
villages  surrendered.  Thus,  as  is  said,  the  Illinois  country  was  captured 
without  the  firing  of  a  gun  or  the  loss  of  a  man. 

Clark  was  a  hero,  gave  his  best  years  to  this  frontier  warfare  against 
savage  foes,  and  his  sacrifices  should  be  gratefully  remembered.  Another 
Daniel  Boone.  His  last  days,  sad  to  relate,  were  spent  in  poverty  in  a  hut 
near  Louisville  until  his  sister  took  him  to  her  home.  A  little  headstone, 
marked,  G.  R.  C.,  is  all  that  marks  the  grave  of  a  soldier  who  secured  for 
his  country  the  rich  domain  north  of  the  Ohio.  When  Virginia  sent  a 
sword  to  the  old  man,  he  exclaimed,  "When  Virginia  needed  a  sword,  I  gave 
her  one.  Now  she  sends  me  a  toy  when  I  want  bread."  He  thrust  the 
sword  into  the  ground,  and  broke  it  with  his  crutch.  His  brother,  William, 
became  world-famous  as  the  military  director  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  expedi- 
tion appointed  by  Jefferson  in  1804  to  explore  the  Rocky  mountain  region. 

As  the  conquest  of  the  country  was  made  by  Clark  with  Virginia  troops, 
that  state  felt  the  responsibility  of  taking  care  of  the  settlers,  and  a  bill  for 
that  purpose  was  passed  by  the  assembly  in  December,  1778,  and  signed  by 
Governor  Patrick  Henry.  It  was  a  long  document,  affirming  in  substance 
that  as  several  British  posts  in  the  country  adjacent  to  the  Mississippi  river 
have  been  reduced  by  a  successful  expedition  carried  on  by  the  Virginia 
militia,  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  that  all  citizens  of  this  com- 
monwealth who  are  already  settled  or  shall  hereafter  settle  on  the  western 
side  of  Ohio  aforesaid,  shall  be  included  in  a  distinct  county,  which  shall 
be  called  Illinois  county. 

By  the  way,  this  governor  whose  name  was  affixed  to  the  act,  was  no 
other  than  the  immortal  Patrick  Henry,  the  fiery  orator  of  times  preceding 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  whose  speeches  were  so  long  the  favorite  declama- 
tions of  ambitious  schoolboys.  We  all  remember  that  stirring  passage:  "Caesar 
had  his  Brutus,  Charles  I  his  Cromwell,  and  George  III" — here  cries  of 
treason,  treason !  from  timid  loyalists,  but  the  orator  tept  his  head,  "and 
George  III  may  profit  by  their  example." 

Persons  who  would  like  to  learn  more  of  the  proceedings  in  these  times 
may  find  much  valuable  information  in  volume  two  of  Illinois  Historical 
Collections,  edited  by  Clarence  Walworth  Alvord,  of  University  of  Illinois, 
who  has  examined  the  Cahokia  Records  from  1778  to  1790. 

In  1779,  Capt.  John  Todd  was  appointed  commandant  of  the  new 
county  of  Illinois,  and  organized  a  government,  but  it  soon  went  to  pieces, 
and  in  1784  Virginia  surrendered  her  claim  to  the  United  States.  In  1787 
Congress  passed  what  is  known  as  the 

NORTHWEST   ORDINANCE. 

This  provided  for  a  territorial  form  of  government  for  the  whole  country 
north  and  west  of  the  Ohio,  but  provided,  also,  that  it  should  ultimately  be 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  13 

formed  into  states  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  thirteen.  The 
western,  southern,  and  eastern  boundaries  of  Illinois  were  as  they  now  are, 
but  it  was  left  optional  with  Congress  either  to  give  the  state  a  northward 
extension  to  the  Canadian  frontier,  or  to  form  another  state  north  of  a  line 
drawn,  through  the  southerly  bend  of  Lake  Michigan. 

Under  this  Northwest  Ordinance,  government  was  set  up  by  Governor 
St.  Clair  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  named  by  the  way  after  the  unfortunate  Marie 
Antionette,  but  not  until  1790  was  the  Illinois  country  organized  as  St. 
Clair  county,  modestly  named  after  himself.  The  county  seat  was  at  Caho- 
kia.  In  1800  the  Northwest  Territory  was  divided  into  two  districts.  In 
one  was  Illinois,  Indiana,  Wisconsin,  with  parts  of  Michigan  and  Minnesota, 
all  forming  the  new  Indiana  territory  under  Governor  William  Henry 
Harrison.  Vincennes,  Indiana,  another  old  town,  was  the  capital.  But  one 
county  was  found  to  be  too  much  for  Illinois,  and  in  1795,  Randolph  county 
was  formed  from  the  southern  portion  of  St.  Clair,  with  Kaskaskia  as  its 
capital. 

In  1809  another  change.  By  act  of  Congress,  Feb.  3,  Indiana  Territory 
was  divided,  and  the  western  portion  became  the  Territory  of  Illinois.  Ninian 
Edwards,  who  had  been  chief  justice  of  court  of  appeals  in  Kentucky,  was 
appointed  governor  by  President  Madison. 

LAWS  OF  THE  EARLY  TERRITORY. 

Some  of  the  penalties  were  pretty  hard  on  various  offenders.  As  Prof. 
Alvord  remarks,  this  early  code  in  operation  from  1809  to  1811  has  all  the 
earmarks  of  cruelty  characteristic  of  England  and  her  colonies  during  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries.  Stocks,  the  pillory,  and  the  whipping 
post  were  set  up  in  every  county. 

Thus,  for  obstructing  the  authority  of  a  magistrate,  the  offender  shall 
.be  fined  not  more  than  $300,  and  receive  not  to  exceed  thirty-nine  lashes. 
For  larceny,  the  convicted  party,  besides  restoring  double  the  value  of  the 
thing  stolen,  is  required  to  pay  a  fine  of  the  same  amount,  or  be  whipped 
not  exceeding  thirty-nine  lashes.  These  whippings  were  dreadful.  Dr.  Sam- 
uel Willard  in  his  Personal  Reminiscences  witnessed  one  of  these  savage 
performances  on  the  public  square  of  Carrollton  as  late  as  1832.  He  describes 
it  in  detail.  Near  the  courthouse  was  set  a  strong  post,  ten  feet  high,  with 
a  cross  at  the  top.  The  man  to  be  punished  for  the  theft  of  a  horse,  was 
stripped  naked  to  the  hips,  his  hands  tied,  and  the  rope  carried  to  the  cross 
piece,  and  drawn  as  tight  as  could  be  without  taking  his  feet  from  the 
ground.  Then  the  sheriff  took  the  rawhide.  What  was  that?  A  strip  of 
soft  wet  cowTskin  twisted  and  dried,  hard  and  rough  but  flexible,  three  quarters 
of  a  yard  long.  The  sheriff  began  by  laying  strokes  on  the  culprit's  badk  near 
the  neck,  and  going  down  the  side.  After  fifteen  strokes  were  counted  aloud, 
someone  gave  the  poor  wretch  a  tumbler  of  whisky.  Then  the  other  side 
of  the  back  received  the  same  treatment.  Every  stroke  drew  a  blood-red 
blister.  The  man's  shirt  was  replaced,  and  he  was  led  back  to  jail. 

Gambling  was  strictly  opposed  by  the  Virginia  code.  Here  is  one 
clause:  Any  person,  who  shall  suffer  any  of  the  games  played  at  tables 


14  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

commonly  called  A.  B.  C.  or  E.  0.  or  faro  bank,  or  any  other  gaming  table 
or  bank  of  like  kind,  to  be  played  in  his  or  her  house,  shall  for  every  such 
offense  forfeit  and  pay  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  to  be 
recovered  in  any  court  of  record  by  any  person  who  will  sue  for  the  same. 
Dueling  was  a  capital  offense.  No  mercy  for  the  man  with  a  hair 
trigger.  The  murder  of  Hamilton  by  Burr  in  1804  seems  to  have  set  the 
seal  of  national  condemnation  on  the  barbarous  practice.  So  there  was  this 
act  in  the  Virginia  code :  That  any  person  who  shall  hereafter  wilfully  and 
maliciously,  fight  a  duel  or  single  combat  with  any  engine,  instrument,  or 
weapon,  and  in  so  doing  shall  kill  his  antagonist,  or  inflict  such  injuries 
that  the  person  shall  die  thereof  within  three  months  thereafter,  such  offender, 
his  aiders,  abettors,  and  counsellors  being  thereof  duly  convicted,  shall  be 
guilty  of  murder,  and  suffer  death  by  being  hanged  by  the  neck,  any  law 
or  usage  of  this  territory  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

ILLINOIS  A  STATE. 

After  nine  years  as  a  distinct  territory,  the  next  and  last  political  change 
came  with  the  act  of  Congress,  April  15,  1818,  "to  enable  the  people  of 
Illinois  territory  to  form  a  constitution  and  state  government,  and  for  the 
admission  of  such  states  into  the  Union  on  an  equal  footing  with  the 
original  states. 

This  act  provided  for  the  election  of  thirty-three  delegates  to  a  con- 
vention to  be  held  at  Kaskaskia  on  the  first  Monday  of  the  following  August. 
All  white  male  persons  over  twenty-one,  and  who  had  resided  in  the  ter- 
ritory six  months  prior  to  election,  could  vote.  There  were  fifteen  counties 
in  the  territory.  Two  delegates  were  apportioned  to  each  of  the  counties 
of  Bond,  Monroe,  Randolph,  Jackson,  Johnson,  Pope,  White,  Edwards,  Craw- 
ford, Union,  Washington,  and  Franklin,  while  Madison,  St.  Clair  and  Gal- 
latin  had  each  three  representatives.  In  the  bill  for  statehood  as  passed 
was  an  amendment,  apparently  trifling,  but  of  critical  and  lasting  value  to 
the  prosperity  of  Illinois. 

By  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  there  were  to  be  not  less  than  three,  nor 
more  than  five  states  in  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river.  Congress 
reserved  the  power,  if  deemed  expedient,  to  form  one  or  two  states  in  that 
part  of  the  territory  lying  north  of  an  east  and  west  line  drawn  through 
the  southerly  bend  of  Lake  Michigan.  That  line,  as  Ford  says  in  his  history, 
was  generally  supposed  to  be  the  north  boundary  of  Illinois.  Nathaniel 
Pope,  our  delegate  in  Congress,  seeing  that  Chicago  was  north  of  that  line, 
and  would  be  excluded  by  it  from  the  state,  and  that  the  contemplated 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  to  connect  the  lakes  with  the  Mississippi,  would 
be  partly  without  the  state,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  competent  for 
Congress  to  extend  the  boundaries  of  the  new  state  as  far  north  as  they 
pleased.  This  amendment  was  to  extend  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
new  state  to  the  parallel  of  forty-two  degrees  thirty  minutes  north  latitude. 
Few  persons  realize  what  we  owe  to  Pope's  amendment.  It  simply  secured 
for  Illinois  instead  of  Wisconsin,  fourteen  of  our  splendid  northern  counties, 
including  the  city  of  Chicago.  A  small  empire.  Everlasting  honor  to 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  15 

Nathaniel  Pope,  whose  far-seeing  sagacity  gave  forever  to  Illinois  one  of  the 
richest  jewels  in  her  crown. 

Shadrach  Bond  was  elected  first  governor,  and  began  his  term  of  four 
years  in  October,  1818.  He  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  a  farmer  and  early 
settler,  and  what  is  remarkable,  suggests  Ford,  in  his  first  message  made  a 
recommendation  in  favor  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal.  Ninian 
Edwards  and  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  were  elected  the  first  senators.  The  first  leg- 
islature provided  for  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government  from  Kaskaskia, 
the  seat  of  power  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  to  Vandalia,  a  spot  selected 
by  the  commissioners.  The  state  archives,  a  small  wagon  load,  were  accord- 
ingly removed  by  Sidney  Breese,  then  clerk  to  the  secretary  of  state,  for 
twenty-five  dollars. 

But  other  towns  were  after  the  capital,  Jacksonville,  Peoria,  Alton,  and 
there  was  a  strenuous  canvass.  The  question  was  settled,  however,  Feb.  28, 
1837,  when  the  two  houses  met  in  joint  session,  and  on  the  fourth  ballot, 
Springfield  was  chosen,  receiving  seventy-three  votes,  a  majority  over  all 
competitors.  The  old  capital  building  at  Vandalia  was  several  times  remod- 
eled, and  is  still  standing,  its  small  cupola  visible  through  the  trees  to  the 
traveler  on  the  Illinois  Central.  The  corner  stone  of  the  new  building  at 
Springfield  was  laid  July  4,  1837,  and  the  brilliant  E.  D.  Baker,  afterwards 
senator  from  Oregon,  who  fell  in  the  civil  war,  was  orator  of  the  occasion. 

During  the  early  years  of  statehood,  Illinois  was  the  frontier  state  of 
the  Northwest,  Iowa  not  being  organized  until  1846,  and  Wisconsin  not 
until  1848.  In  1818  the  northern  part  of  the  state  was  almost  wholly  unoc- 
cupied by  white  settlers,  and  even  in  the  southern  half  the  settlements  were 
separated  by  long  stretches  of  wilderness.  In  1818  the  whole  population  was 
about  forty-five  thousand.  Some  of  these  were  descendants  of  the  old  French 
settlers,  and  lived  in  the  style  of  peasants  in  old  France  hundreds  of  years 
ago.  We  quote  a  paragraph  from  Ford  to  show  the  simple  manners  of  these 
primitive  communities. 

The  farmer  raised  his  own  provisions,  tea  and  coffee  being  rarely  used 
except  on  special  occasions.  The  farmer's  sheep  furnished  wool  for  winter 
clothing,  and  he  raised  cotton  and  flax  for  summer  attire.  His  wife  and 
daughters  spun  and  made  it  into  garments.  The  fur  of  the  raccoon  made  a 
cap.  The  skins  of  deer  or  cattle  tanned  or  dressed  by  himself,  made  shoes  or 
moccasins.  A  log  cabin  without  glass,  nails  or  hinges,  was  considered  a  com- 
fortable home.  Every  farmer  made  his  own  plows  and  harness,  as  well  as 
furniture  for  the  house  in  the  shape  of  chairs,  tables  and  bedsteads.  Carts 
were  made  without  tires,  used  without  tar,  and  creaked  with  a  vengeance. 

During  the  thirty  years  from  1820  to  1850  the  progress  was  remarkable. 
The  building  of  the  Erie  canal  in  New  York,  the  improvement  of  naviga- 
tion on  the  lakes  and  rivers,  the  removal  of  the  Indians,  gave  an  impetus  to 
emigration.  Instead  of  the  easy  plodders  from  Kentucky  and  the  border 
states,  came  a  stream  of  resolute  men  and  women  from  Pennsylvania,  New 
York,  and  New  England.  From  55,000  in  1820,  Illinois  increased  to  a 
population  of  850,000  in  1850.  Chicago  was  beginning  its  marvelous  devel- 


16  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

opment.     From  a  fort  and  village  in  1833,  in  1850  it  had  a  population  of 
30,000,  and  in  1853  had  increased  to  60,000. 

ORGANIZATION    OF    WHITESIDE. 

For  many  of  the  facts  given  under  this  head  we  are  indebted  to  the 
careful  researches  of  Charles  Bent  and  Robert  L.  Wilson.  Previous  to  1825 
the  whole  northern  part  of  the  state  extending  for  a  considerable  distance 
south  of  Peoria,  was  included  in  the  county  of  Tazewell,  but  on  Jan.  13,  1825, 
an  act  was  passed  setting  off  Peoria  county,  which  extended  south  of  the 
city  of  Peoria,  then  known  as  Fort  Clark,  and  north  to  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  state.  This  territory  included  a  large  number  of  the  present  counties 
of  northwestern  Illinois,  among  them  Whiteside.  On  Feb.  17,  1827,  Jo 
Daviess  county  was  formed,  and  included  within  its  boundaries  the  territory 
constituting  the  present  county  of  Whiteside,  where  it  remained  until  Jan. 
16,  1836,  with  the  exception  of  that  portion  of  the  -territory  embraced  in  the 
present  townships  of  Portland  and  Prophetstown,  which  had  been  set  off  to 
Henry  county  by  the  act  organizing  that  county  in  1836.  That  part  of  the 
act  of  Jan.  16,  1836,  fixing  the  present  boundaries  of  Whiteside  is  as  follows: 

Section  6.  All  that  tract  of  country  within  the  following  boundary, 
commencing  at  the  southeast  corner  of  township  numbered  nineteen,  north 
of  seven,  range  east  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian;  thence  west  with  the 
said  township  line  to  Rock  river;  thence  down  along  the  middle  of  Rock 
river  to  the  middle  of  the  Meredosia  with  the  line  of  Rock  Island  county  to 
the  Mississippi  river;  thence  along  the  main  channel  of  the  Mississippi  river 
to  the  point  where  the  north  line  of  township  twenty-two  intersects  the  same; 
thence  east  with  said  last  mentioned  township  line  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  township  twenty-three;  thence  south  with  the  line  between  ranges  seven 
and  eight  to  the  point  of  beginning,  shall  constitute  a  county  to  be  called 
Whiteside. 

Sec.  16.  The  county  of  Whiteside  shall  continue  to  form  a  part  of 
the  county  of  Jo  Daviess  until  it  shall  be  organized  according -to  this  act,  and 
be  attached  to  said  county  in  all  general  elections,  until  otherwise  provided 
by  law,  and  that  after  the  organization  of  Ogle  county,  the  county  of  White- 
side  shall  be  attached  to  said  county  of  Ogle  for  all  judicial  and  county 
purposes,  until  it  shall  be  organized. 

So  much  in  a  general  way  for  the  ingenious,  geographical  and  political 
arrangements  devised  by  the  early  Solons  for  the  welfare  of  the  county.  Next 
came  the  subdivisions. 

TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION. 

An  election  was  held  in  1849  in  the  different  precincts  for  the  purpose 
of  allowing  the  electors  to  vote  for  or  against  township  organization.  There 
was  a  vote  in  favor,  but  on  account  of  some  illegality,  another  election  was 
held  on  Nov.  4,  1851,  which  resulted  in  a  majority  for  the  measure  of  232 
in  a  total  vote  of  543.  L.  D.  Crandall,  L.  H.  Woodworth,  and  William  Pol- 
lock were  appointed  commissioners  to  divide  the  county  into  townships,  and 
to  fix  names  and  boundaries,  under  the  township  organization  law  adopted 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  17 

at  the  election  of  Nov.  4,  1851.  On  Feb.  24,  1852,  the  commissioners  reported 
the  following  townships:  Fulton,  Ustick,  Clyde,  Genesee,  Jordan,  Sterling, 
Montmorency,  Coloma,  Hahnaman,  Hume,  Como,  Hopkins,  Tampico,  Vol- 
ney,  Prophetstown,  Portland,  Erie,  Fenton,  Lyndon,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Union 
Grove,  Garden  Plain,  Albany,  Newton.  These  made  twenty-four,  but  as 
Como  was  merged  in  Hopkins,  and  Volney  in  Prophetstown,  the  number 
became  as  at  present,  twenty-two. 

The  first  town  meeting  under,  the  township  organization  law  was  held 
on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April,  1852  in  Albany,  Coloma,  Clyde,  Erie,  Fenton, 
Fulton,  Garden  Plain,  Genesee,  Hopkins,  Jordan,  Lyndon,  Newton,  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Prophetstown,  Portland,  Sterling,  Union  Grove,  Ustick.  Elections 
were  not  held  in  Montmorency,  Hahnaman,  Hume,  and  Tampico,  as  they 
were  not  fully  organized.  The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  was  held 
at  Sterling,  Sept.  13,  1852,  and  W.  S.  Barnes  was  elected  chairman. 

DIFFICULTIES  OF  EARLY  TRAVEL. 

Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood, 

Stand  dressed  in  living  green, 
So  to  the  Jews  old  Canaan  stood, 

While  Jordan  rolled  between. — -Watts. 

First  catch  your  rabbit,  was  the  standing  advice  in  the  cook  books  before 
directions  were  given  for  cooking  the  quadruped.  So  the  men  of  the  east 
considering  removal  to  Illinois  had  before  them  the  serious  proposition  of 
getting  there.  Around  them  were  their  native  hills,  a  thousand  miles  to 
the  west  the  virgin  prairies,  but  lying  between  a  region  of  difficult  travel 
like  unexplored  Ethiopia  in  the  ancient  geographies. 

Two  general  routes  were  open  to  the  eastern  emigrant :  From  New  Eng- 
land by  the  Erie  canal  and  lakes  to  Chicago;  from  Pennsylvania  by  canal 
and  the  rivers.  The  points  inland  had,  of  course,  to  be  reached  by  wagon. 
A  few  illustrations  may  give  a  good  idea  of  the  Jericho  road  our  pioneers 
had  to  traverse. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  John  H.  Bryant,  brother  of  the  poet,  set  out  for 
Illinois  from  Cummington,  Mass.  At  Albany  he  took  a  boat  on  the  Erie 
canal,  and  reached  Buffalo  in  seven  days,  a  trip  now  made  in  almost  as  many 
hours.  The  lake  at  Buffalo  being  full  of  ice,  he  was  obliged  to  hire  a  team 
to  Dunkirk.  Then  by  wagon  to  Warren  on  the  Alleghany  river  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  found  quarters  with  an  English  family  who  were  making 
the  voyage  in  a  craft  called  an  ark  down  the  stream  to  Pittsburg.  This 
occupied  seven  days.  From  this  city  by  steamboat  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence 
up  the  Illinois  river  to  Naples.  He  was  now  within  twenty-two  miles  of  his 
destination,  Jacksonville,  and  completed  the  journey  on  foot.  The  whole 
trip  occupied  five  weeks,  and  cost  $60.  Now  you  can  make  it  in  a  Pullman 
car  in  thirty-six  hours.  The  next  year  he  and  brother  Cyrus  rode  to  Prince- 
ton, in  Bureau  county,  on  horseback. 

Samuel  Willard  in  his  Reminiscences  in  Illinois  from  1830  to  1850, 
says  his  father  went  from  Boston  to  Carrollton,  Greene  county,  in  March  and 


18  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

April,  1831,  taking  twenty-seven  days  to  reach  Bluffdale.  He  with  wife  and 
three  sons,  traveled  by  stage  and  steamer  till  they  reached  Pittsburg,  and 
then  by  boat  on  the  Ohio,  Mississippi,  and  Illinois.  A  canoe  up  a  "sloo" 
brought  them  to  the  end  of  water  travel,  with  a  walk  of  two  miles  to  the 
house  of  a  friend.  Household  goods  went  from  Boston  to  New  Orleans,  and 
were  brought  north  by  boat,  arriving  months  afterward. 

The  father  and  mother  of  Henry  Holbrook  traveled  from  Steuben  county, 
New  York,  in  1838,  in  a  buggy  drawn  by  one  horse,  while  the  family  and 
goods  were  conveyed  by  two.  At  Erie,  Pa.,  a  large  box  was  shipped  on  a 
sailing  vessel.  After  a  tedious  trip  of  five  weeks,  suffering  severely  from 
exposure,  they  arrived  at  Genesee  Grove  in  December.  Edward  Richardson 
was  in  company,  traveling  the  whole  distance  on  foot.  The  vessel  was 
wrecked,  but  a  part  of  the  goods  were  received  a  year  later. 

Col.  Ebenezer  Seely,  one  of  Portland's  strenuous  pioneers,  had  his  event- 
ful experience  in  early  transportation.  With  his  own  family,  and  those  of 
John  Reed  and  Henry  Brewer,  he  floated  down  the  Alleghany  and  Ohio 
rivers  to  Louisville,  where  he  took  a  steamer  for  St.  Louis,  and  thence  to 
Rock  Island,  arriving  June  4,  1835.  After  much  effort  he  secured  a  team 
to  take  his  family  to  Portland,  and  a  ferry  boat  to  bring  his  goods  from 
Rock  Island. 

Sometimes  the  trip  from  the  East  was  made  on  horseback  by  men  who 
wished  like  Joshua  to  spy  out  the  land,  and  make  a  leisurely  survey  of  the 
conditions.  In  this  way,  it  is  said,  the  father  of  Hugh  Wallace  rode 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  selected  the  land  for  Hugh,  Elijah  and  Hamilton, 
who  afterwards  occupied  it. 

Nathaniel  G.  Reynolds,  Prophetstown,  came  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  by 
water,  thence  to  Chicago  by  team.  From  Chicago  to  Rock  river  only  an 
Indian  trail,  and  for  forty-four  miles  before  reaching  Prophetstown,  not  a 
house  in  sight.  This  was  in  1835. 

As  there  were  no  bridges  across  the  smaller  streams,  it  was  often  nec- 
essary to  swim  the  horses.  This  was  especially  dangerous  in  time  of  high 
water,  when  even  creeks  became  raging  torrents.  Peter  Cartwright,  the 
celebrated  Methodist  preacher,  who  had  half  of  Illinois  for  his  circuit,  was 
often  obliged  in  meeting  his  appointments,  to  swim  the  flood,  and  dry  his 
clothes  on  the  other  side. 

Another  tremendous  bugbear  was  the  sloughs  or  in  western  dialect, 
"sloo?."  They  were,  in  some  respects,  more  troublesome  than  the  streams. 
These  could  be  forded  or  swam,  if  the  current  was  not  too  swift.  But  the 
slough  was  sometimes  an  impassable  barrier.  If  a  team  got  stuck  in  the 
morass,  nothing  could  be  done  unless  more  power  could  be  secured.  The 
mire  was  deep,  tough,  sticky.  So  teams  traveled  in  company,  and  by  doubl- 
ing up,  the  wagons  could  be  jerked  through  the  swamp.  These  sloughs 
occurred  in  the  hollows  of  the  prairies,  and  travelers  who  rattle  along  today 
over  our  graveled  roads  have  no  idea  of  the  profanity  that  rang  from  these 
treacherous  bottoms. 

James  Talbot,  who  settled  in  Jordan  in  1835,  in  coming  to  the  ,west. 
sailed  down  a  small  stream  in  a  flatboat  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  took  a  steamer 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  19 

down  the  Ohio  and  then  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  river  to  Peoria. 
He  remained  there  until  his  removal  to  Jordan,  and  made  the  overland 
trip  in  an  ox-wagon  drawn  by  three  yoke  of  cattle.  Ten  to  fifteen  miles  a 
day  were  the  allowance  for  an  ox-team.  One  mode  of  conveyance  was  a  yoke 
of  oxen  at-  the  wheel,  and  a  horse  in  the  lead  driven  by  a  whip.  David 
Hazard,  who  came  to  Lyndon  in  1837,  brought  his  family  and  goods  from 
Pennsylvania,  nine  hundred  miles,  in  twenty-eight  days,  all  the  way  by  team. 

Even  as  late  as  1851,  travel  in  Illinois  was  no  luxury.  With  his  father, 
the  writer  made  the  trip  from  Lancaster,  Pa.  By  rail  to  Johnstown,  and 
then  one  hundred  miles  by  canal  to  Pittsburg.  Down  the  Ohio,  stopping  at 
Cincinnati  and  Louisville,  to  St.  Louis,  up  the  Illinois  to  Naples,  by  rail 
to  Springfield.  On  our  return  to  the  east,  by  boat  up  the  Illinois  to  Peru, 
thence  by  stage  to  Dixon  and  Sterling,  and  after  a  short  visit,  continuing  our 
journey  by  stage  to  Aurora,  where  we  again  struck  rail  for  Chicago.  These 
stages  were  simply  two  horse  wagons  with  canvas  covers  and  curtains,  and 
hard  seats  that  made  you  sore  at  the  end  of  the  ride. 

Railroads  were  scarce  in  1851.  The  Illinois  Central  was  not  made,  and 
here  and  there  only  a  local  line.  The  T-rail  was  not  in  general  use,  and  the 
road  bed  was  not  solid.  Engineering  was  in  its  infancy.  Dr.  Willard  gives 
a  description  of  their  construction.  On  the  ties  were  laid  long  wooden  beams, 
or  stringers,  and  fastened  on  top  of  these  bars  of  wrought  iron,  an  inch  thick 
and  three  inches  wide.  These  strap  rails  were  spiked  fast,  the  heads  of  the 
spikes  even  with  the  rails  to  avoid  a  jar  to  the  wheels.  When  an  end  of  a 
strap  rail  got  loose,  and  stuck  up,  it  was  called  a  "snake-head."  If  it  pierced 
the  car  floor,  at  it  sometimes  did,  serious  accidents  resulted.  Engineers  car- 
ried hammers  to  nail  down  unruly  snake-heads  that  threatened  danger. 

Another  comfort  very  much  missed  by  the  early  settlers  was  the  absence 
of  religious  service.  Many  had  come  from  the  staid  communities  of  the  east 
where  churches  and  Sunday  schools  were  regular  features  from  childhood. 

But  the  sound  of  the  church-going  bell, 
These  valleys  and  rocks  never  heard. 

They  did  the  best  in  their  power  to  supply  the  need.  Sunday  schools  and 
services  ,were  held  in  homes,  and  after  schoolhouses  were  erected,  ministers 
were  always  welcome  to  preach.  The  late  Barton  Cartwright,  of  Oregon  had 
a  long  circuit  extending  from  Rockford  to  Rock  Island,  which  he  regularly 
traversed,  and  many  of  his  appointments  were  in  the  country  schoolhouses. 
The  ride  of  Sol  Seely,  son  of  old  Col.  Seely,  was  long  a  subject  of  thrill- 
ing narrative.  After  the  election  in  1836  when  Van  Buren  became  president, 
although  only  about  twenty  votes  were  cast  in  Portland  township,  it  was 
necessary  to  send  the  returns  to  Galena,  the  headquarters,  as  Whiteside  then 
formed  part  of  Jo  Daviess  county.  Sol  was  mounted  on  an  Indian  pony, 
given  the  precious  document  to  deliver  to  John  Dixon,  at  Dixon's  Ferry, 
where  the  stage  driver  for  Galena  would  take  charge.  Between  Prophetstown 
and  Dixon,  only  twenty-eight  miles,  but  nothing  but  an  Indian  trail.  On 
reaching  a  stream  west  of  Dixon,  swollen  to  the  banks,  although  the  weather 
was  cold  and  the  water  icy,  Sol  dashed  into  the  current,  and  swam  the  pony 


•20  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

across.  Arriving  at  the  Dixon  house,  .his  frozen  clothes  were  dr.' .-d,  and 
himself  put  in  proper  trim  by  good  Mother  Dixon  for  h'*  return  next  morn- 
ing. Sol  spent  his  later  years  in  Sterling,  where  his  >  ting  house  was  a 
popular  resort.  He  was  a  firm  believer  in  Spiritualism.  Meeting  him  once 
soon  after  the  Buffalo  assassination,  he  remarked  with  the  utmost  gravity, 
"Well,  I  saw  McKinley  this  morning." 

HARDSHIPS  IN  EARLY  DAYS. 

Shall   we  be  carried  to   the  skies, 

On  flowery  beds  of  ease, 
While  others  fought  to  win  the  prize, 

And  sailed  thro'  bloody  seas? — Isaac  Watts. 

After  arriving  in  the  earthly  Canaan,  the  end  of  the  cedious  joun  ey, 
the  next  question  was  about  a  place  to  live.  Sod  houses  as  in  Kansas  v.re 
never  attempted.  Generally  a  neighbor  offered  room  until  a  shelter  could 
be  thrown  up,  but  otherwise  all  sorts  of  shifts  were  employed.  For  instance, 
Asa  Crook,  who  came  to  Prophetstown  in  1834,  lived  in  his  wagon  for  three 
weeks,  and  then  made  a  lodge,  covering  it  with  hickory  bark,  in  which  he 
lived  all  summer. 

But  the  primitive  style  of  house  was  the  genuine  log  cabin.  Williai 
Dudley's  first  cabin  in  Lyndon  was  only  twelve  feet  square,  and  yet  w- 
large  enough  for  his  family  of  four  and  a  boarder.  No  drawing  rooms  o 
fancy  apartments  in  those  days.  Puncheons  hewn  with  a  broad  ax  furnished 
the  floors.  The  spaces  between  the  logs  were  plastered  if  lime  was  to  be  had. 
The  roofs  were  not  water  tight  as  the  shingles  were  coarse  and  not  jointed. 
Many  amusing  incidents  of  storms  that  beat  through  the  flimsy  canopy.  D. 
F.  Millikan's  cabin  in  Lyndon  was  covered  with  bark,  basins  were  set  to 
catch  the  water  at  night,  and  umbrellas  were  held  to  protect  the  sleepers 
from  drenching  showers.  Mrs.  Mary  Wallace,  in  Sterling  relates  the  same 
unwilling  baptism.  Sometimes  only  an  earthen  floor  in  the  cabin,  and  Mrs. 
Wallace,  who  was  full  of  these  incidents,  tells  of  the  baby  rolling  from  the 
bed  one  night,  and  of  the  search  in  the  darkness  to  find  him.  But  these 
early  cabins  were  roomy,  elastic,  and  no  sudden  influx  of  company  proved 
too  great  for  their  accommodation.  As  in  the  omnibus,  always  room  for 
one  more.  Latch  string  always  out. 

For  two  years  the  writer  en  joyed- the  shelter  of  a  log  cabin,  and  the  mem- 
ory is  delightful.  It  was  a  novel  transition  from  the  boyhood  comfort  of 
a  substantial  two-story  brick  in  old  Lancaster.  This  was  the  fireside  of  Charles 
Diller  and  his  good  wife,  Ann,  in  Jordan,  near  Wilson's  mill.  In  the  regular 
family  there  were  father  and  mother,  five  children,  a  girl,  two  boarders, 
and  myself.  A  shed  for  the  stove  answered  for  kitchen  and  dining  room. 
Only  one  room  in  the  cabin  proper,  which  at  night  by  a  curtain  swung  on 
wire  was  turned  into  two  chambers,  and  a  low  cot  was  drawn  from  beneath 
the  high  bed  where  it  stood  during  the  day. 

But  the  low  loft  to  which  we  climbed  by  a  narrow  stairs  was  the  main 
accommodation  for  the  boys  and  boarders.  Three  double  beds  were  squeezed 


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HISTORY    OF    AVHITESIDE    COUNTY  21 

together.  One  window  only,  and  the  ventilation  was  not  scientific,  but  we 
slept  and  survived.  When  it  stormed  winter  or  summer,  your  pillow  bore 
testimony  to  rain  or  snow.  And  the  table!  If  the  old  settlers  had  no  rugs 
or  lace  curtains,  they  certainly  reveled  in  the  good  things  of  the  earth. 
Plenty  of  their  own  excellent  ham  or  beef,  fresh  vegetables,  the  richest  of 
cream,  pies  and  puddings,  banquets  and  appetites  that  kings  could  not  com- 
mand. This  was  in  1856,  and  the  reign  of  venison  was  over.  The  deer  had 
departed. 

These  old  cabins  have  naturally  disappeared  before  the  changes  of  time 
and  the  ravages  of  the  elements.  But  this  Diller  cabin  remains.  The  late  W. 
A.  Sanborn,  who  bought  the  beautiful  farm  from  the  heirs,  and  established 
an'  extensive  range  for  the  rearing  of  blooded  horses,  had  the  little  structure 
removed  to  one  side,  and  it  is  now  in  fair  preservation.  In  some  cases  within 
our  knowledge,  after  modern  dwellings  were  erected  on  another  side,  the 
old  cabins  were  allowed  to  stand,  and  used  for  cribs,  corn-cobs,  or  other 
purposes.  The  cabins  of  Major  Wallace  and  Joel  Harvey  at  Empire  in 
Hopkins  stood  till  they  tumbled  down. 

"To  what  base  uses  do  we  come  at  last!" 

•  t 
On  many  county  fair  grounds  the  old  cabin  has  become  of  late  years 

a  prominent  ornament.  It  is  either  a  real  specimen  removed  from  its  early 
situation  and  set  up,  or  an  ingenious  imitation  constructed  of  modern  logs. 
At  any  rate,  the  conception  is  happy.  What  a  world  of  suggestion,  of 
reminiscence,  the  primitive  structure  awakens  1  It  is  a  pleasing  landmark 
of  social  progress.  We  think  of  Lincoln  and  Garfield,  of  Daniel  Webster's 

early  surroundings.    All  honor  to  the  log  homestead! 

"••••-, 

What  a  bliss  to  press  the   pillow 

Of  a  cottage  chamber  bed, 
And  to  listen  to  the  patter 

Of  the  soft  rain  overhead! 

While  substantial^  food  was  plentiful  in  the  form  of  meat,  game,  and 
vegetables,  the  fruit  to  which  our  father  s  were  accustomed  in  the  east,  was 
sorely  missed.  No  peaches  or  apples  until  nurseries  were  started.  Wild  plums 
and  crab-apples  in  the  timber,  and  these  were  economized  to  the  fullest  extent 
in  sauce  and  pies.  Coffee  and  tea  were  for  company,  and  wheat  or  rye  did 
for  common  use.  When  mills  were  distant,  wheat  and  corn  had  to  be  ground 
in  hand  mills.  Buckwheat  was  prepared  in  this  way  for  cakes.  Tomatoes 
were  at  first  considered  an  ornament,  and  formed  no  part  of  table  luxury. 
One  funny  thing.  Dandelions  were  missed,  and  someone  sent  to  the  east 
for  seed. 

One  of  the,sorest  wants  was  the  grist  mill.  The  settler  had  the  wheat  and 
corn,  but  it  had  to  be  ground.  In  1835  grists  were  taken  to  Morgan  county, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  south.  Wilson's  mill  in  Jordan,  built  in  1836, 
was  the  only  mill  in  the  county,  and  people  for  forty  miles  came  with  their 
grists.  It  was  a  log  mill,  but  made  good  floiir.  For  clothing,  too,  various 
expedients  were  employed.  Hide*  of  deer  dried  for  coats,  buckskin  for 


22  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

breeches,  raccoon  skin  for  caps,  moccasins  for  shoes.  Wild  bees  furnished 
honey,  and  skillful  hunters  could  shoot  enough  game  to  lay  in  a  supply  of 
meat  for  winter. 

Stoves  were  few  and  far  between.  Chicago  was  for  awhile  the  nearest 
point  for  general  supplies,  and  the  trip  from  Whiteside  consumed  twelve 
days.  Prices,  however,  were  so  low,  and  groceries  so  high,  that  a  farmer  had 
nothing  left  on  his  return,  but  his  limited  purchases.  He  could  not  haul 
more  than  fifty  bushels  of  wheat,  which  at  twenty-five  or  fifty  cents  would 
purchase  only  the  barest  household  needs.  Small  stores  in  time  gradually 
sprang  up  at  Como,  Sterling,  and  other  towns  to  furnish  staple  articles. 
Ash  hoppers  and  appliances  for  soap  were  soon  found  to  be  necessary,  and 
the  late  Mrs.  Mary  Wallace  of  Sterling,  to  her  old  age  took  much  satisfaction 
in  making  the  family  soap,  both  hard  and  soft. 

It  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  the  people  were  blessed  with  good  health, 
for  doctors  were  only  to  be  found  in  the  cities.  The  country  was  too  thinly 
settled  to  afford  profitable  living  to  an  established  physician.  Every  family 
was  supposed  to  have  a  medicine  chest  or  shelf  of  common  remedies,  and 
in  almost  every  community  there  was  some  experienced  mother  who  in  cases 
of  ordinary  disease  could  administer  the  proper  remedy.  Such  a  nurse  was 
Mrs.  Wallace  or  Mrs.  Kilgour,  who  were  often  summoned  to  the  bedside  of 
suffering.  For  ague,  quinine  was -the  ready  relief,  and  for  various  ailments, 
calomel  or  blue  pill.  Drug  stores  are  a  modern  luxury. 

When  the  cholera  appeared  in  various  portions  of  Illinois  in  1851  or 
laiter,  the  importance  of  skilled  medical  treatment  was  keenly  felt.  Of 
course,  the  epidemic  is  difficult  to  overcome  even  today.  Then  people  were 
helpless  under  the  scourge,  and  soon  succumbed  to  the  attack.  In  Carroll- 
ton,  central  Illinois,  according  to  Dr.  Willard,  stores  were  closed,  dead  buried 
in  their  bed  clothes,  and  all  fled  who  could  get  away.  North  of  Sterling  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  G.  F.  Shuler,  several  fatal  cases  occurred,  and  Dr. 
Hamilton  Wallace,  brother  of  Hugh,  who  was  in  attendance,  was  himself 
a  victim. 

FIRST  MEETING  OF  OLD  SETTLERS. 

Should   auld   acquaintance   be    forgot, 

And  never  brought  to  min'? 
Should  auld  acquaintance  be  forgot, 

And  days  o'  lang  syne? 

Perhaps  Sterling  never  saw  a  more  thoroughly  social  occasion  than 
Feb.  22,  1858,  when  the  early  settlers  had  their  first  formal  reunion.  The 
affair  had  been  duly  announced,  and  the  veterans  came  from  all  parts  of 
the  county.  They  came  by  cars,  and  they  came  by  wagon.  The  delegation 
from  Jordan,  chiefly  of  the  Coe  family,  arrived  in  a  large  sleigh,  with  canvas 
cover,  camp  kettles,  and  other  paraphernalia  of  the  emigrant,  drawn  by  six 
large  horses,  geared  with  old  Pennsylvania  harness,  with  saddle  and  driver 
on  the  nigh  wheel  horse.  The  meeting  was  held  in  Wallace  Hall,  Nelson 
Mason  as  president,  and  Col.  R.  L.  Wilson,  secretary.  There  was  great 
enthusiasm,  and  hilarity  ruled  the  hour.  The  following  old  settlers,  many 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  23 

with  wives  and  families,  reported,  giving  the  date  of  their  location  in  the 
county : 

Sterling:  Hezekiah  Brink,  1834;  Nathan  Hicks,  L  D.  Crandall,  1835; 
Edward  Bush,  Van  J.  Adams,  Luther  Bush,  Nelson  Mason,  M.  R.  Adams, 
PI.  Bush,  1836;  Hugh  Wallace,  W.  M.  Kilgour,  Noah  Merrill,  George  W. 
Woodburn,  C.  H.  Crook,  E.  L.  Worthington,  H.  Tu'ttle,  Thos.  Mathews,  E.  J. 
Kilgour,  W.  H.  Whipple,  1837 ;  C.  C.  Judd,  Hiram  Platt,  R.  C.  Andrews,  J. 
Pettigrew,  J.  W.  Shannon,  J.  M.  Whipple,  Andrew  Bush,  C.  M.  Worthing- 
ton, George  H.  Wells,  L.  J.  Whipple,  D.  0.  Coe,  Wyatt  Cantrell,  M.  M.  War- 
ner, L.  B.  Wetherbee,  C.  A.  Wetherbee,  E.  C.  Wetherbee,  1838 ;  A.  McMoore, 
Edwin  Judd,  M.  C.  Stull,  Jesse  Penrose,  F.  Sampson,  J.  A.  Gilbert,  1839; 
R.  L.  Wilson,  John  Dippell,  C.  P.  Emmons,  1840. 

Jordan:  1835,  James  Talbott,  0.  Talbott,  J.  W.  Talbott,  S.  M.  Coe; 
1836,  M.  M.  Hubbard,  F.  W.  Coe;  1837,  J.  W.  Thompson,  L.  G.  Schenck,  D. 
F.  Coe,  H.  A.  Coe;  1838,  M.  L.  Coe,  J.  F.  Coe;  1839,  L.  S.  Pennington,  Jabez 
Gilbert. 

Hopkins:  1837,  W.  F.  Hopkins;  1838,  Joel  Harvey,  S.  C.  Harvey,  0. 
A.  Fanning;  1839,  N.  A.  Sturtevant,  E.  C.  Whitmore,  George  Sturtevant, 
A.  C.  Merrill,  W.  S.  Wilkinson,  A.  S.  Sampson. 

Coloma:  1839,  Frank  Gushing,  John  Enderton,  L.  H.  Woodworth, 
Sugar  Grove,  1838,  M.  S.  Coe. 

•Union  Grove:     1836,  Henry  Boyer,  W.  F.  Boyer;  1837,  J.  C.  Young, 

D.  B.  Young,  J.  P.  Garlick;  1838,  A.  N.  Young. 

Mt.  Pleasant:  1835,  William  Knox;  1836,  H.  Heaton;  1837,  G.  Heaton; 
1838,  A.  C.  Jackson;  1839,  C.  P.  Emery. 

Lyndon:  1835,  0.  Woodruff;  1837,  A.  Hubbard,  R.  G.  Clendenin; 
1838,  S.  Hubbard;  1839,  J.  Ware,  J.  D.  Coyne. 

Prophetetown :  1834,  J.  W.  Stakes;  1835,  N.  G.  Reynolds,  J.  C.  South- 
ern; 1836,  E.  S.  Gage;  1837,  T.  J.  Walker,  A.  J.  Warner,  E.  B.  Clark,  L. 
Walls;  1838.  W.  S.  Reynolds,  R.  Crook,  W.  T.  Minchen,  A.  S.  Dickinson, 

E.  H.  Nichols,  E.  B.  Warner,  J.  W.  Beeman,  H.  C.  Smith,  G.  C.  Reynolds, 
S.  Johnson;  1839,  A.  J.  Tuller,  0.  W.  Gage,  J.  W.  Gage,  W.  E.  Smith. 

Hume:     1839,  Charles  Wright,  H.  Cleveland. 

Portland:  1835,  S.  Fuller  P.  B.  Besse;  1836,  E.  Seely,  L.  M.  Seely,  A. 
J.  Seely,  M.  V.  Seely,  R.  M  Besse;  1837,  R.  Woodside. 

Albany:     1838,  B.  S.  Quick;  1839,  W.  S.  Barnes,  W.  A.  Gilbert. 

Clyde:     1838,  S.  Currie. 

Erie :     1835,  S.  D.  Carr. 

Garden  Plain:     1839,  Jas.  A.  Sweet. 

BANQUET   AND   TOASTS. 

Col.  Seely  called  the  meeting  to  order,  and  after  an  hour  of  handshaking 
and  reminiscence,  a  procession  was  formed  and  marched  to  the  dining  room 
of  the  Wallace  House.  The  tables  seated  four  hundred.  Rev.  E.  Erskine  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  asked  a  blessing.  After  ample  justice  to  a  bountiful 
supper  prepared  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCune,  who  for  years  managed  that 
well  known  hostelry,  the  festive  company  repaired  to  the  hall  which  was 


24  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

brilliantly  illuminated  for  the  exercises.  We  shall  condense  the  responses  of 
the  various  speakers  as  they  were  reported  at  the  time  in  the  Sterling  Gazette. 

County  of  Whiteside :  Col.  E.  Seely  of  Portland.  He  came  in  1835.  At 
the  first  county  election  in  that  year  about  thirty  votes  were  cast.  No  roads 
but  the  trails  of  Indians,  and  here  and  there  a  log  cabin.  Much  hardship,  but 
the  people  were  hospitable. 

Union  Grove:  Henry  Boyer.  He  made  the  claim  where  he  now  lives 
in  1836.  The  population  then  comprised  two  families,  now  over  a  thousand 
people. 

Lyndon :  R.  G.  Clendenin.  This  town  was  noted  for  the  steady  habits 
of  the  people  and  their  love  of  education  and  good  morals. 

Garden  Plain:  James  A.  Sweet.  There  were  five  hundred  people,  four 
schools  with  an  average  attendance  of  forty  scholars  each. 

Jordan :  L.  S.  Pennington.  In  1835  Simeon  M.  Coe  built  the  first  house. 
James  Talbot  was  the  next  settler,  who  broke  the  first  prairie  in  the  township. 
Joseph  M.  Wilson  began  his  flour  mill  in  1835,  and  completed  it  the  next 
year.  It  was  of  logs.  John  Brookie  opened  the  first  store  in  1837.  There 
were  six  schools,  and  the  population  numbered  about  one  thousand. 

Portland:  P.  B.  Besse.  The  first  prairie  was  broken  in  August,  1834, 
and  twelve  votes  were  cast  at  the  first  election  held  at  the  house  of  Asa  Crook. 
He  acted  as  clerk.  The  town  had  more  timber  land  than  any  other  in  the 
county.  There  were  nine  schools. 

Prophetstown :  Mr.  Nichols.  It  was  the  site  of  an  old  Indian  village, 
where  the  Chief,  Prophet,  had  lived.  The  town  was  celebrated  for  the  enter- 
prise of  its  men  and  the  beauty  of  the  women. 

Sterling:  Nelson  Mason.  "I  came  to  the  place  in  1836  with  John 
Barnett  and  found  John  Chapman  and  Wright  Murphy  living  in  a  cabin 
on  the  farm  of  Capt.  Woodburn.  Here  I  spent  my  first  night  on  Rock 
river.  At  the  head  of  the  rapids  I  found  three  families,  H.  Brink,  E.  Worth- 
ington,  and  S.  Gear.  Brink  was  the  man  who  built  the  first  cabin,  broke  the 
first  prairie  and  raised  the  first  corn  in  the  town  of  Sterling.  Late  that  fall 
J.  D.  Barnett  and  myself  opened  the  first  store  in  the  town.  Dixon  was  the 
nearest  postoffice.  We  applied  for  one  in  1837,  and  it  was  granted.  Barnett 
was  appointed  P.  M.,  and  I  had  the  contract  for  carrying  the  mail.  In 
May,  1837,  we  formed  an  association  to  protect  individual  claims  on  govern- 
ment lands.  What  changes  since !  Then  a  man  with  a  family  of  five  or  six 
had  to  grind  all  his  grain  in  a  coffee  mill,  now  our  mills  send  1,400  barrels  of 
flour  to  market  every  week.  Then  we  had  neither  churches,  schools  or  min- 
isters, now  we  have  four  churches,  as  many  ministers  and  six  schools.  Then 
we  had  no  newspaper  nearer  than  Chicago  or  Peoria,  now  we  have  two  jour- 
nals, well  conducted  and  supported.  What  will  this  town  be  when  all  her 
natural  resources  are  developed?" 

Coloma:  Frank  Cushing.  The  first  settlement  was  made  in  1836  by 
Isaac  Merrill,  A.  R.  Whitney  and  Atkins.  Our  sand  banks  furnish  Sterling 
sand  for  her  brick  blocks,  our  quarries  furnish  stone,  and  our  prairies  sup- 
ply the  surrounding  country  with  hay. 

Hume:     Charles  Wright.     After  a  few  pleasing  remarks  on  the  excel- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  25 

lence  of  his  town,  he  closed  with  this  sentiment:  "As  Jacob  of  old  loved 
Benjamin  above  all  his  sons,  because  he  was  the  youngest,  so  may  the  town 
of  Hume,  being  the  youngest  of  nineteen  sisters,  stand  highest  in  the  estima- 
tion of  old  Father  Whiteside." 

Erie:  S.  D.  Carr.  He  located  at  Erie  in  1836.  Then  only  one  house, 
built  and  occupied  by  Orville  Brooks.  Peter  Guile,  David  Hunt,  and  L.  D. 
Crandall  were  among  the  first  settlers.  The  town  now  has  from  three  to 
five  hundred  people.  Well  timbered  with  coal  beds  near  at  hand. 

Clyde :  Samuel  Currie.  He  was  not  the  oldest  settler,  but  thought  Messrs. 
Wing  and  Baker  had  that  honor.  Four  schools,  well  attended. 

Mt.  Pleasant:  H.  A.  Johnson,  Esq.  He  did  not  claim  to  be  an  old 
resident,  but  was  included  in  the  invitation  because  his  wife,  a  daughter  of 
Royal  Jacobs,  was  of  the  number. 

The  First  Settler  of  Whiteside:  John  W.  Stakes.  He  wished  to  correct 
a  wrong  impression.  A  lady  present,  the  wife  of  P.  B.  Besse,  is  the  oldest 
settler  now  living  in  Whiteside.  Her  father  settled  here  in  May,  1834.  The 
land  was  then  a  waste,  inhabitated  only  by  roving  Indians.  The  first  pro- 
visions for  his  family  he  procured  at  Peoria,  and  packed  the  flour  and  groceries 
eighty  miles  on  a  horse,  following  an  Indian  trail.  No  store  nearer  than 
Galena,  and  Rock  Island  was  an  Indian  trading  post. 

The  Hardships  of  Early  Settlers:  Col.  R.  L.  Wilson.  "When  we  have 
fully  made  up  our  minds  to  emigrate,  the  work  is  almost  'done.  All  that 
remains  is  to  wait  for  the  wagon,  and  take  a  ride  to  our  future  home  in  the 
west.  The  wagon  box  serves  for  a  house,  being  at  once  the  parlor,  the  kitchen, 
the  pantry.  We  finally  arrive  at  our  claims,  and  then  comes  the  raising  of 
log  cabins,  on  which  occasion  every  pioneer  within  twenty  miles  is  in  attend- 
ance. By  and  by  a  schoolhouse  and  a  church  are  wanted,  and  if  the  husband 
is  not  able  to  assist,  his  wife  calls  a  meeting  of  the  ladies  and  the  thing  is 
done." 

Hospitality  of  the  Early  Settlers :  Marcus  L.  Coe.  Nowhere  does  the 
stranger  meet  a  more  hearty  welcome  than  with  the  old  pioneer.  Always 
welcome  to  his  corn  dodger  or  roast  turkey.  The  latch  string  always  out. 

Teachings  of  a  New  Settlement:  Col.  Hugh  Wallace.  He  came  here 
fitted  for  the  practice  of  law,  equipped  with  ruffled  shirts  and  law  books.  But 
he  found  the  really  valuable  tools  were  plows  and  hoes,  and  these  his  old 
friend  Gear  was  ready  to  supply  his  neighbors.  His  Chitty  and  Blackstone 
were  not  in  demand.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks,  he  presented  to 
the  audience,  the  pioneer  baby  of  Chatham,  now  part  of  Sterling — Mrs.  John 
A.  Bross,  of  Chicago,  eldest  daughter  of  Nelson  Mason.  There  was  much 
applause,  and  in  response  to  a  call,  Mr.  Bross  made  a  neat  speech,  closing 
with  the  suggestion  that  all  sing 

Should   auld   acquaintance   be    forgot. 

Nelson  Mason  led  the  chorus  of  several  hundred  strong  voices. 

Pioneer  Farmers  of  Whiteside:  L.  B.  Wetherbee.  "The  pioneers  of 
Whiteside  left  happy  homes  and  pleasant  firesides  in  other  lands  to  make 
new  farms  and  new  homes,  and  we  may  hope  to  build  up  the  cause  of  educa- 


26  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

tion,  virtue,  temperance,  piety.  The  calling  of  the  farmer  is  the  basis  of 
society.  Here  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  glance  over  the  county,  and  see  what 
the  farmers  of  Whiteside  have  been  doing  for  the  last  18  years.  Within 
that  time  all  the  land  of  the  county  has  been  bought,  and  if  we  estimate  the 
cost  at  five  dollars  per  acre,  it  will  amount  to  $2,910,000;  if  we  estimate  the 
same  amount  for  improvement,  it  will  amount  to  $5,820,000,  which  the 
farmers  have  paid  out  within  the  last  18  years.  If  then  the  farmer  is  the 
foundation  of  society,  his  energies  should  be  directed  in  the  most  skilful 
manner.  With  such  a  soil  as  Whiteside  possesses,  we  may  soon  expect  to  see 
farmers  rising  to  fame  and  wealth  in  their  department." 

Pioneer  Mechanics  of  Whiteside :  A.  McMoore.  Permit  me  to  speak 
of  the  improvements  mechanics  have  set  in  motion.  Wyatt  Cantrell,  an  old 
settler,  introduced  the  denion  or  slinker  in  plows.  Jonathan  Haines  invented 
a  harvester.  John  Ogle  did  much  to  make  cabins  comfortable. 

The  Boys  of  Our  Pioneer  Fathers:  W.  M.  Kilgour,  Esq.  In  March, 
1837,  I  first  saw  the  beautiful  prairie  where  Sterling  now  stands.  As  children 
we  have  not  had  the  advantages  of  the  east — watches,  liquors,  colleges,  cities. 
We  got  our  education  in  the  old  log  cabin  schoolhouse.  Biography  shows  that 
more  men  of  sterling  worth  have  sprung  from  such  sources  than  from  many 
of  the  colleges. 

The  Pioneer  Pomologist  of  Whiteside:  Dr.  Pennington.  There  is 
something  in  the  growth  of  trees  and  plants  so  enchanting  that  it  must  be 
admired.  What  would  a  country  be  without  fruits?  On  emigrating  to  this 
state  in  1836  I  was  struck  with  the  healthy  aspect  of  the  trees,  and  the 
luxuriance  of  the  fruits.  My  first  fruit  trees  were  planted  on  the  farm  in  the 
fall  of  1839.  As  far  as  I  know,  this  was  the  first  effort  at  raising  cultivated 
fruit  in  Whiteside  county.  The  man  who  planted  the  first  fruit-bearing 
tree  in  this  county  may  never  be  known,  but  may  many  blessings  rest  upon 
his  head. 

Whiteside  county  when  her  sons  wore  buckskin  trousers  and  wolfskin 
caps:  Joseph  Ware,  Esq.  It  is  useless  for  me  to  speak  to  this  audience  of 
this  land  in  its  original  beauty.  You  saw  these  prairies  before  they  were 
marred  by  the  plow. 

"Gardens  of  the  desert  unshorn, 
Fields  boundless  and  beautiful." 

Of  these  early  settlers  who  wore  the  wild  caps  and  hunting  shirts,  your 
recollections  are  as  good  as  mine.  Some  of  you  may  recall  John  B.  Dodge 
of  Mt.  Pleasant,  the  strongest  man  in  northern  Illinois,  who  could  kill  a 
wolf  with  his  naked  hands.  Of  the  future  of  our  county  it  is  useless  to  speak, 
but  she  has  all  the  elements  of  prosperity,  and  must  advance. 

aWe'll   plow    the    pradries,    as   of   old 
Our  fathers  plowed  the  sea; 
We'll  make  the  west, 
As  they  the  east, 
The  homestead  of  the  free." 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  27 

After  the  sentiments,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  Col.  Wallace  for 
the  free  use  of  his  hall,  and  Mr.  McCune  for  the  excellence  of  the  enter- 
tainment, It  was  resolved  that  the  next  meeting  should  be  held  in  'the  same 
hall,  on  Feb.  22,  1859. 

THE  LATEST  OLD  SETTLERS'  MEETING. 

When  he  is  forsaken, 
Withered  and  shaken, 
What  can  an  old  man  do  but  die? — Hood. 

Sometimes  it  seems  the  only  thing  to  do,  follow  Hood's  suggestion,  and 
depart,  but  our  venerable  citizens  are  attached  to  this  climate,  and  have 
decided  to  stay  until  the  good  Lord  calls  them  to  their  reward.  So  they 
have  met  year  after  year  to  shake  hands  over  the  past  and  bid  one  another 
God-speed  for  the  time  to  come.  From  the  Sterling  Gazette,  Aug.  23,  1907, 
we  condense  an  account  of  the  fifty-third  annual  picnic  of  the  old  settlers 
of  Whiteside  county  held  on  Thursday  in  Holt's  grove  across  the  river  from 
Lyndon : 

"At  10:30  in  the  forenoon  the  old  settlers'  meeting  was  held  and  Presi- 
dent L.  E.  Rice  made  a  short  address  and  told  of  his  first  days  in  the  county. 
Mr.  Rice  stated  he  with  his  parents  arrived  at  Lyndon  in  the  year  1837. 
At  that  day  big  steamers  were  plowing  their  way  up  and  down  the  river  from 
St.  Louis  to  Rockford.  He  also  told  of  the  early  history  of  the  Indians  who 
had  lived  on  Indian  island  a  few  miles  below  Lyndon  at  that  time.  The 
speaker  stated  that  the  red  men  had  persisted  in  stealing  from  the  white 
settlers  until  the  whites  had  made  up  their  minds  to  be  rid  of  them  and 
forever.  A  company  of  fifty  settlers  called  on  the  Indian  chief  and  requested 
them  to  leave  the  island  at  once. 

"Oliver  Talbott,  another  one  of  the  old  settlers,  who  arrived  in  White- 
side  county  in  1834,  gave  a  short  talk  on  his  early  recollections  of  pioneer 
days,  saying  that  he  with  his  parents  had  settled  near  Buffalo  Grove  and 
later  settled  near  Sterling,  where  his  father  operated  a  mill.  Mr.  Talbott 
denied  that  wheat  was  hauled  to  Chicago  at  that  time  to  market,  stating 
that  there  was  no  wheat  raised  at  that  early  date  here. 

"John  Fenton,  of  Erie,  who  first  gazed  on  the  prairies  of  Whiteside 
county  in  1835,  stated  that  his  relatives  had  driven  across  the  state  from 
Chicago  to  where  they  had  come  by  lake  boats  from  the  east.  From  there 
they  came  to  Fenton  with  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  big  prairie  schooner.  The 
old  pioneer  stated  that  it  was  not  the  expectation  of  the  people  of  early 
times  to  become  rich  and  that  they  did  not  know  how  to  accumulate  riches, 
neither  did  they  care  to  do  so.  Fenton  township  wa.s  named  after  the  father 
of  Mr.  John  Fenton. 

"Robert  McNeil  of  Rock  Falls  also  gave  a  short  talk.  Mr.  McNeil  stated 
that  he  had  arrived  in  Whiteside  county  in  1849,  and  had  partaken  of  his 
first  dinner  on  land  in  America  in  Lyndon.  He  was  thirteen  years  old  at 
that  time  and  had  come  from  Glasgow,  Scotland,  with  his  parents.  He 
stated  that  Lyndon  was  considered  the  college  town  of  the  county  at  that 


28  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

time.  Como  was  the  metropolis,  and  boasted  of  a  mill,  a  store  and  a  tavern. 
The  father  of  the  venerable  John  Scott  of  Como  ran  the  'John  Scott'  steamer 
up  and  down  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  carrying  supplies  for  the  early  settlers. 
Van  J.  Adams,  who  lived  near  Sterling,  was  considered  the  most  wealthy 
man  in  Sterling  at  that  time.  Galena  was  the  money  market  center  outside 
of  Chicago. 

"The  following  are  some  of  the  names  of  old  pioneers  who  occupied  seats 
or  honor  on  the  stage  during  the  meeting:  John  Harpham,  H.  S.  Warner, 
Hank  Kamp  of  Prophetstown  who  has  not  missed  a  meeting,  John  Scott  of 
Como,  S.  A.  Maxwell,  Smith  Hurd,  whose  mother  Polly  Ann  Sprague  was 
the  first  school  teacher  in  Whiteside,  Mrs.  Ann  McKnight  of  Spring  Hill, 
first  white  child  born  in  the  county,  George  Olmstead,  W.  W.  Kempster, 
C.  C-.  Johnson,  Mrs.  Patrick. 

"At  the  afternoon  session,  S.  A.  Maxwell  read  the  minutes  of  the  last 
meeting  and  the  roll  call  of  the  dead,  which  showed  that  over  eighty  of  the 
old  settlers  had  crossed  the  dark  river  since  the  picnic  a  year  ago.  The  only 
living  member  of  the  old  original  fourteen  settlers  that  first  settled  in  Lyndon 
is  Miss  Mary  Hamilton,  now  a  resident  of  California,  who  is  an  aunt  of 
Sheriff  Charles  Hamilton.  After  the  reading  of  the  minutes,  the  orator  of 
the  day,  Hon.  Frederick  Landis,  of  Logansport,  Ind.,  was  introduced  by  the 
president,  and  amid  a  storm  of  applause  stepped  to  the  platform  and  deliv- 
ered a  very  able  and  masterly  address. 

"At  first  there  were  some  regrets  on  account  of  the  inability  of  Con-, 
gressman  Frank  0.  Lowden  to  be  present,  as  much  interest  had  been  cen- 
tered on  his  coming,  but  as  Mr.  Landis  proceeded  in  his  speech  this  wore 
away.  During  his  address  he  paid  a  beautiful  tribute  to  our  late  Congress- 
man Eobert  R.  Hitt,  Abraham  Lincoln,  Ulysess  S.  Grant,  William  McKinley, 
and  our  present  congressman,  Frank  0.  Lowden. 

"Following  the  address  by  Mr.  Landis,  the  directors  of  the  old  settlers' 
organization  met  and  re-elected  the  old  office  holders  for  another  year,  they 
being:  L.  E.  Rice,  president;  F.  M.  Brewer,  vice  president;  S.  A.  Maxwell, 
secretary;  C.  A.  Hamilton,  A.  M.  Pratt  and  George  Potter,  executive  com- 
mittee; L.  Ewing,  A.  E.  Parmenter  and  A.  M.  Pratt,  committee  on  grounds. 
It  was  decided  to  hold  the  next  picnic  on  the  third  Thursday  in  August  in 
1908. 

"The  Sixth  Regiment  band  of  Sterling  rendered  several  concerts  during 
the  day,  and  received  much  praise  for  its  fine  playing. 

"The  ladies  of  the  Lyndon  Congregational  and  Methodist  churches  served 
bountiful  dinners  at  the  noon  hour,  which  were  liberally  patronized  by  the 
visitors,  and  goodly  sums  were  cleared  for  the  church  treasury." 

It  is  sad  to  know  that  of  the  117  persons  whose  names  are  recorded  on  the 
roll  at  Wallace  Hall,  Sterling,  first  old  settlers'  meeting,  1858,  only  three 
are  left,  Oliver  Talbott,  C.  A.  Wetherbee,  M.  M.  Warner. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  29 

CONTEST  FOR  THE   COUNTY   SEAT. 

The  combat  deepens.     On,  ye  brave, 

Who  rush  to  glory  or  the  grave! 
Wave,  Lyndon,  all  thy  banners  wave, 

And  charge  with  all  thy  chivalry! 

The  poet  wrote  Munich,  but  no  matter.  Campbell  is  dead,  and  no  dif- 
ference to  him.  In  a  new  settlement,  the  first  important  question  is  the 
county  seat.  As  there  are  no  manufactures  or  trade  or  travel  to  make  a 
town  grow,  the  courthouse,  the  seat  of  the  records,  will  naturally  attract  the 
people.  It  is  really  the  center  of  attraction.  Here  the  lawyers  gather, 
important  cases  are  tried,  the  politicians  meet  to  prepare  for  campaigns. 

As  you  read  the  early  history  of  the  state  or  the  lives  of  our  pioneer 
lawyers  and  judges,  you  will  notice  that  their  wide  circuits  took  them  from 
town  to  town.  A  vast  amount  of  forgotten  eloquence  was  poured  forth  in 
those  old  courthouses.  How  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  Baker  and  Swett,  David 
Davis  and  Lyman  Trumbull,  rode  on  their  ponies  with  their  saddle-bags 
over  the  rude  roads  of  the  prairies.  In  1858  most  of  the  famous  debates 
between  Lincoln  and  Douglas  for  the  senate  were  held  at  Freeport,  Galesburg, 
and  other  county  seats. 

So  the  county  seat  question  led  to  a  contest  in  Whiteside.  An  act  of  the 
General  Assembly,  Feb.  21,  1839,  Thomas  Carlin,  governor,  provided  that 
the  legal  voters  of  Whiteside  should  meet  at  their  precincts,  on  the  first 
Monday  in  May,  1839,  and  vote  for  a  permanent  point  for  the  seat  of  justice. 
Elections  were  to  be  held  every  four  weeks  following  until  some  place  should 
receive  a  majority  of  votes  cast.  Under  the  act  any  individual  could  offer 
land  whereon  to  erect  the  seat  of  justice,  and  after  a  deed  was  executed,  the 
county  commissioners  were  to  erect  the  necessary  buildings  without  delay. 

Accordingly  in  pursuance  of  this  act  five  elections  were  held  without 
result,  until  at  the  sixth,  September  23,  1839,  Lyndon  received  a  majority  of 
the  votes  cast,  and  was  declared  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  for  Whiteside 
county.  The  county  commissioners  had  really  held  their  sessions  in  Lyndon 
since  May  16,  1839.  So  Feb.  11,  1840,  the  people  of  Lyndon  entered  into 
a  contract  to  erect  a  suitable  building  on  lot  fifty-one,  block  ten,  for  holding 
court  and  other  public  purposes,  and  this  edifice  as  soon  as  completed  was 
used  until  June,  1841,  when  the  county  seat  was  removed  to  Sterling. 

Meantime  Sterling  was  busy.  The  courthouse  bee  was  buzzing  in  their 
bonnets.  The  town  had  offered  in  1839  eighty  acres  of  land  around  Broad- 
way and  the  river  and  one  thousand  dollars,  provided  the  public  buildings 
for  the  county  be  placed  on  block  fifty-eight,  west  of  Broadway,  then  the 
center  of  the  young  town.  In  1840  the  town  made  a  decided  move  towards 
securing  the  prize,  by  applying  to  the  county  commissioners  for  a  re-canvass 
of  the  vote  cast  at  the  election  of  September  23,  1839.  This  was  granted, 
and  as  a  result  of  the  re-canvass,  it  was  declared  that  Sterling  had  264  votes, 
Lyndon  253,  Windsor  4. 

On  the  strength  of  this,  the  county  commissioners,  April  8,  1841,  caused 
the  following  order  to  be  put  on  record: 


30  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Whereas,  by  virtue  of  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  Feb.  21,  1839, 
providing  for  the  location  of  the  seat  of  justice  of  Whiteside  county,  we, 
the  county  commissioners  for  said  county,  from  a  fair  and  impartial  examina- 
tion of  the  poll  books,  now  in  the  clerk's  office,  do  verily  believe  that  the 
people  of  said  county  have  placed  the  county  seat  at  the  town  of  Sterling, 
and  do  therefore  order  the  circuit  and  county  commissioners'  courts  to  be 
holden  in  the  town  of  Sterling  in  said  county.  Theodore,  Winn,  clerk.  April 
8,  1841. 

At  the  December  term  of  the  county  commissioners  court,  it  was  ordered 
that  the  county  buildings  be  erected  on  the  center  of  block  fifty-seven,  west 
of  Broadway,  and  the  structure  was  completed  so  that  courts  were  held  in 
1844.  The  commissioners  also  met  in  Sterling  in  1841,  but  in  December, 
1842,  Lyndon  having  secured  a  majority  of  the  board,  they  met  at  that 
place. 

More  complications.  Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown.  Suffi- 
cient influence  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  General  Assembly  so  that  an 
act  was  approved  Feb.  28,  1843,  providing  that  G.  W.  Harrison  and  John 
McDonald  of  Jo  Daviess  county,  Joshua  Harper  of  Henry  county,  Leonard 
Andrus  of  Ogle  county,  and  R.  H.  Spicer  of  Mercer  county,  should  be  com- 
missioners to  locate  the  county  seat  of  Whiteside.  They  were  to  locate  the 
county  seat  at  a  place  most  conducive  to  the  public  good  of  Whiteside  county, 
at  no  place  where  a  donation  of  not  less  than  thirty  acres  of  land  could  be 
obtained,  and  were  to  cause  as  soon  as  convenient  a  suitable  building  to  be 
erected.  They  met  at  Albany,  and  after  examining  different  locations, 
selected  Lyndon,  and  on  May  27,  1843,  made  the  following  report: 

We,  the  undersigned,  commissioners  appointed  by  an  act  of  legislature 
to  locate  the  seat  of  justice  for  Whiteside  county,  do  hereby  certify  that  we 
have  performed  the  duty  enjoined  upon  us  by  said  act,  and  have  located  the 
said  seat  of  justice  of  Whiteside  county  upon  the  south  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  sixteen,  in  township  twenty,  north  of  the  base  line  of  range 
five,  east  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian,  believing  the  location  most  con- 
ducive to  the  public  good  of  said  county.  Given  under  our  hands.  May 
27,  1843. 

Lyndon  gave  forty  acres  of  land,  but  no  county  buildings  were  erected. 
On  April  14,  1846,  the  county  commissioners  ordered  that  the  grand  and 
petit  jurors  attend  the  May  term  of  -court  at  Sterling  instead  of  Lyndon,  as 
Sterling  claimed  that  under  order  of  the  county  commissioners  buildings  had 
been  erected  there,  accepted  by  the  commissioners,  and  therefore  the  seat  of 
justice  should  be  in  that  town.  After  this,  the  terms  of  the  circuit  court  were 
held  at  Sterling,  and  the  county  commissioners  held  their  sessions  at  Lyndon. 
Lyndon  applied  for  a  mandamus  compelling  the  commissioners  to  order  the 
circuit  court  back  to  that  place,  but  the  court  refused  the  writ.  An  act  was 
passed  by  the  Fifteenth  General  Assembly,  and  approved  by  the  governor, 
Feb.  16,  1847,  declaring  the  town  of  Sterling  the  county  seat  of  Whiteside 
for  a  time,  under  certain  conditions,  one  of  which  was  until  the  time  the 
county  paid  the  donors  of  land  and  money  a  sufficient  sum  to  compensate 
them  for  their  outlay. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  31 

But  Lyndon  was  irrepressible.  The  prize  was  not  to  slip  from  her  grasp 
without  a  struggle. 

Strike  for  your  altars  and  your  fires; 
Strike  for  the  green  graves  of  your  sires ; 
God,  and  your  native  land. 

From  the  legislature,  which,  like  Barkis  in  Dicken  s  story,  seemed  always 
willing  to  come  to  the  rescue,  an  act  was  secured,  Feb.  6,  1849,  entitled  an 
act  to  permanently  locate  the  seat  of  justice  of  Whiteside  county.  The  second 
section  provided  that  the  legal  voters  of  the  county  should  meet  at  their 
respective  places  of  holding  elections  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April,  1849, 
and  proceed  to  vote  on  the  permanent  location  of  the  seat  of  justice,  either  at 
Lyndon  or  at  Sterling,  and  the  place  receiving  the  majority,  should  there- 
after be  the  seat  of  justice.  The  election  was  duly  held  April  3,  1849,  with 
the  following  result:  For  Sterling  519  votes;  for  Lyndon  451;  majority  for 
Sterling  68.  So  Lyndon  withdrew  her  claim,  and  Sterling  remained  the 
county  seat  until  1857.  But  she  was  not  to  remain  in  undisturbed  pos- 
session. There  was  a  dark  horse. 

The  best   laid   schemes   o'   men   and   mice, 
Gang  aft  agley. 

Morrison  had  some  shrewd  managers,  and  they  saw  their  opportunity. 
An  act  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  and  approved  by  the  governor, 
Feb.  7,  1857,  entitled  "An  act  for  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  justice  of  White- 
side  county."  The  act  provided  that  the  election  should  be  held  in  the  several 
townships  of  the  county  at  the  general  election  in  November.  In  case  a 
majority  of  votes  were  in  favor  of  removal,  the  seat  of  justice  would  then  be 
declared  located  in  section  eighteen  in  Morrison,  but  not  until  a  deed  should 
be  made  conveying  to  the  county  a  tract  of  land  three  hundred  feet  square. 
Morrison  was  also  to  pay  the  county  $3,000  towards  the  erection  of  county 
buildings.  The  election  was  held  Nov.  3,  1857,  with  the  close  result:  For 
removal  1,631  votes;  against  removal  1,572;  majority  in  favor  59.  At  the 
November  term,  1857,  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  W.  S.  Barnes,  A.  Hurd, 
H.  C.  Fellows,  P.  B.  Besse,  and  D.  0.  Coe  were  appointed  commissioners  to 
examine  and  select  the  ground  at  Morrison,  upon  which  to  erect  the  build- 
ings, and  receive  the  $3,000  given  by  the  citizens  of  the  town.  On  May  3, 
1858,  the  county  offices  were  moved  to  Morrison  from  Sterling. 

For  twenty  years  the  old  courthouse  stood  silent  and  deserted  in  the  lot 
along  Broadway,  a  mournful  memorial  of  its  former  importance.  It  was 
forty  feet  square,  lower  story  nine  feet,  a  hall  ten  feet  wide,  upper  story 
twelve.  This  was  the  court  room.  Here  Sackett,  Henry,  and  the  early 
lawyers  made  their  pleas,  and  here  religious  services  were  held  on  Sunday 
before  some  of  the  churches  were  built.  The  brick  in  the  old  edifice  were 
burned  in  the  eastern  part  of  town  by  Luther  Bush,  and  were  laid  in  the 
building  by  that  pioneer  and  his  boys.  George  Brewer  helped  to  fire  the 
kilns.  Alter  the  courthouse  was  taken  down,  the  square  was  divided  into 


32  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

lots,   and  rows   of  pretty  residences  now  occupy  the  site;  making  a  great 
change  in  its  appearance. 

DISASTERS  BY  WIND  AND  WATER. 

The  wind  one  morning  sprung  up  from  sleep, 

Saying,  "Now  for  a  frolic!     Now  for  a  leap! 

Now  for  a  madcap  galloping  chase! 

I'll  make  a  commotion  in  every  place!" — William  Howitt. 

THE  TORNADO   OF   1860. 

Our  county  has  enjoyed  a  merciful  immunity  from  the  horrors  of  the 
cyclone  on  an  extensive  scale.  While  this  dreadful  freak  of  the  elements 
yearly  sweeps  many  of  the  states  west  and  south  with  the  besom  of  destruc- 
tion, our  happy  valley,  with  the  exception  of  a  violent  storm  here  and  there 
in  the  townships,  has  escaped  the  widespread  ruin  of  life  and  property  in 
the  long  path  of  the  calamity.  But  there  was  one  terrible  visitation.  In 
the  lines  of  the  first  editon  of  the  Light  Brigade : 

Long  will  the  tale  be  told, 
Yea,  when  our  babes  are  old. 

We  refer  to  the  memorable  tornado  of  1860.  The  present  generation 
knows  it  only  by  hearsay. 

It  occurred  on  the  evening  of  June  3,  striking  the  county  on  the  west 
and  moving  to  the  southeast.  It  began  near  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa.  The  black 
masses  of  clouds,  rolling  and  surging  in  their  fury,  the  thunder  and  lightning, 
the  unearthly  din  of  the  advance,  conveyed  to  the  beholder  the  impression 
of  titanic  demons  in  struggle  in  mid-air.  It  was  the  Satanic  onset  in  Paradise 
Lost. 

So  frowned  the  mighty  combatants,  that  hell 
Grew  darker  at  their  frown,  so  matched  they  stood. 

bamanche,  a  village  in  Iowa,  on  the  Mississippi,  received  the  first  blow. 
Ninety  dwellings,  hotels  churches,  and  stores  were  leveled,  twenty-nine  per- 
sons killed  and  many  seriously  injured.  Twenty-four  persons  were  blown 
from  a  raft  and  drowned. 

At  Albany  people  were  just  starting  for  evening  service  when  the  storm 
burst  upon  their  devoted  heads  in  all  its  fury.  In  a  moment  the  pleasant 
town  was  a  scene  of  ruin  and  desolation.  Five  persons  were  killed,  most  of 
the  houses  demolished,  many  blown  from  their  foundations,  few  left  unin- 
jured. Duty  Buck,  Ed.  Efner,  Sweet,  Riley,  and  a  man  unknown,  were  those 
killed.  This  is  considered  remarkable  in  a  population  of  eight  hundred.  As 
usual,  various  freaks.  Some  roofs  were  entirely  stripped  of  shingles,  others 
in  spots  of  fanciful  shapes.  One  small  house  carried  uninjured  for  a  square. 
A  church  bell  whirled  for  rods  and  landed  with  only  a  piece  chipped  from 
the  rim.  The  total  loss  to  the  town  was  estimated  at  nearly  $100.000. 

From  Albany  the  direction  of  the  tornado  was  southeast.  The  upper 
story  of  the  dwelling  of  Mrs.  Senior,  in  Garden  Plain,  was  dashed  to  pieces, 


/OF 
'UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  33 

the  two-story  residence  of  Thomas  Smith  was  carried  a  rod  from  its  founda- 
tion and  left  a  wreck,  the  house  of  Draper  Richmond  torn  to  atoms,  and  Mrs. 
Richmond  so  badly  injured  that  she  died  in  an  hour.  In  Montmorency  the 
house  of  Alonzo  Golder  roughly  shaken,  and  much  of  the  furniture  destroyed. 
The  schoolhouse  was  annihilated.  The  dwellings  of  Joel  Wood,  A.  J.  Good- 
rich, Mr.  Pike,  Capt.  Doty,  and  Levi  Macomber,  were  all  more  or  less  racked. ' 
At  Pike's  a  young  girl  had  her  leg  broken,  and  at  Doty's,  his  son  his  collar 
bone.  The  wonder  is  that  amid  all  the  wreckage  of  the  homes  so  few  lives 
were  lost. 

In  the  path  of  the  whirlwind,  about  eighty  rods  wide,  were  exhibited 
the  pranks  of  the  destroyer,  so  often  observed  elsewhere.  Trees  were  twisted 
to  pieces,  cleared  of  their  branches,  or  town  out  bodily  by  their  roots.  Geese, 
turkeys,  and  chickens,  not  killed,  were  stripped  of  their  feathers,  sad  and  for- 
lorn, answering  to  Diogenes'  definition  of  Plato's  man.  The  prairie  was  scat- 
tered with  boards,  furniture,  books,  goods,  utensils,  articles  of  every  name  which 
the  storm  king  had  wrested  from  their  proper  habitat.  The  remainder  of 
the  summer,  tramps  who  wished  to  excite  the  sympathy  of  the  charitable, 
in  asking  for  aid  plead  their  misfortune  through  the  ravages  of  the  tornado. 

THE  ICE  GORGE   OF  NINETEEN   HUNDRED  AND   SIX. 

Ye  ice  falls!  ye  that  from  the  mountain's  brow 

Adown  enormous  ravines  slope  amain — 

Torrents,  methinks,  that  heard  a  mighty  voice, 

And  stopped  at  once  amid  their  maddest  plunge ! — Coleridge. 

Our  beautiful  Rock  river,  sparkling  in  the  summer  sun,  is  a  treach- 
erous stream.  It  is  not  always  on  atS  good  behavior.  It  has  its  moods  like 
a  person  of  excitable  temperament. 

When  good,  it  is  very  good, 
When  bad,  it  is  horrid. 

In  short,  old  Rock  sometimes  gets  on  the  rampage.  The  oldest  inhabi- 
tant can  recall  different  years  in  which  high  water  or  ice  did  much  damage 
to  stock,  farms,  fences,  buildings,  and  various  kinds  of  property  exposed 
to  its  ravages.  We  cannot  mention  them  all,  but  shall  simply  recall  the 
season  of  1887.  Snow  and  sleighing  in  January  were  followed  by  rains  in 
the  first  week  of  February.  Feb.  8  the  ice  moved  off  the  dam  at  Sterling, 
with  continued  rain.  A  personal  diary  furnishes  the  details.  On  Feb.  9 
no  cars  running  on  account  of  wash-outs.  The  bottom  lands  southwest  of 
Sterling  covered  with  water,  and  many  cattle  lost.  On  February  12,  mer- 
cury fell  to  5  degrees  below,  and  the  river  rose,  owing  to  the  formation  of 
ice  and  obstruction  of  the  current.  Houses  near  the  fair  ground  in  Sterling 
surrounded  by  water,  and  families  obliged  to  move  out.  There  was  consid- 
erable suffering  and  loss  in  town  and  country,  the  river  was  frozen  again 
and  continued  so  through  February,  and  not  until  April  did  the  weather 
become  mild  and  genial. 

But  the  ice  gorge  of  1906  broke  the  record.     Nothing  so  vast  or  so 


34  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

destructive  since  the  settlement  of  the  country.  Perhaps  we  cannot  do  bet- 
ter than  give  a  running  account  of  the  catastrophe  as  the  news  items  appeared 
from  day  to  day  in  the  current  issues  of  the  papers.  It  will  bring  the  occur- 
rence in  a  more  lively  and  vivid  manner  to  our  readers. 

Jan.  23.  Water  in  river  higher  than  ever  known.  Ice  at  Dixon  broke, 
and  beginning  to  run. 

Jan.  24.  Continuous  gorge  between  Erie  and  Lyndon,  immense  lake 
at  Lyndon,  water  far  as  eye  can  see.  Mr.  Greenman  and  family  reported 
shut  in,  also  Charles  Roslief  and  family.  Ice  not  only  gorged,  but  frozen 
solid. 

Jan.  25.  For  twenty  miles  from  Sterling,  water  in  an  alarming  condi- 
tion. All  factories  in  Sterling  shut  down.  Charles  Lathe  on  an  island  near 
Erie  within  a  foot  of  inundation  by  water  and  ice.  Ice  reported  broken  at 
Beloit  and  Janesville.  The  Aylesworth  farm,  George  Andrews,  Henry 
Lancaster,  Nathan  Gage,  George  Baker,  George  Richmond,  and  others  near 
Lyndon,  mostly  under  water.  At  Riverside  schoolhouse,  Stella  Beeman, 
teacher,  parents  came  in  boats  at  noon  for  the  children,  and  before  night  the 
building  was  surrounded  by  water  high  as  fences. 

Jan.  26.  Water  only  three  feet  below  the  floor  of  Avenue  G  bridge. 
The  condition  is  worse  at  Sterling  because  of  the  gorge  between  dam  and 
Como  bottom.  Water  below  dam  on  level  with  that  above. 

Feb.  5.     Three  degrees  below  zero.     Gorged  ice  frozen  solid. 

Feb.  22.  River  high  at  Como,  Lyndon,  Prophetstown.  Many  factories 
in  Sterling  unable  to  run,  others  using  steam  power. 

Friday,  Feb.  23.    This  is  the  big  head  in  this  evening's  daily : 

FLOOD  HAVOC ! 

One  thousand  men  idle,  damage  may  reach  $150,0001  New  Avenue  G 
bridge  a  wreck,  First  Avenue  bridge  condemned  as  unsafe  for  travel,  city 
in  darkness  tonight,  gas  supply  exhausted! 

The  flood  now  raging  is  the  greatest  in  history  of  Rock  river.  At  nine 
this  A.  M.,  a  new  record,  water  2%  feet  higher  than  in  Feb.  9,  1887.  Six- 
teen families  on  First  street  homeless.  Basements  of  32  homes  flooded.  Dam- 
age to  Dillon-Griswold  wire  mill  may  reach  $15,000.  Ice  below  dam  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  thick.  Washout  on  Northwestern  R.  R.  prevents  running  of 
trains.  The  Burlington  R.  R.  preparing  to  put  trains  on  bridge  to  prevent 
it  from  moving  off.  Avenue  G  bridge  all  gone,  center  span  first,  then  the 
other  two  sank  with  a  crash. 

Feb.  24.  Washouts  on  Northwestern  greater  than  in  1887.  A  territory 
ten  miles  long,  five  wide,  covered  with  water  to  west  and  south  of  Como. 
Roads  leading  to  Prophetstown  below  from  one  to  five  feet  of  water. 

Sunday,  Feb.  26.  Ice  in  north  channel  of  Avenue  G  bridge  crushed 
against  the  tubular  piers,  and  hundreds  of  tons  of  steel  swept  away  like  chaff. 
Then  the  ice  struck  the  massive  plate  girders,  and  in  a  moment  the  six  spans 
slid  from  the  piers  and  abutments  and  were  whirled  down  the  river.  At 
Spring  creek  slough  which  comes  into  Rock  river  a  mile  south  of  Como, 
the  ice  was  piled  up  twenty  feet  higher  than  the  water. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  35 

March  2.  Ice  and  water  gradually  receding,  but  fields  and  lowlands 
covered  with  huge  cakes,  and  the  soil  overlaid  with  sand  and  gravel. 

Various  steps  were  taken  in  Sterling  to  assist  the  needy.  A  relief  meet- 
ing was  called  by  Mayor  Lewis,  and  a  considerable  amount  subscribed.  The 
Banda  Verda  announced  a  concert,  and  a  cantata  was  given  at  Grace  church 
for  their  benefit. 

Of  the  whole  calamity  the  greatest  single  loss  was  the  destruction  of 
Avenue  G  bridge,  only  completed  Nov.,  1904.  The  structure  proper  with 
its  nine  steel  spans,  900  feet  long,  cost  $52,000.  The  grade  in  the  center 
and  the  approaches  on  either  side,  600  feet  in  all,  $20,000.  In  has  since 
been  replaced  with  commendable  promptness,  and  a  description  will  be  found 
in  another  place. 

AN  ILLINOIS  MAP  OF  1844. 

There  is  in  possession  of  the  family  of  the  late  James  L.  Crawford  a  map 
which  he  purchased  before  his  removal  to  the  west.  It  was  published  by 
S.  Augustus  Mitchell  in  Philadelphia,  1844.  He  was  the  author  of  the 
geographies  in  use  two  generations  ago.  It  is  a  map  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  That  was  the  era  of  steamboats,  and  in 
a  column  on  one  side  are  the  distances  between  prominent  cities,  and  the 
towns  along  the  route.  One  table  for  instance  has  Pittsburg  to  New  Orleans, 
Louisville  to  St.  Louis,  St.  Louis  to  Peoria,  St.  Louis  to  Prairie  du  Chien. 

The  states  are  divided  into  counties  as  at  present.  Only  two  towns 
are  marked  in  Whiteside,  Fulton  and  Linden,  not  spelled  as  it  is  now.  Elk- 
horn  is  called  Dogshead  creek.  The  population  by  census  of  1840  was  2,514. 
Cook  county  with  Chicago  had  only  10,201.  Only  one  railroad  in  the  state, 
that  from  Naples  on  Illinois  river  to  Springfield.  Only  two  highways  cross- 
ing Whiteside.  One  ran  from  Galena  to  Peoria,  passing  through  Lyndon, 
tli "  other  from  Rock  Island  through  Richmond  in  Henry  county  to  Buffalo 
Grove  in  Ogle. 

The  river  routes  presented  by  this  old  map  confirm  the  experience  of  the 
early  settlers  who  generally  reached  Whiteside  by  water.  Whether  from  New 
York  or  Pennsylvania,  they  managed  to  strike  Pittsburg,  "and  then  by  boat 
down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi,  in  due  time  after  a  long  trip,  were 
enabled  to  land  either  at  Fulton  or  Albany,  generally  the  latter.  Those  who 
made  the  journey  overland  by  wagon  from  the  east,  were  very  tired  when 
they  reached  the  Promised  Land,  for  the  early  roads  were  through  dense 
wood?,  swamps,  and  over  streams  that  were  scarcely  fordable.  Supplies,  too, 
were  not  always  easy  to  obtain. 

WHITESIDE  IN  THE  LEGISLATURE. 

Pour  the  full  tide  of  eloquence  along, 
Serenely  pure,  and  yet  divinely  strong. — Pope. 

From  the  time  of  Aaron  C.  Jackson  who  represented  Whiteside  in  the 
House  from  1842  to  1844,  our  county  has  sent  many  of  her  best  citizens  to 
Springfield.  Being  attached  to  other  districts,  the  member  was  often  from 


36  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

some  other  county.  But  our  own  county  has  always  had  excellent  men.  All 
of  our  early  members  in  house  or  senate  have  passed  away.  Hugh  Wallace, 
Van  J.  Adams,  M.  S.  Henry,  D.  Richards,  James  Dinsmoor,  W.  S.  Wilkin- 
son, Nathan  Williams,  J.  E.  McPherran,  W.  C.  Snyder,  John  G.  Manahan. 
These  were  all  leaders  in  their  communities,  and  loyal  to  their  constituents. 
The  writer  will  always  cherish  a  kindly  regard  for  Natha'n  Williams  for 
some  rare  volumes  of  the  state  geological  survey.  Some  of  our  later  states- 
men are  still  with  us  to  watch  the  results  of  recent  legislation.  Charles  Bent, 
Dr.  Griswold,  C.  C.  Johnson,  C.  A.  Wetherbee,  V.  Ferguson,  A.  U.  Abbott, 
H.  L.  Sheldon,  Dean  Efner.  The  latter  is  the  Nestor  of  the  .group,  born 
in  1822,  and  yet  remarkably  clear-headed  as  he  sits  in  his  chair  at  his  brick 
cottage  in  Albany.  The  next  is  Dr.  C.  A.  Griswold  of  Fulton,  the  ready 
writer,  and  general  scholar,  who  seems  as  competent  for  legislative  business 
today  as  twenty  years  ago.  Time  has  dealt  kindly  with  C.  C.  Johnson  and 
Virgil  Ferguson,  who  continue  in  politics  and  are  solicitous  for  the  welfare  of 
this  glorious  country. 

By  the  apportionment  of  1901,  Whiteside,  Lee,  and  DeKalb  form  the 
35th  senatorial  district.  A  change  from  1893  when  Whiteside  was  with 
Bureau,  Putnam  and  Stark. 

WHITESIDE  IN  CONGRESS. 

SKETCHES   OF   SOME   OF   OUR   REPRESENTATIVES  AT   WASHINGTON. 

You'd  scarce  expect  one  of  my  age, 
To  speak  in  public  on  the  stage, 
But  if  I  chance  to  fall  below 
Demosthenes  or  Cicero, 
Don't  view  me  with  a  .critic's  eye, 
But  pass  my  imperfections  by. 

As  our  political  readers  know,  the  same  counties  in  Illinois  have  not 
always  been  grouped  for  the  election  of  a  representative  in  Congress.  Until 
1832,  the  state  constituted  one  congressional  district.  Since  that  year  there 
have  been  eight  acts  of  apportionment,  1831,  1843,  1852,  1861,  1872,  1882, 
1893,  1901.  At  every  deal  Whiteside  was  placed  in  a  new  list  of  counties. 
Like  a  football  kicked  from  post  to  pillar.  For  instance,  by  the  apportion- 
ment of  1843,  we  were  placed  with-Stephenson,  Ogle,  Lee,  Jo  Daviess,  Rock 
Island  and  ten  others,  forming  the  Sixth  District,  and  our  representative 
from  1847  to  1849  was 

THOMAS   J.    TURNER. 

He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  an  expert  mechanic,  built  the  first  court- 
house in  Stephenson  county,  studied  law  and  became  one  of  the  ablest  advo- 
cates at  the  Freeport  bar.  He  is  best  known,  doubtless,  as  the  gallant  colonel 
of  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Regiment.  Then  came  from  1849  to  1851.  a  man 
who  afterwards  made  a  brilliant  record. 

EDWARD  D.   BAKER. 

He  had  a  checkered  career,  a  soldier  of  fortune.     Coming  from  London 


HISTORY    OF    WH1TESIDE    COUNTY  37 

at  five  with  his  father,  studying  law  at  Springfield,  elected  to  the  legislature, 
raising  a  regiment  and  fighting  through  the  Mexican  war  with  Scott,  he 
returned  to  Galena,  when  he  was  elected  as  our  representative  from  the  Sixth. 
In  1851,  at  the  close  of  his  term,  he  settled  in  San  Francisco,  and  soon  took 
rank  as  the  most  eloquent  orator  in  the  state.  On  the  death  of  Senator  Brod- 
erick  in  a  duel  in  1859,  Baker  delivered  a  stirring  oration  in  the  public 
square  of  San  Francisco.  On  removing  to  Oregon  he  was  elected  to  the 
U.  S.  Senate  in  1860,  but  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  roused  his  patriotism; 
he  raised  the  California  regiment  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  at  the 
assault  on  Ball's  Bluff,  he  fell  mortally  wounded,  while  leading  a  charge. 

By  the  apportionment  of  1852,  Whiteside  was  placed  in  the  Second  Dis- 
trict with  Cook,  Du  Page,  Kane,  De  Kalb,  Lee,  and  Rock  Island,  and  our 
representative  was 

JOHN    WENTWORTH. 

He  was  popularly  known  as  Long  John,  from  his  extreme  height.  A 
plain  man  in  his  tastes,  and  a  story  is  told  of  his  fondness  for  ginger  bread 
and  his  munching  that  simple  diet  at  his  desk  in  the  House.  Mr.  Wentworth 
took  much  interest  in  agriculture,  and  there  is  a  letter  of  his  to  George  Davi- 
son;  now  in  Whiteside  County  Historical  Society,  in  which  he  speaks  of  cer- 
tain breeds  of  sheep.1  A  graduate  of  Dartmouth,  and  a  frequent  writer  and 
lecturer  on  topics  connected  with  the  early  history  of  Chicago,  as  he  voted  at 
the  first  city  election  in  1837.  An  article  in  Munsey's  magazine  for  November, 
entitled  "New  Englanders  in  the  West,"  gives  the  following  story :  "Long  John 
Wentworth,  a  personal  friend  of  Lincoln,  and  a  force  in  the  Republican 
party,  was  the  hero  of  an  incident  in  a  theater.  Although  sitting,  his  tower- 
ing form  interfered  with  the  vision  of  the  spectators,  and  they  began  to  call: 
'Down  in  front!  down  in  front!'  'In  order  to  convince  the  audience  that  I 
was  sitting,'  said  Long  John,  now  uprearing  his  person,  like,  a  monument, 
'I  will  now  rise  up,'  whereupon  the  crowd  burst  into  vociferous  cheering." 
As  Dixon  H.  Lewis,  senator  from  Alabama  in  1840,  who  weighed  430  pounds, 
and  had  to  have  a  special  desk  made  for  him,  was  the  heaviest  member  who 
ever  sat  in  the  Capitol,  so  Wentworth  was  doubtless  the  tallest  who  ever 
walked  under  the  dome.  He  died  in  Chicago  in  1888. 

There  were  nine  districts  and  Whiteside  was  in  the  second  with  Cook. 
Under  this  same  arrangement,  our  next  representative  from  1857  to  1859, 
and  from  1859  to  1861,  was 

JOHN  P.   FARNSWORTH, 

who  also  practiced  law  in  Chicago.  He  was  popular,  an  agreeable  speaker, 
and  often  appeared  in  Sterling  to  discuss  the  issues  of  the  day.  Isaac  N, 
Arnold  contested  his  election  the  second  time,  and  the  rivalry  almost  led 
to  a  split  in  the  party.  In  Sterling  the  excitement  for  awhile  was  intense. 
Farnsworth  was  the  favorite,  and  an  inflammatory  meeting  was  called  in  the 
upper  room  of  Commercial  Block  on  Third  street  to  express  the  outraged 
sentiments  of  the  people.  A  campaign  paper  to  advocate  Farnsworth's  inter- 
ests was  proposed,  and  Jacob  Haskell  and  W  W.  Davis  were  suggested  as 
editors.  But  as  no  money,  was  in  sight  for  the  new  sheet,  the  matter  was 


38  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

dropped.  When  the  civil  war  broke  out,  Farnsworth  was  made  colonel  of 
the  Eighth  Illinois  cavalry,  but  resigned  in  1863,  made  his  home  in  St. 
Charles,  and  from  1863  -to  1873  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  the  Kane 
county  district.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Washington,  where  he  resumed 
the  practice  of  law,  and  died  in  1897. 

The   hairs   on   his  brow   were  silver  white, 
And  his  blood  was  thin  and  cold. 

ISAAC  N.  ARNOLD 

was  the  third  member  and  lawyer  from  Chicago  to  represent  Whiteside.  As 
he  had  only  one  term,  1861  to  1863,  his  face  never  became  familiar  to  our 
citizens.  A  domestic  tragedy  saddened  his  life.  While  bathing  with  his 
son  in  the  Rock  river,  he  saw  the  poor  boy  drown  before  his  eyes,  being  too 
distant  to  render  assistance.  Arnold  was  a  resident  of  Chicago  for  fifty  years, 
of  fine  literary  taste,  an  excellent  speaker  and  writer.  As  he  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  Lincoln  in  early  years  before  the  presidency,  he  prepared  a  biog- 
raphy which  is  regarded  as  high  authority  on  certain  features  of  the  martyred 
statesman's  career.  Mr.  Arnold  died  in  1884,  and  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne 
delivered  an  address  on  his  life  before  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  of  which 
the  deceased  had  been  president  for  several  years. 

The  apportionment  of  1861  made  thirteen  districts,  and  Whiteside  was 
associated  with  Stephenson,  Carroll,  Ogle,  Lee,  and  J.o  Daviess.  This  was 
the  third  district,  and  now  from  1863  to  1871 

ELIHU  B.  WASHBURNE 

was  our  representative.  His  home  was  in  Galena,  and  a  few  years  ago  the 
writer  visited  the  old  house,  standing  on  a  hill  in  that  picturesque  town. 
He  lived  here  thirty  years.  It  is  on  the  same  side  of  the  river  as  the  resi- 
dence presented  to  Gen.  Grant  by  the  citizens.  A  long,  commodious,  brick 
structure  with  the  front  portico  formed  in  southern  style  by  the  main  roof 
projecting,  and  supported  by  tall,  circular,  wooden  columns  painted  white. 
In  the  rear  of  the  parlors  is  the  library,  the  stationary  bookcases  built  in  the 
wall.  Washburne  was  a  faithful  member,  attentive  to  his  constituents,  and 
regularly  visited  our  county.  A  plain,  rugged  face,  strong  features,  honesty 
of  purpose,  decision  of  character,  written  all  over  it. 

A  pillar  of  state;  deep  on  his  front  engraven. 
Deliberation  sat,  and  public  care. 

He  was  called  the  Watch  Dog  of  the  Treasury,  because  when  in  Con- 
gress, he  opposed  every  foolish  expenditure  of  public  money.  Washburne 
was  the  stanch  friend  of  Grant,  who  owed  his  promotion  to  the  supreme 
command  of  the  armies  to  the  persistent  efforts  of  the  Galena  congressman. 
President  Grant  was  not  ungrateful,  and  was  glad  to  appoint  his  early 
friend  to  the  French  mission.  Here  his  public  services  made  his  fame  inter- 
national. When  the  Commune  after  the  Franco-Prussian  war  raised  the  red 
flag  of  riot,  all  strangers  fearing  another  French  Revolution  fled  from  Paris. 
and  "Washburne  was  the  only  foreign  minister  who  remained  at  his  post. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  39 

The  American  Embassy  with  the  stars  and  stripes  was  an  ark  of  safety,  a 
castle  of  refuge,  no  profane  hand  dared  to  touch.  His  last  appearance  in 
Sterling  was  in  1877  at  the  opening  of  the  Gait  House.  He  stood  in  the 
main  stairway  and  made  a  short  address.  On  his  return  from  Europe,  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Chicago,  where  he  died  suddenly  of  heart  trouble 
in  1887  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  As  one  stood  in  his  old  home  in  Galena, 
what  memories  arose  of  that  brain,  busy  with  cares  of  state. 

And  now  'tis  silent  all, 
Enchantress,  fare  thee  well ! 

Under  the  apportionment  of  1872,  nineteen  districts  were  formed,  and 
Whiteside  was  thrown  in  company  with  Stephenson,  Jo  Daviess,  Carroll  and 
Ogle,  or  the  fifth  district.  Horatio  C.  Burchard  of  Freeport  was  our  repre- 
sentative till  1879,  succeeded  by  Robert  M.  A.  Hawk,  of  Mt.  Carroll  from 
1879  to  1881,  and  part  of  the  following  term,  1881  to  1883,  filled  out  after 
his  death,  by  Robert  R.  Hitt,  of  Mount  Morris. 

HORATIO  C.  BURCHARD. 

Freeport  was  his  home.  No  orator  or  campaigner,  he  never  spoke  to 
the  galleries  in  the  House,  but  will  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  steady 
members  who  worked  for  their  constituents  in  the  quiet  but  efficient  atmos- 
phere of  the  committee  room.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  committee 
on  ways  and  means,  and  was  obedient  to  every  wish  of  his  constituents. 
After  his  service  in  Congress,  he  was  appointed  director  of  the  U.  S.  mint, 
and  was  removed  by  Cleveland. 

ROBERT   M.   A.    HAWK 

had  his  residence  in  Mount  Carroll,  and  died  somewhat  suddenly  as  the 
result  of  a  wound  from  which  he  had  long  suffered,  received  in  a  skirmish 
with  Wade  Hampton's  cavalry  near  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

By  the  apportionment  of  1882,  the  state  was  divided  into  twenty  dis- 
tricts, and  Whiteside  was  put  into  the  seventh  with  Lee,  Henry,  Bureau  and 
Putnam  and 

THOMAS  J.  HENDERSON 

of  Princeton  became  our  representative.  He  was  born  in  Tennessee,  where 
•he  received  a  common  school  education,  removed  to  Illinois,  and  after  sev- 
eral terms  in  the  legislature,  entered  the  army  in  1862,  as  colonel  of  the 
112th  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers,  serving  gallantly  to  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  our  member  from  1883  to  1895,  his  repeated  re-election  show- 
ing the  favor  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  constituents.  AVhiteside  has 
always  been  conservative,  and  always  ready  to  stand  by  public  servants  who 
render-  efficient  service.  Gen.  Henderson,  now  an  old  man,  eighty-three  in 
November,  1907,  is  enjoying  his  deserved  retirement  at  his  early  home  in 
Princeton,  but  wa«  happy  in  response  to  a  cordial  invitation  to  appear  at 
the  opening  of  the  Hennepin  canal  feeder  in  Sterling.  October  24,  1907, 
make  a  speech,  and  receive  the  congratulations  of  his  admirers  on  the  com- 


40  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

pletion  of  an  enterprise  to  the  inception  of  which  his  unwearied  efforts  in  Con- 
gress and  elsewhere  were  so  largely  due. 

Another  deal  in  1893,  and  Whiteside  was  lined  with  Rock  Island,  Mer- 
cer, Henry,  Knox  and  Stark,  forming  the  tenth  district  with 

PHILIP   SIDNEY  POST 

of  Galesburg,  as  our  member,  but  dying  in  January,  1895,  soon  after  the 
beginning  of  the  term, 

GEORGE   W.    PRINCE 

was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  was  continued  in  office  by  successive 
re-electiohs  to  1903.  In  the  case  of  Mr.  Prince,  there  was  a  practical  example 
of  civil  service.  He  rose  to  his  high  office  by  gradual  preparation.  A  grad- 
uate of  .Knox  college,  city  attorney,  member  of  the  legislature.  Only  about 
forty  when  first  elected,  he  proved  himself  a  worthy  successor  of  his  predeces- 
sors of  ampler  experience,  and  was  always  equal  to  the  responsible  demands  of 
his  position.  He  is  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  continues  his  residence  in 
Galesburg. 

As  the  state  continues  to  develop,  new  arrangements  become  necessary, 
and  in  1901  another  apportionment  was  made,  dividing  Illinois  into  twenty- 
five  districts,  giving  Chicago  ten  congressmen,  and  the  rest  of  the  state 
fifteen.  Whiteside  is  now  in  the  thirteenth  district  with  Carroll,  Jo  Daviess, 
Lee,  Ogle  and  Stephenson. 

EGBERT  ROBERTS  HITT 

of  Mount  Morris,  was  elected  as  our  new  representative  in  1903.  He  was 
new  to  our  district,  but  a  tried  member  for  successive  terms  from  the  ninth, 
so  that  when  he  took  his  seat,  he  was  in  familiar  work  and  amid  familiar 
scenes.  In  fact  he  was  at  home  in  Washington.  Hitt  was  indeed  a  veteran 
in  political  life.  Born  in  Ohio,  like  Grant,  Sherman,  Garfield,  Bishop  Simp- 
son, and  a  dozen  other  great  men,  removing  to  Illinois,  receiving  his  early 
education  at  Mt.  Morris  seminary  which  he  continued  at  De  Pauw  university, 
he  took  up  as  a  diversion,  shorthand  reporting,  which  formed  the  starting 
point  of  a  brilliant  career.  As  an  acquaintance  of  Lincoln,  he  was  requested 
to  make  full  reports  of  the  famous  debate  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas  in 
1858.  An  old  citizen,  Albert  Woodcock,  gives  the  following  incident  of  the 
debate  at  Freeport,  August  27: 

"A  stand  was  erected  in  a  field  adjacent  to  the  city.  Thousands  of  peo- 
ple gathered  about  the  platform.  The  speakers  were  ready,  the  throng  was 
impatient.  The  tall  form  of  Lincoln  arose.  He  looked  anxiously  over  the 
crowd  and  called  out: 

"  'AVhere's  Hitt?     Is  Hitt  present?' 

"Hitt  from  the  outskirts  of  the  surging  mass  answered,  'Here  I  am,  but 
I  cannot  get  to  the  platform.' 

"The  good-natured  people  understood  the  situation,  seized  the  slender 
youth  and  passed  him  over  their  heads  to  the  stand."  Hitt's  report  of  that 
epoch-making  discussion  is  the  authoritative  standard  of  this  day.  Then 
began  that  versatile  career  which  kept  him  in  the  public  eye  to  its  mournful 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  41 

close.  In  1867-8  he  made  the  tour  of  Europe,  Egypt  and  Palestine.  In 
1874  Grant  appointed  him  secretary  of  legation  at  Paris,  a  position  con- 
tinued by  President  Hayes,  and  during  the  six  years  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hitt 
in  the  French  capital,  his  tact  and  her  charm  won  golden  opinions  from  all 
classes.  Although  offered  a  foreign  mission  by  President  Arthur,  he  declined, 
preferring  to  remain  in  his  own  country.  Hitt  was  like  Lincoln,  a  plain 
man,  fond  of  mingling  with  the  people,  and  ever  ready  to  accept  any  respon- 
sibility in  the  line  of  his  work.  Illinois  or  the  United  States  never  had  a 
more  conscientious  public  servant.  He  had  a  comfortable  cottage  at  Mt. 
Morris,  and  in  Washington  occupied  the  mansion  at  Fifteenth  and  K  streets, 
formerly  the  residence  of  William  M.  Evarts,  secretary  of  state  in  the  cabinet 
of  President  Hayes.  Hitt's  health  was  gradually  failing,  however,  and  his 
death  was  not  a  surprise. 

The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just, 
Shall  flourish  when  they  sleep  in  dust. 

FRANK  O.  LOWDEN. 

A  country  boy  getting  his  education  in  the  primitive  style,  working  on 
the  farm  in  the  summer,  and  attending  school  in  the  winter.  A  graduate 
of  the  Iowa  State  University  in  1885,  where  he  was  valedictorian,  and  then 
of  the  Union  College  of  Law,  Chicago,  where  he  repeated  his  literary  suc- 
cess. He  married  a  daughter  of  the  late  George  M.  Pullman,  and  began  the 
practice  of  law  in  Chicago,  in  connection  with  various  avenues  of  business. 
His  early  love  of  rural  life  returned,  however,  and  closing  his  commercial 
interests,  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Oregon  in  Ogle  county,  and 
began  the  career  of  farmer  on  an  extensive  scale. 

When  the  late  Senator  Pettus  of  Alabama  was  asked  what  he  would  do 
if  he  had  his  life  to  live  again,  he  replied,  "Buy  a  big  piece  of  land,  and 
settle  in  the  middle  of  it."  Many  of  our  statesmen  felt  the  same  way  in 
regard  to  an  Arcadian  retreat.  Jefferson  had  Monticello,  Clay  had  Ashland, 
Webster,  Marshfield.  So  Col.  Lowden  is  following  some  eminent  examples. 
The  original  dwelling  of  his  purchase  has  been  enlarged,  necessary  farm 
buildings  erected,  several  miles  of  road  laid  out,  choice  stock  secured,  arid 
every  arrangement  made  for  the  development  of  a  farm  model  in  every  detail. 
The  spacious  residence  on  a  high  slope  along  Rock  river,  like  Abbotsford  on 
the  Tweed,  has  already  become  a  Mecca  not  only  for  politicians,  but  for 
friends  and  neighbors,  who  are  sure  of  a  cordial  reception.  As  in  the  case 
of  Gen.  Harrison's  cabin,  the  latch  string  is  always  out.  Col.  Lowden  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority  in  the  fall  of  1908  to  take  the  place  of  the 
lamented  Hitt,  and  he  promises  to  keep  up  the  prestige  that  Whiteside  has 
always  been  fortunate  in  enjoying  in  her  Congressional  representatives. 


42  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

THE  BANDITTI  OF  THE  PRAIRIES. 

Fifty  years  ago  almost  every  one  in  Whiteside  or  the  west  was  ready  to 
talk  about  this  book.  The'  full  title  was : 

THE 
BANDITTI  OF  THE  PRAIRIES. 

A  TALE 

OF  THE 

MISSISSIPPI   VALLEY. 

An  Authentic  Narrative 

of 

Thrilling  Adventures 
in  the  Early  Settlement  of  the  Western  Country. 

By  Edward  Bonney. 

A  gang  of  robbers  and  cut-throats,  who  infested  Northern  Illinois  and 
Iowa,  murdered  Col.  George  Davenport  July  4,  1845,  at  his  home  at  Rock 
Island  in  the  river.  This  Bonney  tracked  the  villains,  discovered  their  plans, 
and  was  the  mea^is,  at  the  risk  of  his  neck,  of  bringing  them  to  justice. 
They  were  tried  at  Rock  Island,  and  on  Oct.  19,  1845,  John  and  Aaron 
Long  and  Granville  Young  were  hung  in  the  presence  of  a  large  crowd  at 
Rock  Island.  One  of  the  prosecuting  lawyers  was  Joe  Knox,  who  frequently 
appeared  in  Whiteside  as  pleader  or  campaigner.  This  hanging  struck  terror 
into  the  rest  of  the  marauders,  and  they  speedily  vanished.  Doubtless  their 
piracies  often  took  them  through  Whiteside. 

WHITESIDE  AND  CIRCUIT  COURT. 

Whoever  fights,  whoever  falls, 
Justice  conquers   evermore. — Emerson. 

As  in  the  legislature  and  congress,  our  county  has  not  always  been  in 
the  same  district.  The  first  court  -was  held  at  Lyndon,  April,  1840,  Honi. 
Daniel  Stone,  of  the  sixth  judicial  circuit,  presiding.  James  C.  Woodburn 
was  sheriff.  Among  the  attorneys  present  whose  names  are  familiar  were: 
Hugh  Wallace,  Harvey  and  Woodruff,  James  McCoy,  Knox  and  Drury.  Joe 
Knox  was  a  popular  speaker  in  the  political  campaigns.  By  the  act  of  the 
general  assembly,  1839,  the  sixth  judicial  circuit  included  the  counties  of 
Rock  Island,  Whiteside,  Carroll,  Stephenson,  Winnebago,  Boone  and  "Jo 
Daviess.  Subsequent  acts  changed  the  counties  and  the  number  of  the  cir- 
cuit. By  the  act  of  1877,  thirteen  judicial  circuits  were  created,  and  White- 
side  was  in  the  thirteenth.  From  the  Blue  Book  of  Illinois,  1905,  compiled 
by  James  A.  Rose,  secretary  of  state,  the  subjoined  list  of  judges  in  the  thir- 
teenth is  given : 


HISTORY    OF    WIIITESIDE    COUNTY  43 

Wm.  W.  Heatoii,  June  16,  1873,  Dixon,  died. 

Wm.  Brown,  June  16,  1873,  Rockford. 

Joseph  M.  Bailey,  Aug.  20,  1877,  Freeport, 

J.  V.  Eustace,  June  16,  1879,  Dixon,  vice  Heaton. 

J.  V.  Eustace,  June  16,  1879,  Dixon. 

Wm.  Brown,  June  16,  1879,  Rockford. 

Joseph  M.  Bailey,  June  16,  1879,  Freeport. 

J.  M.  Bailey,  June  1,  1885,  Resigned. 

Wm.  Brown,  June  1,  1885,  Rockford. 

J.  V.  Eustace,  June  1,  1885,  Dixon,  died. 

J.  D.  Crabtree,  June  4,  1888,  Dixon,  vice  Bailey. 

J.  H.  Cartwright,  June  1,  1888,  Oregon,  vice  Eustace. 

J.  H.  Cartwright,  June  1,  1891,  Resigned. 

J.  D.  Crabtree,  June  1,  1891,  Dixon. 

James  Shaw,  June  1,  1891,  Mt.  Carroll. 

J.  C.  Garver,  April  7,  1896,  Rockford,  vice  Cartwright. 

Two  of  these  judges  were  well  known  to  all  citizens  who  had  business 
at  Morrison  in  court  time.  Under  the  old  constitution  of  1848,  John  V. 
Eustace  and  William  W.  Heaton  were  on  the  twenty-second  circuit,  the  first 
commissioned  in  1857,  the  second  in  1861.  Judge  Heaton  sat  so  regularly 
on  the  bench  year  after  year  that  he  seemed  one  of  the  fixtures  of  the  court 
room.  Quiet,  easy,  genial,  approachable.  Judge  Eustace  was  somewhat 
sterner,  and  carried  to  his  position  much  of  that  military  dignity  which  he 
found  necessary  as  provost  marshal  at  Dixon  during  the  civil  war.  Under 
the  apportionment  of  1897,  the  counties  of  Rock  Island,  Mercer,  Whiteside 
and  Henry  compose  the  fourteenth  judicial  circuit,  with  Emery  C.  Graves, 
Geneseo,  William  H.  Gest,  Rock  Island,  and  Frank  D.  Ramsay,  Morrison, 
as  judges.  The  term  is  six  years,  and  the  salary,  $3,500.  Judge  Ramsay 
began  in  1897,  and  is  serving  acceptably  in  his  second  term.  Court  is  held 
on  first  Mondays  in  January,  April  and  October. 

•Of  the  conspicuous  figures  at  Morrison  during  the  last  30  or  40  years 
were  David  McCartney,  formerly  of  Fulton,  later  of  Sterling,  states  attorney 
from  1872  to  1880,  and  Walter  Stager  of  Sterling,  1880  to  1904,  who  made 
a  brilliant  record  in  the  prosecution  of  crime.  H.  H.  Waite  of  Prophets- 
town  occupies  the  position  since  1904. 

THE  GRANGE  IN  WHITESIDE. 

Farewell,  a  long  farewell,  to  all  my  greatness! 

This  is  the  state  of  man.     Today  he  puts  forth 

The  tender  leaves  of  hope,  tomorrow  blossoms, 

And  bears  his  blushing  honors  thick  upon  him ; 

The  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost. — Henry  VIII. 

All  persons  under  forty  years  of  age  know  no  more  of  the  Grange  move- 
ment than  they  do  of  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians.  Like  the  Know 
Nothing  party  in  1856,  it  was  mighty  for  awhile,  but  soon  vanished.  It 
was  a  political  meteor,  a  social  coiliet  that  blazed  and  disappeared.  As  the 


44  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

name  indicates,  the  Grange  was  a  farmers'  organization  to  give  the  sons  of 
the  soil  their  proper  influence  in  business,  in  society,  in  politics.  From  a 
small  beginning  it  rapidly  spread  to  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  was 
especially  strong  in  Whiteside.  Every  district  had  its  branch.  The  opera- 
tions were  confined  to  the  rural  districts,  and  carried  on  secretly  without 
giving  any  notice  in  the  papers,  so  that  town  people  were  in  blissful  igno- 
rance of  the  movement.  A  picnic  was  planned  for  the  island  below  the  dam 
at  Sterling  one  summer  day  about  1870,  and  when  the  long  procession  of 
two-horse  wagons,  filled  with  the  families  of  the  farmers,  began  to  movie 
slowly  through  the  streets,  the  citizens  rubbed  their  eyes  and  gazed  in  amaze- 
ment. It  seemed  like  an  endless  procession.  It  was  evidently  no  circus.  This 
was  the  first  open  notice  to  Sterling  of  the  existence  of -the  new  organization. 
To  show  the  controlling  influence  exercised  by  Whiteside  in  the  order, 
the  following  is  clipped  from  a  paper  of  1873: 

GRANGE  DIRECTORY. 

ILLINOIS   STATE  GRANGE. 

Master — Alonzo  Golder,  Rock  Falls> 

Secretary — 0.  E.  Fanning,  Gait. 

Lecturer — A.  Woodford,  Rock  Falls.  \/ 

Overseer — E.  V.  Lapham,  Morrison./ 

Steward — S.  J.  Baird,  Sterling.    / 

Asst.  Steward — Jos.  Anthony,  Round  Grove. 

Chaplain — A.  B.  Smith,  DixonX 

Treasurer — J.  H.  Simonson.  Round  Grove. 

Gate-Keeper — W.   P.   McAllister,  MorrisonX 

Ceres — Mrs.  D.  W.  Dame,  Lanark. 

Pomona— Maggie  J.  Lapham,  Morrison. "' 

Flora— Miss  E.  Golder,  Rock  Falls./ 

L.  A.  Steward — Mrs.  H.  P.  Garrison,  Morrison.* 

Leading  citizens  in  every  township  entered  heartily  into  the  new  organi- 
zation, as  will  be  seen  by  the  subjoined  list  of  local  branches  taken  from  the 
same  sheet  of  1873: 

GRANGES. 

Portland,  No.  396.— George  B.  Quigley,  M. ;  J.  P.  Averill,  S.  Regular 
meetings  first  and  third  Saturday  evenings  of  each  month. 

Newton,  No.  47. — Wm.  Payne,  Master;  G.  M.  Miller,  Sec'y. 

Garden  Plain,  No.  54. — C.  R.  Rood,  M.;  Alex.  Wilson,  S.  Regular 
meeting  held  at  Town  Hall,  Garden  Plain,  every  Thursday  evening  on  or 
before  full  moon,  and  second  Thursday  evening  following. 

Little  Rock,  No.  55.— J.  H.  Platt,  M.;  J.  J.  Davis,  S.  Regular  meet- 
ings first  Tuesday  in  each  month. 

Franklin,  No.  60.— A.  M.  Abbott,  M. ;  A.  C.  Crauch,  S.  Regular  meet- 
ing, Friday  evening  of  each  week. 

Ustick,  No.  124.— J.  C.  Martindale,  M.;  G.  W.  McKinzie,  S. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  45 

'-  Bock  River,  No.  7.— P.  C.  Woods,  M.;  J.  W.  Niles,  S. 

Whiteside,  No.  9.— E.  V.  Lapham,  M.;  A.  B.  Gibbs,  S.     Regular  meet- 
ings the  last  Friday  in  each  month,  special  meeting  every  Friday. 
?  Rock  Falls,  No.  10.— Rob't.  McNiel,  M. ;  J.  Wright,  S. 

Hume,  No.  12.— W.  F.  Ramsay,  M.;  J.  Angell,  S. 

Hopkins,  No.  13. — S.  J.  Baird,  M;  S.  N.  Brown,  S.  Regular  meeting, 
Saturday,  on  or  before  each  full  moon. 

Round  Grove,  No.  14. — J.  H.  Simonson,  M. ;  Aaron  Young,  S.  Regular 
meetings  Wednesday  evening,  on  or  before  the  full  moon  and  the  second 
Wednesday  evening  after. 

Prophetstown,  No.  15.— Chas.  Humaston,  M. ;  G.  W.  Park,  S. 

Gait,  No.  16.— B.  R.  Watson,  M. ;  R.  G.  Wallace,  S. 

Prairie  Center,  No.  18.— W.  P.  McAllister,  M.;  J.  Upton,  S.  Regular 
meeting  on  Friday  evening,  on  or  before  full  moon,  and  second  Friday  fol- 
lowing. 

Hahnaman,  No.  20.— W.  K.  Caughey,  M. ;  V.  Rice,  S. 

Tampico,  No.  19. — John  Fea,  M. ;  J.  C.  Reeves,  S. 

Jordan,  No.  23.— D.  N.  Foster,  M.;  T.  S.  Kauffman,  S. 

Genesee,  No.  25.— R.  J.  Silliman,  M. ;  B.  F.  St  John,  S. 

Union,  No.  26.— R.  A.  Langdon,  M.;  S.  H.  Baird,  S. 
/Sterling,  No.  27.— Benj.  Stauffer,  M.;  C.  A.  Wetherbee,  S. 

Genesee,  No.  28.— W.  H.  Green,  M.;  W.  Tumbleson,  S. 

North  Prairie,  No.  29.— Henry  Tucker,  M.;  F.  M.  Thomas,  S.  Regu- 
lar meeting  on  or  before  the  full  moon  of  each  month. 

Lyndon,  No.  31.— E.  P.  Gibbs,  M.;  F.  G.  Brewer,  S. 

Fenton,  No.  34. — A.  S.  Round,  M.  Regular  meetings  the  last  Thursday 
in  each  month. 

Union  Grove,  No.  42. — R.  F.  Logan,  M. ;  Geo.  Topping,  S. 

D.  N.  Foster,  an  intelligent  farmer  living  north  of  Sterling,  went  with 
enthusiasm  into  the  Grange  movement  in  the  'seventies,  when  it  was  at  its 
zenith.  He  championed  the  principle  that  if  farmers  ever  received  any  bene- 
fit from  state  legislation,  they  must  elect  farmer  legislators.  The  principle 
found  favor,  and  seven  farmers  were  elected  in  the  fall  of  1876  as  the  result 
of  this  agitation.  These  seven  found  when  they  met  in  the  capitol  at  the 
assembly  that  the  two  political  parties  were  so  evenly  divided  that  they,  the 
seven,  held  the  balance  of  power.  As  a  United  States  Senator  was  to  be 
elected,  each  party  was  scheming  to  secure  the  votes  necessary  to  elect  their 
candidate.  At  this  critical  period,  the  regular  annual  convention  of  the 
state  grange  with  800  delegates  met  at  Springfield.  Hon.  David  Davis,  then 
on  the  supreme  bench  at  Washington,  offered  the  use  of  his  opera  house  to 
the  convention,  and  it  was  accepted.  The  seven  Grange  legislators  were  unde- 
cided in  regard  to  their  action  in  the  election  of  senator.  In  the  caucus 
that  was  called  were  Alonzo  Golder,  Omer  Fanning,  D.  N.  Foster.  Should 
the  seven  vote  with  the  Democrats  or  Republicans?  After  some  discussion, 
Mr.  Foster  proposed  that  they  make  their  own  nomination  and  oblige  one 
of  the  parties  to  come  to  their  selection.  The  idea  seemed  ridiculous,  as  no 


46  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

candidate  could  be  secured  at  so  short  notice.  "Why  not  Judge  Davis," 
replied  Foster.  A  telegram  was  sent,  he  accepted  the  nomination,  and  David 
Davis  was  elected  senator  from  Illinois.  Mr.  Foster  rightly  claims  this 
result  as  a  crowning  triumph  of  Granger  legislation. 

Some  agreeable  features  in  the  Grange  which  made  it  popular  in  the 
county  districts:  Ladies  were  eligible  to  several  offices,  and  the  regular 
meetings  when  elections  took  place,  were  social  occasion  of  great  enjoyment 
in  the  way  of  banquet,  addresses  and  literary  exercises.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  establish  stores  to  be  controlled  and  supported  by  the  patronage  of 
the  order,  but  it  was  soon  found  that  necessary  expenses  made  competition 
impossible  with  the  established  stores  of  the  towns.  Salaried  officers  proved  to 
be  somewhat  of  a  burden,  members  began  to  lose  their  early  enthusiasm,  there 
was  a  lack  of  political  cohesion,  and  thus  by  degrees  the  once  prosperous 
organization  declined,  in  the  words  of  Grover  Cleveland  to  "innocuous  desue- 
tude." 

EARLY  TEACHERS  AND  THE  YEARLY  INSTITUTES. 

Delightful  task!   to  rear  the  'tender  thought, 
And  teach  the  young  idea  how  to  shoot. — Thomson. 

One  of  the  first  regular  institutes  in  the  county  took  place  in  the  small 
brick  church,  Como,  in  the  last  week  of  September,  1856.  Gray-haired 
Deacon  Charles  S.  Deming,  of  Lyndon,  was  county  commissioner,  or  super- 
intendent, as  the  office  is  now  called.  Alexander  Wilder  was  imported  from 
New  York  to  be  conductor.  A  tall,  lank  specimen,  a  walking  cyclopedia, 
who  could  answer  any  question  about  earth,  air  and  sea,  but  confessed  his 
inability  to  open  the  sessions  with  prayer.  So  a  concert  repetition  of  the 
Lord's  prayer  formed  the  devotional  exercises.  M.  R.  Kelly  brought  from 
Lyndon  a  two-horse  wagon  full  of  girls,  which  he  jocularly  called  a  grist  of 
teachers  in  allusion  to  the  large  Como  mill  then  running.  Ephraim  Brook- 
field  and  John  Phinney  were  there.  In  the  evening  audience  sat  regularly 
Miss  Mary  Pollock  of  Como,  a  handsome  brunette,  afterwards  married  to 
Mr.  Wadley,  and  long  a  resident  of  Clinton.  Among  the  members  was 
C.  B.  Smith,  then  conducting  a  select  school  in  the  basement  of  the  old 
Presbyterian  church  in  Sterling,  who  studied  law,  and  removed  to  Mt.  Carroll 
where  he  died. 

For  years  the  institute  was  on  wheels,  held  from  town  to  town.  In 
1857  at  Erie,  1858  at  Fulton,'  1859  at  Prophetetown,  and  so'  through  the 
county.  For  the  last  thirty  years,  the  sessions  have  been  held  at  Sterling  or 
Morrison  in  the  last  week  of  August,  just  before  the  opening  of  school?. 

AN  OLD  PROGRAM. 

In  the  Whiteside  County  Historical  Society  is  a  program  of  an  insti- 
tute held  in  Sterling,  August  27,  1867,  to  continue  a  week.  Instruction  wns 
given  daily  in  the  various  common  branches,  and  discussions  on  'such  sub- 
jects as  government  and  object  lessons.  Among  the  lecturers  at  night  wa* 
State  Superintendent  Newton  Bateman,  and  among  the  instructors,  Metcalf 
of  Normal.  E.  C.  Smith  of  Dixon.  M.  AY.  Smith  of  Morrison,  C.  C.  Buell 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  47 

of  Sterling,  H.  E.  Burr,  M.  R,  Kelly,  all  numbered  with  the  dead.  Walter 
Stager,  John  Phinney,  W.  W.  Davis,  Emma  Wilson,  still  grasp  the  hands 
of  their  friends. 

A    FEW    REMINISCENCES. 

Col.  Michael  W.  Smith,  superintendent  from  1869  to  1873,  was  elected 
by  a  whirlwind  of  Sterling  votes,  as  there  was  no  excitement  or  issue,  and 
a  light  vote  was  polled  in  the  rest  of  the  county.  He  was  precise,  stern, 
methodical,  very  efficient  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties;  for  awhile  principal 
of  the  Morrison  schools.  On  leaving  Whiteside  he  was  appointed  professor 
of  English  literature  and  history  in  Hughes  high  school,  Cincinnati,  1874, 
where  he  labored  with  great  success  to  his  death  in  1889. 

Clinton  C.  Buell  was  principal  for  three  years'  of  the  old  second  ward 
school  in  Sterling  after  its  completion  in  1867.  He  had  a  farm  in  Mont- 
morency,  and  drove  in  a  light  buggy  every  morning  to  his  duties.  A  strenu- 
ous career.  After  graduating  at  Madison  University,  New  York,  and  teach- 
ing eight  years  in  academies,  he  emigrated  to  Iowa,  where  he  entered  the 
army  on  the  beginning  of  the  war  in  1861.  He  was  a  scholarly  man,  well 
read,  a  good  writer  and  speaker,  took  a  deep  interest  in  agricultural  affairs,, 
and  often  read  papers  or  made  speeches  at  various  meetings. 

One  of  the  mast  genial  of  the  former  teachers  was  H.  E.  Burr,  who  grad- 
uated from  Oberlin  College  in  1849,  removed  to  Morrison  .in  1865,  opened 
a  select  school,  and  afterwards  taught  in  public  schools.  Two  heavy  mis- 
fortunes threw  a  gloom  over  his  later  life.  A  stone  falling  on  his  foot  in 
a  quarry  made  him  lame,  and  the  death  of  his  only  daughter,  Charlotte, 
a  young  lady  of  rare  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  was  a  crushing  blow  from 
which  he  never  recovered.  She  was  the  idol  of  the  home,  and  henceforth 
the  world  had  no  further  charm.  When  the  writer  met  the  old  gentleman 
just  a  short  time  before  the  end,  he  sadly  remarked  that  he  was  just  waiting 
to  move  on. 

One  of  the  best  known  primary  teachers  of  Sterling  was  Miss  Sa_die 
Patterson,  who  was  first  in  the  second  ward,  and  then  in  Wallace  school. 
She  grew  gray  in  the  service,  and  almost  two  generations  of  children  passed 
under  her  discipline. 

Of  all  the  early  teachers,  M.  R.  Kelly,  of  Morrison,  was  the  dean.  Com- 
ing to  the  county  in  his  young  manhood  and  remaining  here  to  his  death 
in  1904,  he  was  a  landmark.  Teachers  came  and  went,  but  Kelly  was  like 
Tennyson's  brook: 

For  men  may  come  and  men  may  go, 
But  I  go  on  forever. 

His  duties  as  superintendent  called  him  to  all  parts  of  the  county,  and 
his  sunny  disposition  made  friends  everywhere.  His  face  was  always  wel- 
come at  the  tables  or  the  gathering?  of  the  old  settlers.  Like  Caleb  of  the 
Old  Testament  his  vigor  of  mind  and  body  was  so  remarkable  even  in  the 
eighties  than  his  sudden  decline  and  death  came  as  a  surprise.  From  the 
Sentinel  of  Morrison  we  quote  the  account  of  the  last  sad  rites :  "The  serv- 
ices were  held  at  the  Presbvterian  church,  and  after  a  hvmn  bv  the  choir 


48  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  prayer  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  W.  V.  Jeffries,  his  old  friend  and  co-laborer, 
W.  W.  Davis,  delivered  the  following  address: 

"  'It  lies  around  us  like  a  cloud, 

A  world  we  do  not  see ; 
Yet  the  sweet  closing  of  an  eye, 

.May  bring  us  there  to  be. 

"  'Standing  in  this  solemn  presence  and  thinking  of  our  dear  departed 
friend,  I  recall  almost  fifty  years  of  uninterrupted  and  delightful  social  inter- 
course. No  more  that  radiant  face,  that  cheerful  voice,  that  active  step.  On 
my  visits  to  Morrison,  my  first  thought  always  was,  I  hope  I  shall  see  Kelly 
on  the  street.  If  not,  -I  must  certainly  go  to  his  home.  How  often  he 
invited  me  to  his  cottage,  and  how  often  I  enjoyed  his  generous  hospitality. 

"  '0  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand, 
And  the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still! 

"  'My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Kelly  began  in  September,  1856,  when  I 
met  him  at  a  teachers'  institute  in  Como.  He  was  the  teacher,  but  soon 
became  county  superintendent.  Under  his  administration,  the  schools  of 
Whiteside  received  a  vigorous  impulse.  He  visited  the  schools  during  the 
day  and  addressed  the  patrons  at  night.  And  what  addresses  they  were.! 
He  was  a  remarkable  speaker  before  a  crowd  of  plain  people.  His  rich  voice, 
hearty  manner,  fund  of  anecdotes  always  charmed,  and  the  announcement 
that  Kelly  was  to  speak  was  sure  to  pack  the  house.  Like  Washington, 
Beecher  and  men  of  earnest  natures,  Prof.  Kelly  took  much  delight  in 
outdoor  life.  His  cottage  on  the  edge  of  Morrison  was  a  poet's  home,  with 
its  oaks,  vines  and  shrubbery  He  was  the  Nestor  of  Whiteside  teachers. 
Of  all  in  service  during  his  early  visitations,  only  four  remain,  John  Phinney 
of  Morrison,  Grove  Wright  of  Rock  Falls,  D.  N.  Foster  of  Sterling  and 
myself.  In  his  eighty-seventh  year,  David  Dudley  Field,  the  eminent  lawyer, 
composed  a  remarkable  poem,  which  I  believe  represents  the  very  sentiments 
which  governed  our  dear  friend  Kelly  in  his  later  years: 

"  'What  is  it  now  to  live?    It  is  to  breathe 
The  air  of  heaven,  behold  the  pleasant  earth, 
The  shining  rivers,  the  inconstant  sea, 
Sublimity  of  mountains,  wealth  of  clouds, 
And  radiance  o'er  all  of  countless  stars. 
It  is  to  sit  before  the  cheerful  hearth 
With  groups  of  friends  and  kindred,  store  of  books, 
Rich  heritage  from  ages  past, 
Hold  sweet  communion,  soul  with  soul.'  ' 

Of  all  the  teachers  in  the  county  in  1858,  only  four  remain  at  the 
present  writing,  November,  1907 :  Grove  Wright  of  Rock  Falls,  John  Phin- 
ney near  Morrison,  and  D.  N.  Foster  and  W.  W.  Davis  of  Sterling. 

— • J"hn  Phinnev  was  one  of  the  features  at  the  institutes.     His  hobbies 


were  grammar  and  mental  arithmetic,  and  he  was  always  ready  to  take  up 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  49 

the  cudgel  in  defense  of  any  method  of  his  that  was  carelessly  criticised.  He 
made  no  pretensions  to  elegant  speech,  but  was  perfectly  able  in  his  earnest 
way  to  maintain  every  principle  he  espoused.  Mr.  Phinney  taught  at  vari- 
ous places,  Unionville,  Sterling,  Como,  was  thorough  in  his  drills  and  gave 
universal  satisfaction. 

D.  N.  Foster's  usefulness  was  confined  to  Jordan,  chiefly  at  the  Capp 
school,  and  he  retired  early  from  the  strain  of  professional  life  to  engage  in 
farming.  He  now  owns  the  Doc  Coe  farm  on  the  Freeport  road.  His  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Carrie  Dinsmoor,  a  Massachusetts  girl,  niece  of  the  late  Hon. 
James  Dinsmoor,  was  also  a  teacher,  and  during  their  residence  in  the 
country,  was  a  director  of  the  district  school. 

Grove  Wright  was  in  some  respects  the  most  successful  teacher  in  the 
county.  There  have  been  more  scholarly  principals,  but  none  who  had  the 
art  of  infusing  so  much  enthusiasm  into  his  pupils.  They  all  believed  in 
Wright,  and  heartily  entered  into  every  plan  he  proposed.  Most  of  his  work 
was  in  Sterling,  in  the  second  and  the  third  wards.  His  exhibitions  every 
winter  in  old  Wallace  Hall  had  a  delightful  mixture  of  declamations,  dia- 
logues, music,  various  performances,  that  were  heartily  enjoyed.  Nothing 
before  or  since  like  them.  He  was  a  good  singer,  and  music  was  a  promi- 
nent feature  in  his  schools. 

Miss  Mary  Oilman,  a  graduate  of  Mt.  Holyoke,  who  taught  in  the  old 
second  ward  school  in  1857  and  8,  and  who,  Grove  Wright  says,  was  the 
best  scholar  in  Latin,  history  and  mathematics  he  ever  met,  had  a  terrible 
experience  in  her  later  years.  She  married  Rev.  U.  Small,  first  pastor  of 
the  Sterling  Cong,  church,  and  they  had  one  son,  Forrest,  for  whose  educa- 
tion they  made  every  sacrifice.  Scarcely  had  he  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  law  in  Minnesota,  when  his  body  was  found  one  morning,  the  victim  of  a 
brutal  and  mysterious  murder.  Mrs.  Small,  always  delicate,  gradually  pined 
away,  and  the  poor  father,  left  in  double  desolation,  also  died  a  few  years  ago. 

C.  B.  Smith  kept  a  select  school  in  the  basement  of  the  old  Presbyterian 
church  on  the  site  of  the  present  township  high  school.  Maria  Denning, 
daughter  of  Rev.  S.  F.  Denning,  pioneer  Methodist  minister,  was  a  pupil  in 
Latin,  and  died  afterwards  in  Cuba.  Smith  studied  law,  and  died  in  Mount 
Carroll,  where  he.  practiced  law  for  many  years. 

H.  H.  Smith,  no  relative,  was  in  the  county  for  several  years.  He  was 
one  of  those  trained  minds,  .full,  quick,  ready  to  see  a  joke,  wore  glasses, 
master  of  the  subjects  he  was  called  to  teach.  Always  welcome  at  the  insti- 
tutes. 

Maurice  Savage  was  a  fixture  at  Round  Grove  where  he  taught  with 
great  acceptance  for  a  long  time.  An  excellent  mathematician.  After  his 
marriage,  he  went  south  where  he  still  resides,  engaged  in  some  other  business. 

There  were  the  Kimballs,  two  brothers,  serious,  earnest  fellows,  who  were 
both  engaged  at  different  times  in  the  school  at  Unionville. 

Of  the  girls.  Miss  Martha  Millikan  and  Mary  Scott  must  not  be  forgotten. 
Miss  Millikan  married  and  died  in  1908,  and  Mary  Scott,  after  a  devoted 
career,  sleeps  in  the  cemetery  at  Lyndon. 

Another  of  OUT  pioneer  teachers,  Mrs.  Lucius  E.  Rice,  formerly  Martha 


; 


50  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

C.  Coburn,  still  lives  at  Lyndon  in  the  active  discharge  of  her  domestic  duties. 
She  began  to  teach  in  Vermont,  her  native  state,  and  after  seven  years  of 
service  there,  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where  she  taught  three  years,  and  then 
to  Lyndon,  spending  another  three  years  in  the  school  room.  At  Peacham, 
Vt.,  she  attended  the  school  of  which  "the  famous  Thaddeus  Stevens  was  a 
pupil.  She  saw  the  house  where  he  was  born,  and  remembers  his  coming 
there  to  see  about  a  burial  lot  for  his  mother.  He  once  said  to  a  minister: 
"If  what  you  speak  of  is  religion,  my  mother  had  it."  Not  far  from  her 
town,  the  wonderful  mathematician,  Zerah  Colburn  was  born.  As  we  all 
know,  New  England  people  for  two  generations  swore  by  Colburn's  arith- 
metic. It  came  next  to  the  primer  and  the  catechism  with  its 

In  Adam's  fall 
We  sinned  all. 

One  of  Mrs.  Rice's  teachers  confidently  affirmed  that  with  three  "things  anyone 
could  pass  successfully  through  this  vale  of  tears:  the  Bible,  Webster's  dic- 
tionary and  Colburn's  arithmetic. 

Perhaps  the  most  venerable,  the  longest  in  service  of  any  of  our  teachers, 
was  Mrs.  John  Whallon,  widow  of  the  well  known  captain.  She  was  born 
in  1832,  coming  with  the  father  in  wagon  in  1837  from  Massachusetts.  Mar- 
tha began  to  teach  as  a  mere  girl,  returning  to  Galesburg  after  a  time  for 
^  further  preparation.  She  taught  at  Sterling  in  1848  when  there  was  no 
school  building  and  Col.  Wilson  had  to  hunt  a  room  and  seat  it,  at  Rock 
Falls  .then  Rapids  city,  when  the  river  was  innocent  of  bridge  and  had  to  be 
forcled.  She  was  in  faithful  service  all  over  the  county,  at  Como,  Lyndon, 
Prophetstown,  Portland,  Fulton.  In  her  first  terms  she  received  one  dollar 
and  a  half  per  week,  and  boarded  around.  Mrs.  Whallon  spent  the  sunset 
of  her  active  and  useful  life  in  quiet  retirement  amid  ancestral  scenes  in 
Lyndon. 

W.  W.  Davis  generally  had  an  essny  or  lecture  at  the  early  institutes. 
He  was  for  some  time  secretary,  and  every  night  during  the  sessions  read  a 
critical  report  of  mistakes  made  during  the  day.  Most  of  his  teaching  in  the 
county  was  at  Empire,  now  Emerson.  Some  of  his  former 'pupils  have  risen 
to  prominence  elsewhere.  Miss  Alice  Dinsmoor  was  for  many  years  principal 
of  a  young  ladies'  seminary  in  Brooklyn,  Wilson  Sterling  is  professor  in  the 
state  university  at  Lawrence,  Kansas,  John  K.  Reed  is  a  missionary  in  Litheria 
on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  Dr.  J.  F.  Keefer  is  one  of  the  leading  physicians 
of.  Sterling,  Rev.  W.  C.  Seidel,  D.  D.,  now  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  charge 
of  a  Lutheran  church  has  long  been  active  in  the  service  of  that  denomina- 
tion, east  and  west. 

I've  wandered  to  the  village,  Tom, 

I've  sat  beneath  the  tree, 
Upon  the  schoolhou.-e  playground, 

That  sheltered  you  and  me; 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  51 

But  none  were  left  to  greet  me,  Tom, 

And  few  were  left  to  know, 
That  played  with  us  upon  the  green, 

Just  twenty  years  ago. 

JORDAN. 

On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand, 

And  cast  a  wishful  eye, 
To  Canaan's  fair  and  happy  land, 

Where  my  possessions  lie. — Samuel  Stennet. 

All  roads  lead  to  Rome,  or  did,  and  three  of  the  best  highways  in  the 
county  lead  from  Sterling  to  Jordan :  the  Freeport  road,  the  Hoover,  and  the 
Pennington.  If  you  go  out  the  Freeport  road,  which  starts  from  the  east 
end  of  Sterling,  on  the  left  is  the  Catholic  cemetery  of  ten  acres,  and  although 
new,  has  many  handsome  monuments.  We  pass  John  Zigler's  place  with  its 
boxes  of  bees  and  yards  of  chickens,  each  breed  by  itself.  That  frame  dwell- 
ing was  the  home  of  D.  0.  Coe,  or  Dish,  as  he  was  called,  long  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Over  there  to  the  west  is  the  farm  house  of  Mrs.  George 
Royer,  with  an  unfailing  spring  in  the  cellar,  a  good  place  for  butter  and 
milk.  Farm  after  farm  of  families  all  scattered. 

They  grew  in  beauty  side  by  side, 
They  filled  one  home  with  glee, 
•     Their  graves  are  severed  far  and  wide, 
By  mount  and  stream  and  sea. 

The  Bressler  farm  and  the  Doc  or  Jonathan  F.  Coe  place,  now  owned 
by  D.  N.  Foster.  The  father  of  these  Goes  was  Simeon  M.,  who  came  to  Jor- 
"dan  in  1835  and  died  in  1848.  His  wife  was  Mary  Miles.  A  large  family 
of  13  children,  mostly  boys.  Each  son  got  a  farm.  S.  M.  or  Sim,  who  lived  in 
the  southern  part  of  Jordan,  was  for  years  town  treasurer.  Near  the  Doc 
Coe  place  was  an  early  frame  schoollwmse,  called  the  Coe  school.  It  was  taken 
down,  and  a  new  stone  building  erected  on  the  west  of  the  road,  called  the 
Stone  school. 

Penrose  is  the  business  center  of  Jordan.  There  is  a  commodious  gen- 
eral store  with  dwelling  attached  and  a  well  kept  lawn  and  garden  on  side  and 
rear.  W.  D.  Detweiler  and  wife  are  the  accommodating  proprietors.  Just 
this  side  is  a  small  Quaker  graveyard  containing  the  graves  pf  Elida  John, 
who  died  in  1888  at  seventy-seven,  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  in  1890,  at  ninety. 
Also  that  of  A.  C.  John,  son,  hospital  steward  of  34th  111.  Infantry,  who 
died  in  1899  at  67.  The  little  meeting  house  is  now  a  dwelling.  An  iroli 
fence  in  front.  Here  is  a  United  Brethren  church.  Radical,  built  in  1896, 
with  23  members,  and  preaching  every  second  Sunday.  A  Sunday  school 
and  Y.  P.  society.  There  are  three  Sunday  schools  in  Jordan. 

The  White  church  formerly,  now  East  Jordan  church,  is  the  strong- 
est religious  organization  in  the,town.  Originally  erected  as  a  union  edifice, 
but  now  controlled  by  the  Liberal  branch  of  the  United  Brethren,  with  Rev. 


52  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

J.  A.  F.  King  as  pastor.  A  flourishing  Sunday  school  of  150  pupils  with 
Alex.  Anderson  as  superintendent.  Mrs.  Lizzie  Detweiler  has  home  depart- 
ment and  circulates  lesson  leaves  in  both  English  and  German.  The  latter 
is  Sonntagschul  Lektionen,  published  at  Mennonite  Book  Concern.  Berne, 
Indiana.  There  are  also  a  C.  Endeavor  and  Junior  E.  Mrs.  M.  Kidder  has 
the  first  primary  of  30  scholars.  Mrs.  Nelson  Jacobs,  sister  of  Dr.  J.  C. 
Maxwell,  Sterling,  has  the  cradle  roll  of  24  tots,  and  has  held  the  position 
for  26  years. 

Now  let  us  drive  beyond  Penrose  two  miles,  and  on  descending  a  hill 
a  little  valley  lies  before  us,  and  prominent  in  the  outlook  towers  a  large 
frame  building,  grand,  gloomy  and  peculiar.  It  is  Wilson's  old  mill,  for 
thirty  years  a  scene  of  busy  traffic.  Here  came  Joseph  Wilson  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  built  a  log  mill  in  1836.  An  enterprising  man,  and  from  time 
to  time  he  installed  improvements  to  keep  his  grists  to  date,  sparing  no 
expense.  His  flour  put  up  in  family  sacks  had  a  high  reputation,  and  a  gen- 
eration of  Sterling  and  Dixon  people  believed  no  bread  or  cake  could  be 
undertaken  without  Wilson's  flour.  "Take  no  other."  He  hauled  the  goods 
himself  to  the  towns,  and  many  a  day  has  the  writer  seen  the  venerable 
miller  perched  on  the  top  of  a  two-horse  load  on  his  way  to  market.  He 
delivered  himself  from  house  to  house.  The  dam  was  thrown  across  Buffalo 
creek,  and  the  meadow  with  the  race  on  one  side  and  woodland  on  the  further 
hill,  made  an  ideal  landscape  of  rural  beauty. 

How  dear  to  this  heart 
Are  the  scenes  of  my  childhood, 
When  fond  recollection 
Presents  them  to  view. 

Not  long  before  his  death  he  enlarged  the  residence,  making  many  rooms, 
perhaps  for  the  entertainment  of  strangers,  for  the  place  was  the  center  of  a 
Quaker  influence.  Every  Sunday  Friends'  meeting  was  held  for  the  benefit  of 
the  few  disciples  who  assembled  there.  Frances  was  a  zealous  advocate  for 
her  faith,  and  loaned  the  writer  Clarkson's  Portraiture  of  the  Quakers.  Both 
Joseph  and  Frances  are  buried  in  the  orchard  at  the  home,  the  sons  are  gone. 
Mary  lived  alone  in  the  spacious  mansion  for  twenty  years  until  a  nephew 
lately  moved  in,  while  the  huge  mill,  silent  and  tenantless,  is  occupied  as  a 
warehouse  by  a  farmer. 

To  what  base  uses  do  we  come  at  last. 

The  big  water  wheel  also  remains.  The  whole  structure  speaks  of  deso- 
lation, and  is  a  mute  reminder  of  departed  prosperity. 

One  of  the  best  men  who  ever  lived  in  Jordan  was  James  Talbott.  who 
came  from  Westmoreland,  Pa.,  in  1835.  A  carpenter  in  the  east,  but  here 
he  became  a  farmer.  A  devout  Methodist.  Oliver,  born  in  1833,  is  the  best 
known  of  the  surviving  children  and  now  resides  in  Polo.  His  wife  is  Mary 
Furry,  a  prominent  writer  and  speaker  in  the  W.  C.  T.  U. 

In  form,  the  late  Jacob  Vogdes  was  the  Saul  of  the  township.  He  was 
from  Pennsylvania,  kept  bachelor  hall  on  his  eighty  for  some  years,  and  in 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  53 

1859  started  for  Pike's  Peak  and  continued  his  journey  to  California,  where 
he  died  after  a  varied  career  in  mining.  He  was  seventy-two.  He  was  six 
feet  four,  broad  shouldered  and  massively  built.  Jovial  and  kindly,  his  face 
always  wearing  a  smile. 

About  two  miles  from  Wilson's  mill  was  the  log  cabin  of  Charles  Diller, 
in  which  he  lived  from  1850  to  his  removal  to  Sterling  in  1878.  He  had 
been  a  teacher  in  Pennsylvania,  was  the  most  intelligent  man  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, was  school  director  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  kept  open  house.  His 
wife,  Ann  (Thompson),  was  the  soul  of  hospitality.  Of  four  boys,  Thomas 
was  teacher  in  the  country  and  Sterling  for  several  terms,  and  in  1889  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  Sterling  by  Harrison,  in  1897  by  McKinley  and  again 
in  1901.  He  purchased  the  Standard  as  a  weekly  from  Theodore  Mack,  and 
in  cooperation  with  J.  W.  Newcomer,  published  the  paper  until  its  appear- 
ance as  a  daily  in  1893,  Mr.  Newcomer  retiring. 

The  Diller  farm  of  nearly  400  acres  was  purchased  by  the  late  W.  A. 
Sanborn,  banker,  and  turned  into  a  stock  ranch  by  the  erection  of  extensive 
barns.  It  is  now  owned  by  Fernandus  Jacobs,  who,  with  his  1,068  acres,  is 
easily  the  largest  land  owner  in  Jordan.  He  started  without  a  dollar  and  is 
still  under  sixty.  It  is  a  little  singular  that  another  man  of  almost  the  same 
name,  John  Adam  Jacob,  a  foreign  German,  coming  here  poor,  died  at  64, 
owning  1,000  acres  in  Jordan  and  much  in  Iowa. 

On  the  crossroad  from  the  Freeport  to  the  Pennington  is  Jordan  Center 
with  its  town  hall  erected  in  1888  after  a  hot  contest  about  the  site  with  Pen- 
rose  and  a  neat  schoolhouse,  both  painted  white.  On  the  east  side  of  the 
Pennington  road  stands  the  First  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  Jordan 
with  a  pretty  cupola  and  bell.  Rev.  Frederick  William  Schneider,  Baden, 
Germany,  is  pastor.  He  was  at  the  gymnasium  of  Breslun  from  1881-1885, 
and  three  years  at  the  theological  school  of  Capitol  university,  Columbus, 
Ohio.  The  church  was  organized  in  1874,  remodeled  in  1897,  is  well  equipped 
with  organ  and  other  essentials,  and  is  a  credit  to. the  people.  An  addition 
to  the  comfortable  parsonage  in  1907.  Henry  Helms,  Henry  Bitters,  Ber- 
nard Fulfs,  are  the  deacons.  Besides  the  Sunday  school  of  80  pupils,  there 
are  Ladies'  Aid  society  and  Luther  League.  Membership  of  two  hundred. 
The  ground  for  church  and  cemetery  was  given  by  John  Wolfersperger,  who 
was  one  of  the  large  landholders  in  that  district.  At  one  time  he  had  a 
dairy  of  fifty  cows,  sending  butter  to  St.  Louis.  His  son,  Aaron,  is  now 
Judge  Wolfersperger  of  Sterling.  Mr.  Wolfersperger  came  to  the  country 
in  1851. 

South  of  the  church  is  another  landmark,  the  Capp  schoolhouse.  The 
first  in  1856,  the  later  one  about  1867.  D.  N.  Foster,  now  in  Sterling,  taught 
there  before  1860.  Across  the  Elkhorn  to  the  east  was  the  Hubbard  Grove 
school,  in  which  from  1856  onwards  we  find  wielding  the  birch  such  tyros 
as  W.  W.  Davis,  John  Lennon,  C.  W.  Marston  and  others.  Charles  Diller, 
James  Woods  and  John  Furry  were  directors. 

In  September,  1907,  occurred  at  the  Jordan  Lutheran  church  an  event 
that  was  productive  of  much  good  and  pleasure.  It  was  the  meeting  of  the 
Wartburg  Synod,  the  session  continuing  several  days.  Seldom  that  the  staid 


54  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

people  of  a  farming  community  are  favored  with  so  many  ministers  and  so 
much  preaching.  One  noon  the  Ladies'  Aid  society  served  dinner  in  the 
Sunday  school.  It  was  a  sumptuous  entertainment  of  the  richest  viands  that 
only  country  pantries  can  furnish,  and  in  a  quantity  that  left  a  surplus  for 
another  banquet. 

The  cemetery  adjoins  the  church  and  has  many  elegant  memorials  of 
granite  and  marble.     The  lots  are  kept  in  good  order. 

Gone  before 


To  that  unknown   and  silent  shore. 

The  W.  C.  T.  U.  flourishes  in  Jordan.  At  one  of  their  late  festivals  87 
guests  were  present,  and  the  occasion  afforded  great  delight  and  profit  to  the 
happy  throng.  An  excellent  and  varied  program  comprising  a  violin  solo, 
a  duet  and  quartet,  followed  by  an  earnest  and  suggestive  address  by  Mrs. 
Dunlap  of  Champaign  on  the  requisites  of  an  ideal  home.  Bountiful  refresh- 
ments at  the  close. 

Another  admirable  feature  of  Jordan  life  is  the  interest  in  the  Sunday 
school  cause.  The  East  Jordan  Loyal  alumni  celebrated  their  sixth  anni- 
versary in  the  winter  of  1907  at  the  home  of  James  Anderson  with  a  banquet 
and  toasts.  The  roll  in  five  years  grew  from  23  to  a  membership  of  55.  Five 
years  faithful  attendance  is  the  condition  of  membership. 

The  Loyal  Sunday  School  Army  Alumni  is  an  adjunct  of  the  East  Jordan 
Sunday  school.  The  organization  is  composed  of  persons  who  have  passed 
a  grade  of  seventy-five  per  cent,  perfect  in  attendance,  lesson  study  and  con- 
tribution for  four  consecutive  quarters  in  each  year  for  five  years.  The  class 
at  present  numbers  fifty-two.  A  banquet  is  held  annually  at  which  officers 
are  elected  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  officers  for  the  year  1908  are  as  follow- : 
President,  Mrs.  Emily  C.  Coats;  secretary,  Miss  Myrtle  Sivits;  treasurer,  Mr. 
Clarence  Parks. 

The  W.  C.  T.  U.  was  organized  about  twenty  years  ago  with  a  member- 
ship of  one  hundred.  The  present  officers  are:  Mrs.  Ida  Anderson,  president; 
Mrs.  Jennie  Jacob,  treasurer;  Mrs.  Martha  Dick,  secretary.  Parlor  meetings 
are  held  at  the  different  homes,  one  a  month. 

The  Royal  Neighbors  were  organized  Aug.  24,  1898,  and  the  present 
membership  is  58.  The  number  of  the  camp  is  1103.  Of  the  nine  officer.-. 
Mrs.  Ruth  Sivits  is  oracle;  Miss  Margaret  Coats,  recorder,  Miss  Sarah  Hocker, 
receiver;  and  Dr.  Jane  Keefer,  physician.  Jordan  is  a  progressive  community 
and  takes  hold  of  every  movement  that  promises  benefit  to  the  general  welfare. 

An  amusing  incident,  happened  about  1894  in  connection  with  a  mission 
fest  or  service  held  in  the  woods  near  the  John  Kratz  farm.  Tt  was  in  autumn 
and  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Jordan  Lutheran  church.  The  preaching 
was  mostly  in  German.  One  of  the  speakers  in  an  exciting  flight  of  elo- 
quence and  fancy,  exclaimed.  "I  see  a  fire!"  at  the  same  time, 'to  give  force 
to  his  remark,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  house  of  a  simple  hearer  who 
sat  on  a  front  bench.  He  took  the  orator  at  his  word,  and  as  his  dwelling 
was  in  that  direction,  seized  his  hat  and  darted  off  like  a  deer  to  quench  the 
flames.  The  scare  almost  broke  up  the  meeting.  After  the  service  was  over, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  55 

Dr.  Severingshaus  advised  the  young  preacher  to  avoid  hereafter  being  too 
realistic. 

THE  KAUFFMAN  MURDER. 

Two  sudden  blows  with  a  ragged  stick, 

And  one  with  a  heavy  stone, 
One  hurried  gash  with  a  hasty  knife,— 

And  then  the  deed  was  done: 
There  was  nothing  lying  at  my  feet 

But  lifeless  flesh  and  bone! 

— Hood's  Dream  of  Eugene  Aram. 

A  mile  south  of  the  Jordan  Lutheran  church  a  mysterious  murder 
occurred  on  the  night  of  May  31,  1897.  After  a  careful  examination  of  all 
the  circumstances  connected  with  the  affair,  Walter  Stager,  states  attorney, 
made  an  official  report  to  the  board  of  supervisors,  filling  six  columns  of  the 
Sterling  Standard,  from  which  we  glean  the  following  outline: 

Tobias  Kauffman  at  one  time  lived  on  his  farm,  six  miles  north  of  Ster- 
ling, on  the  west  side  of  the  Pennington  road.  In  1894  he  moved  into  a 
house  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  farther  north,  on  the  George  Kapp  farm, 
whose  wife,  Hattie,  he  had  married.  After  moving,  he  continued  to  keep 
some  stock  and  grain  on  the  old  place,  where  remained  the  usual  sheds,  pens, 
cribs  and  granary.  George  was  the  only  son  left  at  home,  the  other  broth- 
ers have  gone.  He  was  twenty-one  in  January,  1898.  In  April,  1897,  some 
little  pigs  were  missing  on  the  old  farm,  and  on  examination  it  was  believed 
that  grain  was  also  stolen.  Suspecting  that  the  thief  might  return  for  further 
plunder,  George  decided  to  sleep  in  the  vacant  dwelling.  On  Monday  even- 
ing, May  31,  1897,  between  seven  and  eight,  George,  armed  with  a  big  navy 
revolver,  left  home  to  spend  the  night  at  the  lonely  house.  This  was  his 
last  appearance  alive.  The  next  morning,  as  he  did  not  come  to  break- 
fast, his  father  started  to  look  for  the  boy.  Now  a  few  words  of  explanation 
about  the  scene  of  the  catastrophe.  Southwest  of  the  vacant  dwelling  was  a 
strawstack.  Half  way  between  the  strawstack  and  granary  was  a  corn  crib 
and  pig  pen.  On  approaching  the  spot,  the  father  saw  smoke,  and  then  the 
strawstack  on  fire.  He  ran  around  the  stack  and  into  the  house  where  he 
found  George's  shoes.  Mr.  Kauffman  then  ran  towards  his  home,  calling  for 
help.  His  daughter  Jessie,  the  hired  man  Schroeder  and  a  boy  soon  came, 
and  presently,  just  in  front  of  the  granary,  George's  cap  and  a  piece  of  his 
shirt  sleeve  were  found.  Inside  the  granary  door  a  stick  of  wood  was  found 
which  may  have  been  used  to  knock  the  boy  down.  The  next  move  as  to 
the  burning  straw  pile.  Using  a  long  wire  to  rake  off  the  blazing  top,  the 
body  of  George  was  discovered  and  brought  to  the  ground.  The  corpse  was 
naked,  black  and  badly  burned.  The  forehead  was  smashed,  the  skull 
cracked  and  a  bullet  had  passed  through  the  head.  Afterwards  George's  revol- 
ver, watch  and  much  blood  were  discovered  on  the  spot  where  the  body  had 
lain. 

This,  then,  is  the  result  of  the  investigation :  George  had  taken  off  his 
shoes  on  going  to  bed,  and  hearing  a  noise,  rushed  out  in  his  stocking  feet, 


56  HISTORY   OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  at  the  granary  received  the  blow  that  smashed  his  skull.  The  body  was 
placed  on  the  stack,  shot,  and  the  stack  set  on  fire.  The  only  motive  for  his 
murder  must  have  been  to  prevent  his  informing  on  the  thieves  whom  he 
had  surprised. 

As  may  be  supposed  this  horrible  affair  created  intense  excitement,  and 
for  weeks  the  scene  of  blood  was  visited  by  hundreds  of  people,  far  and  near. 
No  clue  was  ever  found,  and  the  murder  of  George  Kauffman  will  remain 
among  the  dread  mysteries  of  crime. 

Besides,  this  Duncan 


Hath  borne  his  faculties  so  meek,  hath  been 
So  clear  in  his  great  office,  that  his  virtues 
Will  plead  like  angels,  trumpet-tongued.  against 
The  deep  damnation  of  his  taking  off. 

SCOTCH  SETTLERS. 

In  1853  Archibald  Maxwell  came  over,  and  in  1854  James,  William 
and  John,  settling  on  land  west  of  Wilson's  mill.  About  the  same  time,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Crichton  opened  a  place  in  the  woods  south  of  Hnbbard's 
Grove  school.  They  died  several  years  ago,  and  none  of  their  numerous 
family  remain  in  the  neighborhood.  When  Mr.  Crichton  arrived  he  had 
barely  money  enough  to  buy  a  cookstove,  but  at  his  death  had  a  well  improved 
farm.  They  all  came  from  the  vicinity  of  Glasgow  and  brought  with  them 
the  ancient  Gaelic  virtues  of  thrift  and  sobriety. 

There  were  also  the  Andersons.  James  came  to  America  in  1851,  and 
in  1853  returned  for  his  wife.  After  living  awhile  at  Buffalo  Grove.  Ogle 
county,  then  in  Clyde  township,  they  finally  cast  their  lot  in  Jordan,  where 
they  engaged  in  fanning  until  their  removal  to  Sterling,  nearly  twenty 
years  ago.  David  Anderson  came  in  1850.  James  is  dead,  but  his  widow, 
Mrs.  Agnes,  or  Aunt  Nanny,  makes  her  home  with  David,  and  on  New  Year's, 
1908,  celebrated  her  90th  birthday.  Alexander  Anderson,  a  Sunday  school 
leader  in  Jordan,  belongs  to  this  family.  Dr.  J.  C.  Maxwell,  of  Sterling,  is 
a  scientific  adherent  of  the  Maxwell  clan.  All  are  Presbyterians. 

GERMAN  SETTLERS 

Most  of  the  farms  in  West  Jordan  are  occupied  by  Germans  who  settled 
here  before  and  after  the  Civil  war.  They  came  poor,  bringing  their  earthly 
goods  in  a  sack,  but  with  stout  hearts  and  strong  hands  they  went  to  work, 
laboring  at  first  by  the  day.  and  in  time  owning  excellent  farms,  sometimes 
several.  Much  of  the  land,  of  course,  was  secured  cheap.  Some  of  the  rail- 
road  land  was  bought  for  ten  dollars  per  acre.  Among  these  families  are 
such  familiar  names  as  Muns.  Wolber.  Dieterle.  Giffrow.  Arnold.  Wolf.  Helms, 
Dusing.  Fulfs. 

Passing  south  from  the  Kanffman  place,  we  come  to  the  large  pstate, 
JMUIjF  800  acres,  of  the  late  John  Wolfersperger.  and  then  the  combined 
woodland,  quarry,  orchard,  and  meadow,  of  the  late  Dr.  L.  S.  Pennington, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  57 

whose  dwelling  set  off  by  evergreens  commands  the  landscape  for  miles.  The 
useful  career  of  both  these  pioneers  is  fully  detailed  in  the  second  volume 
of  this  history.  This  Pennington  road  leads  into  Sterling  at  the  house  of 
the  late  Gen.  W.  S.  Kilgour,  who  was  justly  proud  of  the  deadly  conflicts  of 
his  military  record,  and  to  perpetuate  the  valor  of  at  least  one  battle,  he  kept 
for  years  a  board  nailed  to  the  fence  bearing  the  storied  name,  Chickamauga. 

VARIOUS  ITEMS. 

Tobias  Kauffman  says  there  was  no  school  house  in  Jordan  in  1850, 
as  that  year  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  Science  Ridge  to  improve  his  mind. 

Mr.  Sweeney  had  a  small  building  in  which  Ripley  taught  school  before 
the  present  Capp  school  house  was  erected. 

About  1868  Alfred  Pillsbury  taught  a  term  in  the  Pennington  district. 
He  was  from  Massachusetts,  a  cousin  of  the  Dinsmoors,  had  a  cultivated 
voice,  and  fond  of  reciting  passages  from  Dickens.  On  returning  to  the  east, 
he  studied  law,  and  rose  to  be  attorney  general  of  his  native  state. 

CHARLES  AND  ANN  DILLER,  JORDAN  PIONEERS. 

Few  persons  now  living  were  reared  in  a  log  cabin.  They  were  born 
too  late,  and  do  not  know  what  they  have  missed.  To  waken  in  the  morning 
and  find  your  pillow  covered  with  the  snow  storm  of  the  night  is  a  luxury 
which  the  delicate  dwellers  in  our  city  residences  never  experience.  The 
log  cabin  makes  strong  men  and  women.  Witness  Webster,  Lincoln,  Gar- 
field,  Nancy  Hanks,  and  think  what  weaklings  they  might  have  been  but 
for  the  endurance  given  by  these  primitive  dwellings. 

It  was  the  writer's  good  fortune  to  spend  the  winter  of  1856-7  in  a 
genuine  cabin.  It  was  bought  by  Charles  Diller,  and  moved  from  Wilson's 
mill,  according  to  Oliver  Talbott.  There  was  one  large  room  below  for  the 
family,  which  at  night  by  a  wire  and  curtain  could  be  made  into  two  sleeping 
apartments.  In  the  loft  above  were  three  or  four  beds  for  six  or  eight 
persons,  who  had  plenty  of  fresh  air  through  the  loose  shingles.  A  shed 
attached  to  the  cabin  answered  for  the  big  cook  stove  and  also  a  dining  room. 

Charles  Diller  belonged  to  the  numerous  Diller  family  of  Lancaster 
county,  and  learned  the  trade  of  cooper,  taught  school,  after  his  marriage 
lived  a  while  in  New  Holland,  and  in  1850  sought  his  fortunes  in  White- 
side,  buying  a  farm  along  the  Elkhorn  near  Wilson's  mill.  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful tract  of  upland  prairie,  and  so  high  you  could  see  for  miles  in  every 
direction.  He  put  up  a  stable,  planted  an  orchard,  and  began  to  improve 
the  land. 

An  excellent  set  of  people,  all  different.  John  Adam  Jacob  was  a  for- 
eign German,  James  Woods  from  Ohio  who  married  a  German  wife,  Henry 
Brown  and  wife  both  from  old  England,  Joseph  and  Frances  Wilson  of  the 
famous  mill,  Quakers,  who  held  meeting,  Charles  Crichton  and  the  Max- 
wells from  bonnie  Scotland,  Joe  Stary  from  Maryland,  then  a  mixed  lot  of 
Warners,  Deyos,  Plummers,  John  Furry  must  not  be  forgotten,  father  of 
Marv  Talbott,  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U. 


58  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

For  thirty  years  Charles  Diller  was  one  of  Jordan's  most  valuable  mem- 
bers. He  never  shrank  from  a  responsibility.  Whether  justice,  assessor, 
trustee,  he  was  always  ready  and  efficient.  His  cabin  was  a  center  of  influence, 
a  bureau  of  information,  as  he  was  more  intelligent  than  his  neighbors,  and 
they  came  there  for  counsel.  He  was  cordial,  and  ever  ready  to  do  what  he 
could  to  enlighten  the  inquirer. 

He  gave  to  misery,  all  he  had,  a  tear, 

He  gained  from   Heaven,   'twas  all  he  wished,  a  friend. 

Generous  to  a  fault.  A  warm  friend  of  education,  and  when  the  first 
school  was  opened  in  the  district,  he  boarded  the  teacher  a  year  as  a  free 
will  offering,  asking  no  recompense.  A  close  reader  and  thinker,  he  drew 
inspiration  from  the  New  York  Tribune,  a  welcome  weekly  visitor  at  the 
home.  Of  good  stock.  His  uncle,  Roland  Diller,  was  the  solon  of  his  town 
in  the  east,  and  another  uncle,  Solomon,  was  in  the  Pennsylvania  legis- 
lature. 

His  wife  was  Miss  Ann  E.  Thompson,  and  they  were  married  in  1840 
at  Newville,  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  her  home.  There  was  a 
large  Presbyterian  church  here,  to  which  Rev.  E.  Erskine  was  called  soon 
after  he  left  the  church  in  Sterling,  and  here  he  died.  She  often  recalled 
the  Cumberland  valley,  so  lovely  and  picturesque  to  her  childhood,  and 
which  became  so  memorable  in  army  movements  during  the  civil  war. 

No  more  generous  soul  ever  lived.  She  would  divide  her  last  crust.  No 
beggar  was  ever  turned  empty  from  her  door.  Her  table  was  the  most 
bountiful  in  Jordan.  Friends  on  leaving  after  a  visit  were  rewarded  with 
a  roll  of  butter.  The  neighbors  who  did  not  fare  so  well  at  home  were 
eager  to  accept  an  invitation  for  a  quilting  bee,  knowing  that  their  labors 
would  be  rewarded  by  a  supper  of  satisfying  abundance. 

Nothing  was  left  undone.  Although  the  cabin  was  small,  the  family 
was  large.  To  feed  the  numerous  mouths,  keep  the  wardrobes  in  order,  and 
look  after  the  various  needs,  occupied  her  time.  Always  busy.  Sometimes 
no  help,  and  after  working  beyond  her  strength,  for  she  was  a  delicate 
woman,  the  next  day  found  her  in  bed.  A  cheerful  spirit,  every  ready  to 
look  on  the  bright  side. 

A  happy  soul,  that  all   the  way 
To  heaven  hath  a  summer's  day. 

There  was  no  church  in  the  neighborhood,  and  when  an  occasional  min- 
ister preached  in  the  school  house,  he  was  sure  of  a  welcome  at  the  Diller 
cabin.  She  came  to  Sterling  now  and  then,  staying  over  night  to  attend 
services  on  Sunday.  After  Sunday  dinner  was  over  at  the  cabin,  the  writer 
recalls  her  taking  the  big  family  Bible  to  enjoy  her  only  leisure  time  of 
the  week.  She  and  Frances  Wilson,  wife  of  the  Quaker  miller,  were  con- 
genial friend?,  both  refined,  earnest,  kindly. 

In  1878,  after  nearly  thirty  years  of  toil  and  sacrifice,  they  removed  to 
Sterling,  leaving  the  farm  in  charge  of  a  son.  Charles  began  to  fail,  dying 
in  1883,  and  Ann,  after  ten  years  of  infirmity,  borne  with  Christian  resig- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  59 

nation,  followed  to  the  silent  land  in  1893.  They  were  buried  in  Riverside 
cemetery.  Their  children,  Laura,  wife  of  H.  L.  John,  and  three  sons, 
Thomas,  Samuel,  and  Will,  survive,  Roland  having  died  in  California. 

Just  above  Dr.  Pennington's  old  home  was  one  of  the  longest  hills  in 
Jordan.  Although  partly  lowered  from  time  to  time,  it  was  the  bug-bear  of 
all  wagoners  coming  from  town'  with  heavy  loads  of  lumber.  In  the  fall 
of  1907  Commissioner  Charles  Bort,  like  Napoleon  who  decided  there  should 
be  no  Alps,  determined  to  overcome  the  grade  and  earn  the  gratitude  of  the 
driving  public.  He  gathered  a  force  of  men  with  plows  and  scrapers,  and 
by  moving  away  four  feet  of  earth  from  the  top  and  filling  up  below  and  at 
sides,  'transformed  the  rugged  descent  into  a  gentle  incline.  The  totaj 
expense  was  only  a  few  hundred  dollars,  and  it  will  avoid  an  endless  amount 
of  horse  power  and  human  profanity. 

John  Furry  was  a  familiar  figure  in  Jordan.  Somewhat  lame,  yet  he 
managed  to  circulate.  Took  a  hearty  interest  in  school  matters.  His  daugh- 
ter, Mary,  married  to  Oliver  Talbott,  son  of  the  pioneer  James,  has  for  thirty 
years  been  a  conspicuous  worker  in  W.  C.  T.  U.,  a  good  speaker  and  writer, 
and  in  regular  attendance  at  the  conventions. 

John  Guinther  of  Jordan  celebrated  his  eighty-ninth  birthday  Thurs- 
day, Jan.  30,  1908,  and  is  doubtless  the  oldest  man  in  the  township.  He  is 
still  hale  and  hearty,  and  although  entering  upon  his  ninetieth  year  still 
drives  to  town  regularly  and  attends  to  all  of  his  own  business  affairs.  He 
came  to  this  slate  in  1868  and  has  made  his  home  here  since  that  time.  Mr. 
Guinther  has  always  led  a  temperate  life,  and  although  he  worked  in  the 
fields  as  hard  as  any  other  farmer  he  always  made  it  a  rule  to  take  one  hour's 
rest  at  noon  regardless  of  the  amount  of  work  to  be  done.  To, this,  largely, 
he  attributes  his  long  life  and  health.  He  says  his  aim  is  to  reach  the 
hundred  mark. 

CALL  FROM   OLIVER  TALBOTT. 

'Tis  the  last  rose  of  summer,  left  blooming  alone, 
All  its  lovely  companions  are  faded  and  gone. — Moore. 

Of  all  the  early  inhabitants  of  Jordan,  Oliver  Talbott  is  the  only  one 
alive.  Although  born  in  1833,  his  hair  is  not  gray,  his  eye  not  dim,  his 
natural  force  not  abated.  He  is  the  only  man  living  who  can  write  a  history 
of  Jordan  without  referring  to  books.  He  has  all  the  original  information 
within  himself.  He  did  the  writer  the  honor  to  call  at  his  home,  and  relate 
many  incidents  not  generally  known  and  never  recorded.  He  spoke  of  the 
Scotch  delegation.  Archy  Maxwell  who  came  to  Jordan  in  1849,  David  and 
Sandy  in  1851,  of  John  and  William.  Charles  Crichton,  and  the  Andersons. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Anderson  now  reside  in  Sterling.  Oliver's  father,  James 
Talbott.  was  a  mechanic,  who  could  do  anything  with  wood,  and  he  built 
Joseph  Wilson's  log  mill  in  1835.  It  was  afterwards  made  of  frame  in  1849. 
For  years  this  mill  did  an  immense  business,  as  it  was  the  only  one  within 
a  circle  of  many  miles.  When  Nathan  and  Sikes,  the  sons,  took  charge 
later,  to  run  it  for  their  father  on  shares,  their  one-half  profit  in  a  year  was 
$4.400.  Joseph  had  great  pride  in  his  product.  "People  may  say  I  twist 


60  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  wheat,  but  cannot  say  I  do  not  make  good  flour."  Near  the  early  mill 
.was  a  store  kept  by  John  Brookie.  So  farmers  coming  for  flour  also  laid  in 
supplies  of  groceries.  His  father  moved  the  whole  family  from  Peoria  with 
an  ox  team  in  1835. 

James  Talbott  also  built  the  mill  on  Rock  river  at  Sterling  for  Wyatt 
Cantrall  in  1837  or  '38.  Jordan  had  several  mills  at  an  early  day.  Besides 
Wilson's  on  Buffalo  creek,  there  was  the  Hubbard  mill  further  west,  built 
by  Manoah  Hubbard  in  1839.  It  was  a  saw  mill;  burned  down,  rebuilt  in 
1851.  Becker  and  Henry  Miller  were  here  for  a  while.  Further  down  on 
the  Elkhorn  was  the  mill  known  latterly  as  the  Bressler  mill,  but  built  by 
.the  elder  Coe  in  1839-40.  A  flour  mill  and  saw  mill.  John  Wolfersperger 
occupied  it  afterwards.  There  was  also  a  Hillyer's  saw  mill,  1839.  The 
log  cabin  in  which  Charles  Diller  lived  was  built  by  Joseph  Wilson  near  the 
mill,  and  moved  to  Diller's  farm.  It  is  still  in  existence.  When  Sanborn 
bought  the  farm,  he  moved  the  old  structure  to  one  side,  and  made  some 
improvement. 

In  regard  to  crops,  Oliver  says  that  winter  wheat  was  raised  from  1835  to 
1845,  both  winter  and  spring  wheat  from  1845  to  1855,  spring  entirely  from 
1855  until  the  bug  and  rust  have  completely  destroyed  all  hope  of  a  crop. 
No  wheat  was  hauled  to  Chicago  at  an  early  day,  as  it  was  all  needed  for 
flour  and  seed.  Little  corn  was  raised,  as  there  was  no  market  for  it,  and 
few  hogs  to  fatten  or  sell. 

Burials  were  made  on  farms.  Joseph  and  Francis  Wilson,  some  of  their 
family,  and  others,  were  interred  in  their  orchard.  Oliver  knows  numerous 
cases  of  this  kind,  and  many  of  these  private  enclosures  have  already  dis- 
appeared, because  as  property  changes  hands,  strangers  have  no  sentiment  for 
forgotten  dead. 

THE  COE  FAMILY  OF  JORDAN. 

Of  all  the  Jordan  settlers,  Simeon  M.  Coe  was  most  like  Jacob  of  Bible 
times,  for  he  had  thirteen  children,  one  more  than  the  patriarch.  But  it 
was  not  an  unlucky  number,  and  I  don't  suppose  in  his  day  there  was  any 
foolish  superstition  connected  with  the  figure.  At  any  rate,  they  all  turned 
out  well.  The  father  settled  in  Jordan  in  1835,  and  died  in  1848.  He  wa- 
born  in  Connecticut,  but  the  family  moved  to  New  York. 

Simeon  had  the  name  of  his  father.  He  was  the  oldest  of  the  boys, 
born  in  1810.  My  first  acquaintance  with  him  was  in  1856,  when  as  teacher 
I  called  at  his  farm  in  Jordan  to  get  my  hard  earned  monthly  wages.  Like 
all  the  early  settlers,  plain  in  speech,  frank  in  uttering  his  convictions,  cor- 
dial in  manner.  In  five  minutes  you  were  as  much  at  home  as  after  five 
years.  He  was  treasurer  of  Jordan. 

When  the  great  celebration  was  held  in  Sterling  on  the  completion  of 
the  railroad  to  this  point,  1855,  a  barbecue  was  arranged  for  one  feature, 
and  Sim  furnished  a  three-year-old  steer.  That  was  the  Coe  style.  Nothing 
small  or  mean.  Their  nature  was  large  and  generous.  His  old  family  car- 
riage was  familiar  on  our  streets  as  long  as  he  continued  to  drive  to  town. 
Dark  as  all  the  Goes  were. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  61 

Doc  was  really  Jonathan  F.,  born  in  1819,  the  seventh  son  in  succession, 
and  the  superstitious  belief  was  that  this  fact  conferred  a  healing  power  in 
scrofula,  and  so  the  boy  lived  and  died  as  Doc  Coe.  His  house  was  on  the 
Freeport  road,  about  four  miles  north  of  Sterling,  and  for  years  was  the  best, 
two  stories,  painted  white,  and  a  contrast  to  many  of  the  weather  beaten 
shacks.  Jimmy  Woods  was  the  carpenter.  The  old  part  was  behind,  and 
used  for  a  kitchen.  D.  N.  Foster  now  has  the  property. 

His  first  wife  was  bitten  by  a  mad  dog  while  walking  along  the  road  and 
eventually  died  from  the  poison.  A  son,  Frank,  was  bright,  and  able  to 
read  in  Sanders'  Fourth  Eeader  at  an  early  age.  Doc's  second  wife  was 
Sarah  Murray.  He  was  not  adhesive,  for  he  first  moved  to  Milledgeville  or 
near  there,  and  then  to  Missouri,  where  he  died.  Stout,  as  the  Goes  all  were, 
jovial,  fond  of  driving  and  much  liked  by  his  neighbors. 

There  were  ten  boys,  and  all  had  nicknames.  Decius  O.  was  born  in 
1820,  and  a  Presbyterian  as  he  grew  to  manhood.  His  place  was  also  on  the 
Freeport  road,  a  mile  north  of  Sterling,  but  in  later  years  he  bought  the  Dr. 
Hunt  property  on  the  Hoover  road,  where  he  died.  Two  children,  son  and 
daughter,  died  young.  Mark,  who  married  Julia  Gait,  was  a  farmer,  and 
died  a  few  years  ago.  Like  Doc,  Dish  also  married  the  second  time,  Miss 
Addie  Ward. 

Dish  was  no  reculse,  and  liked  to  be  in  a  crowd,  and  see  what  was  going 
on.  Although  a  Calvinist,  he  thought  it  no  sin  to  watch  the  horses  trot  on 
the  race  track,  and  throw  up  his  hat  for  the  winning  nag.  On  circus  days, 
too,  he  was  always  an  observer  of  the- procession,  and  in  the  menagerie  tent 
looking  at  the  animals,  and  sometimes  in  the  other  tent  laughing  at  the 
jokes  of  the  clowns. 

Of  thirteen  children,  ten  brothers  and  three  sisters,  Mrs.  Stevens,  living 
on  Eighth  avenue,  Sterling,  with  her  daughter  Helen,  is  the  sole  survivor. 
A  cataract  appeared  a  few  years  ago,  which  refused  to  submit  to  treatment, 
and  she  is  now  blind.  Her  general  health  is  good,  she  takes  a  hearty  interest 
in  current  affairs,  loves  to  meet  friends,  and  is  full  of  incidents  of  the  olden 
time. 

She  told  the  writer  of  going  to  school  when  seventeen,  about  1843,  to 
a  teacher,  Major  Winn,  in  a  little  building  near  Broadway,  who  got  pro- 
voked at  the  big  girls  for  singing  Whig  songs.  She  boarded  with  General 
Kilgour's  father,  Ezekiel,  whose  cabin  was  on  the  site  of  Walter  HaskelPs 
residence,  Bellevue  place.  Mrs.  Stevens  and  George  Brewer  are  the  only 
pioneers  living  here  before  1849. 

POLL  BOOK  OF  1844. 

Miss  Libbie  Bush  placed  in  the  Whiteside  Historical  Society  a  stained 
record  of  an  election  held  in  Sterling  precinct,  Aug.  5,  1844.  It  is  not  a 
printed  blank,  but  four  foolscap  sheets  are  pasted  together,  end  to  end,  and 
lines  drawn  for  the  names.  The  writing  is  in  blue  ink.  There  are  ninety-six 
voters.  Below  the  tally  columns  is  this  declaration :  "At  an  election  held  at 
the  house  erected  for  a  court  house  in  Sterling  in  the  county  of  Whiteside, 


62  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  state  of  Illinois,  on  the  fifth  day  of  August  in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-four,  the  following  named  persons 
received  the  number  of  votes  annexed  to  their  names  for  the  following 
described  offices,  to  wit:  For  congress,  Joseph  P.  Hoge  had  45  votes,  Martin 
P.  Sweet  47,  John  Cross  1.  For  representative,  Winfield  S.  Wilkinson  had 
45  votes,  Oliver  Everett  46.  For  sheriff,  James  W.  Noble  had  47  votes, 
James  A.  Sweet  44,  Daniel  F.  Millikan  1.  For  county  commissioner,  Eben- 
ezer  Seeley  had  8,  Bacchus  Besse  72,  Chdrles  S.  Deming  1.  For  coroner, 
Gilbert  Buckingham  had  57,  Jacob  Baker  1.  Certified  by  us,  Luther  Bush, 
E.  B.  Worthington,  Jacob  Whipple,  judges  of  election.  Attest,  Robert  C. 
Andrews,  Luther  B.  Wetherbee,  clerks  of  election." 

The  old  document  is  well  preserved,  carefully  written,  and  as  legible 
as  though  prepared  yesterday.  It  may  be  added  as  a  political  reminder  that 
in  1844  Henry  Clay  and  James  K.  Polk  were  the  candidates  for  the  presi- 
dency. 

ALBANY— A  PILGRIMAGE. 

Mine  be  a  cot  beside  the  hill; 

A  beehive's  hum  shall  soothe  my  ear; 
A  willowy  brook,  that  turns  a  mill, 

With  many  a  fall,  shall  linger  near. — Samuel  Rogers. 

If  you  have  not  seen  Albany,  you  have  a  treat  in  store.  It  is  the  most 
picturesque  spot  in  the  county.  It  is  like  the  Psalmist's  "Beautiful  for 
situation  is  Mt.  Zion,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth."  Whether  you  approach 
by  rail  from  Fulton  or  Rock  Island,  or  by  boat  on  river,  there  is  the  high 
terrace  running  to  the  water's  edge,  and  in  the  rear,  the  rounded  hills,  not 
a  long  ridge,  with  the  cottages  nestling  among  the  groves  on  the  summits. 

As  you  walk  towards  the  town  from  the  station,  you  will  notice  a  low 
brick  house  with  a  hall  running  through,  and  an  entrance,  front  and  back. 
This  was  the  residence  of  Samuel  Happer,  who  came  from  Washington 
county,  Pa.,  in  1841,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  John  D.  Mcllvaine, 
carrying  on  a  store  and  doing  a  forwarding  business  for  many  years.  Their 
old  brick  warehouse  along  the  river  bank  disappeared  long  ago.  Mr.  Happer 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Curry,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pa.,  who  was  born 
in  July,  1816.  She  is  the  oldest  survivor  of  the  Albany  pioneers,  and  makes 
her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  E.  W.  Payne,  in  Morrison.  Except  a 
partial  cleafness,  Mrs.  Happer  is  in  fair  health.  This  low  brick  dwelling 
was  built  in  1848,  and  Dean  S.  Efner,  a  mason,  laid  the  brick. 

While  we  are  on  the  river  bank  or  levee,  as  St.  Louis  would  say.  lot  us 
go  down  the  river,  and  take  a  look  at  what  remains  of  the  Eagle  hotel  built 
by  William  S.  Barnes,  who  settled  in  lower  Albany  in  1839,  and  soon  after- 
wards erected  the  hotel.  It  was  a  welcome  hostelry  for  stage  and  river 
passengers,  and  was  a  commodious  inn  for  those  days.  The  fearful  tornado 
of  1860  wrecked  the  larger  part,  leaving  the  section  still  standing.  This  is 
about  25  feet  long  with  four  windows  upstairs,  and  is  now  a  boarding  house. 
Mr.  Barnes  was  the  first  supervisor  of  the  township,  an  active  Mason,  and  held 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  63 

in  high  esteem.     He  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Vt.,  1808,  and  died  in  1872. 
The  old  hotel  was  frame. 

Mcllvaine,  Happer  &  Co.  were  hustlers,  as  the  saying  is,  doing  a  large 
business  in  various  lines.  From  an  advertisement  in  a  Sterling  Times  of 
1854,  they  carry  a  full  stock  of  dry  goods,  groceries,  clothing,  hardware, 
glass,  paints,  and  lumber  at  the  steam  saw  mill.  In  another  paragraph 
appears  this  notice:  Wanted — 173,000  bushels  of  grain.  Mcllvaine,  Happer 
&  Co.,  grocers,  general  merchants,  and  produce  dealers.  Half  a  mile  up 
the  river  is  a  tall  chimney  stack,  and  rubbish  near  it,  the  ruins,  as  the  writer 
was  told,  of  a  steam  saw  mill.  It  is  along  the  railroad  coming  from  Fulton. 
One  is  reminded  of  the  obelisk  at  On,  near  Cairo,  which  also  stands  alone 
on  the  sand,  once  a  center  of  Egyptian  civilization. 

In  this  ancient  Barnes  hostelry  we  met  a  grizzled  veteran  who  with  his 
family  has  made  a  cheerful  home  that  belies  the  desolate  exterior.  An 
inviting  dinner  was  smoking  on  the  table  at  our  noon  call.  Perry  Langford. 
born  in  1835  in  Fulton  county,  came  to  Albany  in  1849,  and  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  93d  Illinois  infantry.  He  was  three  years  in  the  service,  was  at 
the  Grand  Review  in  Washington  in  1865,  and  saw  Grant  tip  his  hat,  but 
refuse  to  shake  hands  with  Halleck.  He  has  two  framed  relics  which  he 
prizes.  A  commission  to  his  father,  Asa  Langford,  by  Gov.  John  Reynolds, 
as  captain  in  Black  Hawk  war,  1832,  and  one  to  Thomas  Langford,  as  second 
lieutenant,  1833.  Both  signed  at  Vandalia,  the  early  capital  of  the  state. 

An  agreeable  call  upon  Miss  Frances  D.  Barnes,  the  oldest  of  the  eight 
children  of  W.  S.  Barnes.  Her  brothers,  Henry  and  Charles,  were  veterans, 
Henry  in  93d  Illinois,  Charles  in  147th  Illinois.  Three  of  the  children  are 
dead.  Mr.  Barnes  was  a  schoolmate  of  the  famous  sculptor,  Hiram  Powers, 
who  was  three  years  older.  In  fact,  they  sat  on  the  same  seat.  It  was  the 
Greek  Slave  in  1843,  that  gave  Powers  his  world-wide  reputation.  Singular 
to  say.  they  died  almost  in  the  same  year,  Barnes  in  1872,  Powers  in  1873, 
in  Florence,  Italy.  Mr.  Barnes  was  an  invalid  six  years  before  he  died, 
and  he  remarked  one  day  when  the  sculptor  was  on  a  visit  to  America,  "If 
Hiram  knew  how  sick  I  am,  he  would  come  to  see  me."  Indeed,  W.  S. 
Barnes  must  have  been  more  than  an  ordinary  pioneer  with  qualities  of 
mind  and  heart  to  commend  him  to  the  friendship  of  eminent  men.  He 
was  one  of  Whiteside's  representative  citizens.  When  Gov.  Oglesby  was  in 
Morrison,  he  was  invited  to  take  dinner  with  him.  He  was  on  intimate 
terms  with  E.  B.  Washburne.  He  was  sent  to  Springfield  when  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat  from  Sterling  was  in  consideration.  Very  energetic  in 
business,  he  opened  the  first  general  store  in  Albany,  and  the  Eagle  hotel 
was  the  headquarters  for  travel  between  Chicago,  Galena,  Rock  Island  and 
Peoria.  Those  were  the  golden  days  of  the  Frink  and  Walker  stage  line, 
lightning  express,  four  lines  a  day  of  four-horse  coaches.  A  horse  ferry  was 
in  operation  across  the  Mississippi.  When  there  was  a  strong  adverse  wind 
in  March  the  ferry  could  not  run.  Frances  Barnes  says  she  was  a  school- 
mate of  the  late  Mrs.  John  AVhallon.  formerly  Martha  Millikan,  and  a  pioneer 
teacher.  Although  in  her  seventy-seventh  year,  Miss  Barnes  talks  as  fluently 
and  correctly  as  a  Vassar  girl  of  twenty. 


64  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

THE    HANKS    BROTHERS LINCOLN. 

So  he  grew  up,  a  destined  work  to  do, 
And  lived  to  do  it;  four  long  suffering  years. 

On  the  hill  live  two  brothers,  David  Hanks,  born  in  1826,  who  came 
in  1844,  and  further  along,  the  older,  Stephen,  born  in  1821.  They  were 
born  in  Kentucky  in  a  county  not  far  from  Lincoln's  early  home. 
Stephen  looks  venerable  but  in  talk  and  motion,  brisk  as  most  men  at  fifty. 
He  was  full  of  reminiscence,  and  enjoyed  going  back.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  Thomas  Lincoln  in  1806  married  Nancy  Hanks,  a  bright  young 
woman  of  twenty-three,  and  in  1816  removed  to  Indiana.  They  had  three 
children:  the  first  a  daughter  who  grew  up,  married,  but  left  no  issue,  the 
third  a  son  who  died  in  infancy,  the  second  the  immortal  Abraham.  Stephen 
recalls  the  fact  of  his  father  and  mother  once  making  a  visit  to  Thomas 
Lincoln  after  he  moved  to  Indiana,  and  taking  a  younger  brother  along. 
It  seems  to  be  the  impression  of  the  family  that  this  Nancy  Hanks  was  their 
father's  sister.  The  Hanks  clan  was  small,  and  not  widely  scattered.  Stephen 
has  had  a  career  of  varied  activity.  He  came  in  1836  with  Alfred  Slocumb, 
and  made  himself  generally  useful,  worked  in  the  timber,  was  pilot  on  the 
river  to  St.  Paul,  drove  team  in  building  a  projected  state  road  to  Spring- 
field to  be  built  by  the  people,  hauling  the  posts  and  bringing  the  surveyors 
home  at  night.  A  difficult  undertaking  was  a  causeway  from  Albany  to 
Morrison  over  the  Cat-tails  by  laying  timbers  to  make  a  corduroy  passage, 
early  AVestern  fashion.  One  hundred  men  were  employed.  Mr.  Hanks  is  in 
excellent  trim  for  an  octogenarian  of  87,  able  to  sleep,  eat  three  meals,  saw 
wood,  dig  garden,  and  all  the  minor  chores  of  the  household.  Kathryn 
Hanks,  teacher  in  grammar  department  of  the  Albany  school,  is  a  daughter 
of  David  the  younger  brother. 

Another  sprightly  member  of  this  family  is  Mrs.  James  H.  Slaymaker, 
daughter  of  David  Hanks.  It  seems  it  was  her  uncle,  Sam  Hanks,  Princeton, 
Iowa,  who  was  the  child  taken  by  the  father  and  mother  on  the  visit  to 
Thomas  Lincoln  in  Indiana,  Abraham's  father,  who  married  Nancy  Hanks. 
At  the  convention  in  Chicago  in  1880  when  Garfield  was  nominated,  Robert 
Lincoln  showed  Samuel  much  attention,  and  secured  a  seat  for  him  in  the 
political  circus.  The  Slaymakers  were  an  influential  family  in  Newton 
township,  and  James  H.  is  a  cousin  of  Thomas  and  Robert,  who  lived  in 
Sterling  over  forty  years  ago,  and  removed  to  Kansas. 

A  MOTHER'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  THE  TORNADO. 

It  was  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to  hear  the  experience  of  a  mother 
who  passed  unharmed  through  this  dreadful  visitation.  At  the  foot  of  the 
hill  below  the  Presbyterian  church  is  the  low  brick  dwelling  in  which  Mrs. 
Chamberlain  has  lived  since  1848.  She  was  born  at  Carmi,  White  county, 
October.  1828,  came  to  Albany  in  1845,  was  married  to  Wilson  Nevitt  who 
died  in  1849,  and  in  1851  was  married  to  W.  A.  Chamberlain.  It  was  Sunday 
evening,  June  3,  1860,  a  very  sultry  day.  Her  father.  Dr.  Riley,  who  had 
lived  in  the  South,  noticed  the  ominous  appearance  of  the  sky.  remarked 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  65 

that  it  looked  like  a  hurricane,  and  left  the  dwelling  to  secure  the  windows 
in  a  new  cement  building  not  far  away.  A  pane  of  glass  was  broken  in  the 
room,  and  she  told  her  husband  to  stuff  a  pillow  in  the  opening,  but  it  was 
twice  blown  out  with  tremendous  force.  Now  thoroughly  alarmed,  Mrs. 
Chamberlain  picked  up  her  baby  girl  and  two  little  boys,  and  rushed  for  the 
cellar,  followed  by  her  husband.  They  had  barely  descended  the  stairs* 
when  the  whole  roof  and  upper  briok  walls  of  the  house  fell  with  a  crash 
upon  the  floor  above  them.  As  it  was  made  of  heavy  joists  and  boards,  it 
was  sufficiently  strong  to  sustain  the  weight,  and  thus  save  them  from  destruc- 
tion. Meantime  the  work  of  ruin  was  complete.  Most  of  the  young  town 
was  leveled.  Her  father  was  so  terribly  crushed  by  a  falling  timber  that  he 
lingered  in  agony  for  a  few  days  till  he  died.  Knowing  her  helpless  con- 
dition with  her  babes  and  dying  father,  neighbors  and  mechanics  at  once 
made  a  gratuitous  offer  of  their  services,  renewing  the  walls  and  putting  on  a 
roof.  Across  the  street  still  stands  a  deserted  frame  store,  built  of  the  pieces 
gathered  from  the  debris,  and  bearing  above  the  name,  "W.  A.  Chamberlain, 
druggist."  Before  this  was  erected,  a  temporary  counter  was  placed  in  their 
sitting  room,  and  the  drugs  dispensed.  Mrs.  C.  is  also  a  registered  phar- 
macist. Prof.  Pepper,  principal  of  the  school,  married  her  granddaughter, 
who  is  a  natural  artist. 

Wilson  Nevitt,  first  husband  of  Mrs.  Chamberlain,  was  one  of  eleven 
children  of  William  Nevitt,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1779,  moved  to 
Kentucky,  then  to  White  county,  Illinois,  in  1818,  then  to  Knoxville,  and 
finally  to  Albany  in  August,  1837.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace,  and  his 
commission  was  signed  by  Shadrach  Bond,  first  governor  of  Illinois.  He 
was  also  school  commissioner  of  the  county.  Mr.  Nevitt  died  in  1848.  His 
best  known  son,  Hon.  Edward  H.,  was  educated  at  Knox  college,  and  filled 
several  public  positions,  assessor,  supervisor,  and  in  1877  was  elected  repre- 
sentative to  the  legislature  from  the  Eleventh  district.  The  Nevitts  have 
always  held  an  honorable  place  in  the  affections  of  the  people  of  Albany. 

THE  CEMETERY. 

The  old  Egyptians  had  a  skull  at  their  feasts  to  assure  them  of  the  end 
of  all  festivity.  The  bright  shining  monuments  on  the  hill  are  a  daily 
reminder  in  full  view  of  the  world  to  come.  Albany  people  have  a  daily 
funeral  sermon.  There  are  few  very  ancient  graves.  Some  of  the  early 
settlers  were  buried  elsewhere  or  their  bodies  removed  to  other  places.  There 
is  a  family  memorial  block  for  the  Nevitts,  containing  the  names  of  several 
members  of  the  once  numerous  circle.  Also  a  family  memorifll  of  the 
Slocumbs,  in  honor  of  numerous  members.  Alfred  Slocximb  put  up  a  log 
house  in  1837.  On  one  tomb  is  the  name,  Warren  Olds,  1818-1888.  Phebe, 
his  wife,  1819-1897.  Cheney  Olds  and  family  came  to  Albany  in  1838.  Here 
is  Rev.  Samuel  Slocumb,  1783-1850.  On  one  humble  stone: 

Remember  as  you  pass  by 

As  you  are  now,  so  once  was  I. 

Capt.  James  Hugunin,  1839-1905,  and  wife.     W.  S.  Booth,  1821-1883.     Dr. 


66  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Jordan  Brock,  1841.  Francis  Buckingham,  1845.  One  of  the  mast  imposing 
monuments  bears  the  name  Rosenkranz.  It  is  of  gray  granite,  which  seems 
to  be  the  favorite  stone.  James  Hewlett,  England,  1843. 

Oh,  friend  forever  loved,  forever  dear, 
What  tears  have  bathed  thy  honored  bier. 

Among  the  soldiers  resting  here  are  Eugene  Barney,  C.  G.  Slocumb, 
1899,  Co.  B,  147  111.  In  a  row  with  small  headstones  are  buried  T.  M. 
Perkins,  Co.  G,  8th  111.  cavalry;  Peter  Huguenin,  Co.  F,  52nd  111.  infantry; 
Jacob  McDonald,  Co.  M,  1st  Iowa  cavalry;  Thomas  Jackson,  U.  S.  navy; 
Abner  McMahan,  U.  S.  navy.  In  the  cemetery  is  also  the  tomb  of  Samuel 
Happer,  one  of  the  first  of  the  early  settlers  to  pass  away. 

"West  of  the  cemetery  is  the  Albany  school,  a  brick  building  in  two 
sections.  There  are  160  pupils.  Hettie  Slaymaker,  primary,  5'8.  Ella 
Galvin,  intermediate,  43.  Kathryn  Hanks,  grammar,  36.  High  school,  three 
years'  course,  25.  H.  \V.  Pepper,  principal,  has  had  careful  preparation  at 
Rockford  Business  College  and  three  years  at  De  Kalb  Normal.  In  his 
fourth  year,  and  with  the  confidence  of  pupils  and  parents,  is  doing  suc- 
cessful work. 

THE   CHURCHES. 

On  the  edge  of  a  hill  in  full  view  of  the  Mississippi  is  the  white  frame 
Presbyterian  edifice  with  its  little  cupola,  The  society  was  organized  at  the 
house  of  David  Mitchell,  December,  1839,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Prentiss,  of  Fulton. 
The  members  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Kilgour,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David 
Mitchell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Miller,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  S.  Thompson, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erastus  Allen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duty  Buck,  Mrs.  Ivy  Buck,  and 
Mrs.  Buckingham.  The  first  elders  were  Samuel  Kilgour  and 'David  Mitchell. 
No  regular  pastors  for  a  while.  In  1843,  Rev.  Silas  Sears  began .  regular 
service,  and  among  his  successors  were  Oscar  Park,  W.  C.  Mason,  Louis  Gano, 
A.  H.  Lackey,  Jacob  Coon,  J.  Giffin,  Josiah  Leonard,  N.  D.  Graves.  The 
former  church  of  brick,  dedicated  in  1858,  was  swept  away  by  the  tornado  in 
I860,  and  the  present  structure  was  placed  upon  its  site. 

A  congregational  church  was  organized  in  1842  by  some  members  who 
had  withdrawn  from  the  Presbyterian.  The  certificate  was  signed  by  James 
B.othwell,  Erastus  Allen,  Duty  Buck,  William  Efner,  William  Bothwell,  G. 
Buckingham,  Mrs.  Ruth  Bothwell,  Mrs.  Hannah  Allen,  Mrs.  Fanny  Buck- 
ingham, Mrs.  Dinah  Bothwell.  Duty  Buck  and  Wm.  Bothwell  were  chosen 
deacons.  Rev.  A.  J.  Copeland  began  his  labors  in  October,  1847.  at  $400 
per  year,  followed  by  Revs.  J.  J.  Hill,  Hancock,  Cady.  Hamilton.  Ostrander, 
Emerson,  Macnab.  In  the  meantime,  both  churches  finding  the  support  of 
separate  pastors  a  burden,  agreed  to  harmonize  their  doctrinal  differences, 
and  unite  in  a  call  for  a  minister,  and  in  July,  1875,  Rev.  N.  D.  Graves 
entered  upon  his  duties.  The  recent  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  was 
W.  Bryson  Smith,  who  resigned  in  April.  He  was  student  at  Lake  Forest 
academy  and  McCormick  theological  seminary.  Of  the  seventy-two  mem- 
bers, many  are  Pennsylvanians,  and  the  Slaymaker  family  is  largely  repre- 
sented. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  67 

The  Methodists  began  to  hold  services  in  Albany  in  1840  as  part  of  the 
Savanna  circuit,  preaching  before  that  time  in  dwellings'.  In  1840  Rev. 
Philo  Judson  was  minister,  and  in  1842  Albany  was  placed  on  the  Union 
Grove  circuit.  In  1845  a  small  frame  building  was  erected,  with  Rev. 
Isaac  Searles  in  charge  followed  by  McKean,  Babcock,  Haney,  Hanna, 
Applebee.  In  1853  Albany,  Erie  and  Newton  formed  the  Albany  circuit, 
with  a  membership  in  Albany  of  172.  In  1854  the  parsonage  was  built. 
In  1860  both  church  and  parsonage  were  ruined  by  the  tornado.  The  present 
Urick  edifice  was  erected  in  1861  by  funds  given  by  the  Methodist  churches 
in  the  East.  In  1868  Rev.  Barton  Cartwright  was  pastor,  and  loaned  the 
church  $600  to  replace  the  parsonage.  Among  the  later  ministers  was  Rev. 
Zechariah  D.  Paddock,  who  in  1857  preached  at  Broadway  church,  Sterling, 
dying  in  Albany  at  64  in  1883.  Two  of  his  children,  Mrs.  Slocumb  and 
Charles,  live  in  Albany.  Mr.  Slocumb  in  the  mercantile  business  and  Charles 
cultivating  some  land.  Both  unusually  intelligent  people. 

The  minister  in  the  Methodist  pulpit  now  is  Rudolph  C.  Doenges,  who 
studied  at  Iowa  Wesleyan  University  and  at  Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  in  Nebraska.  There  are  180  members,  and  100  pupils  in 
the  Sunday  school.  A  ladies'  aid  and  a  missionary  society.  As  the  church 
is  too  small,  it  is  proposed  to  enlarge  by  adding  a  concrete  front  at  a  cost  of 
$3,000.  Before  entering  the  ministry,  Mr.  Doenges  served  his  country  six 
years  in  the  army,  and  was  at  San  Juan  hill  in  the  Spanish-American  war. 
He  is  a  strong,  muscular  young  man,  with  abundant  hope  and  vigor.  He 
left  the  army  in  1900.  He  also  preaches  at  Zion  church,  eight  miles  distant, 
to  a  small  congregation. 

THE  INDIAN   MOUNDS. 

A  few  miles  below  Albany,  down  the  river,  is  the  largest  collection  of 
mounds  in  the  county.  They  have  not  all  been  explored.  The  Davenport 
Academy  of  Sciences  have  opened  some  of  them,  and  found  skeletons,  beads, 
copper,  iron,  and  mica.  The  land  on  which  they  are  situated  belongs  to 
farmers,  and  at  the  solicitation  'of  Mr.  McCartney  of  the  Review,  and  others, 
it  has  been  enclosed,  and  all  trespassing  by  strangers  forbidden.  This  his- 
torical enclosure  is  for  sale,  and  should  be  carefully  preserved  by  the  county 
or  state  as  relics  of  aboriginal  activity.  What  treasures  may  be  here  for 
future  antiquarians!  Mr.  McCartney  has  a  skull  in  his  office  taken  from  a 
mound.  There  are  seventy  acres  in  the  enclosed  land. 

ALBANY'S  OLDEST  MOTHER. 

In  a  neat  cottage  on  the  outskirts  -of  the  town,  the  writer  found  Mrs. 
Hoobler  and  her  venerable  mother,  Mrs.  Stagg,  who  was  born  April  15,  1817. 
She  was  thrice  married,  her  last  husband  dying  22  years  ago.  She  was  reared 
in  Tennessee,  and  after  several  changes  her  father  moved  to  Illinois,  and 
from  White  county  came  to  Whiteside  in  1835.  For  a  nonagenarian.  Mrs. 
Stage's  vigor  is  wonderful.  Last  summer  she  pieced  four  quilts,  this  winter 
two.  looks  after  the  family  mending,  and  can  run  the  sewing  machine  three 
hours  at  a  time.  Eats  and  sleeps  as  well  as  most  persons  of  sixty.  No 


68  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

tremor  in  voice,  no  sign  of  feebleness  in  her  frame.  She  is  a  Methodist,  her 
father  being  a  Methodist  preacher.  She  sees  no  reason  for  the  Lord's  per- 
mitting her  to  stay  here  so  long. 

AN   ALBANY    SETTLER   IN    FLORIDA. 

In  a  letter  from  I.  P.  Allen,  St.  Petersburg,  Florida,  he  relates  some 
very  interesting  reminiscences  of  his  early  years.  In  the  winter  of  1837  his 
father  moved  from  Ottawa  to  Lyndon,  leaving  himself  and  sister  to  live  with 
Deacon  Hamilton,  while  he  built  the  first  house  in  Albany.  In  a  few  weeks 
he  moved  us  over,  and  I  was  the  first  bo'y  in  the  place.  My  sister  was  called 
the  belle.  His  father  was  Erastus  Allen,  and  his  brothers,  George  and  Isaac. 
C.  R.  Rood  was  the  surveyor,  and  afterwards  the  county  surveyor.  He  settled 
in  Garden  Plain.  Mr.  Rood  taught  the  first  school  in  Albany,  and  I  want  to 
him  when  I  was  but  five  years  old.  There  was  some  discussion  in  regard  to 
the  name  of  the  town.  As  there  were  several  Aliens,  they  preferred  Allen- 
town,  but  then,  as  all  came  from  New  York  state,  Albany  was  selected.  A 
man  named  Corbin  had  built  a  cabin,  ten  by  twelve,  at  the  lower  end  of  what 
was  called  the  Eddy.  Aside  from  that  my  father's  house  was  the  first  real 
dwelling.  It  was  eighteen  by  twenty-two.  The  first  presidential  election,  1840, 
was  held  there.  Soon  after  came  Ivy  Buck,  justice  for  years,  and  then  his 
brother,  Duty  Buck.  Also,  Cheney  Olds  with  his  six  boys  and  three  girls. 
The  most  of  these  people  came  from  New  York,  Cattaraugus  county.  Then 
came  Capt.  Barnes  and  Uncle  Sam  Slocumb  with  a  lot  of  boys. 

ON  MAIN  STREET. 

The  Albany  Review,  a  weekly  of  six  folio  columns,  is  published  every 
Friday  by  G.  S.  McCartney,  nephew  of  the  late  David  McCartney,  of  Sterling, 
so  long  states  attorney  of  Whiteside.  It  is  non-partisan.  It  was  established 
in  1899,  and  is  the  seventh  journal  started  in  the  town.  The  others  rose, 
flourished,  and  fell.  Above  his  desk,  Mr.  McCartney  has  an  assortment  of 
curios,  skull  and  ax  from  the  mounds,  wooden  cutting  bar  of  an  early 
McCormick  Reaper,  ancient  pistols,  lanterns,  ox  yoke,  hames,  candle  molds, 
horns.  The  circulation  of  the  Review  is  1,252  copies,  and  the  home  mer- 
chants evidently  make  good  use  of  its  columns. 

First  National  Bank  has  a  capital  of  $25,000,  and  deposits  of  $132,828, 
August,  1907.  S.  B.  Dimond  is  president,  and  C.  E.  Peck  cashier.  Among 
the  directors  are  James  Beach,  Louise  W.  Olds,  C.  E.  Peck,  John  Woodburn. 
Four  per  cent  is  allowed  on  savings  accounts,  compounded  semi-annually. 
Banking  hours  from  8  to  4. 

Albany  State  Bank,  established  in  1889,  incorporated  in  1904,  has 
Charles  George  for  president,  and  Charles  A.  Olds,  cashier.  Four  per  cent 
paid  on  savings  and  on  six  months'  certificates.  Capital  is  $25,000.  Among 
the  stockholders  are  A.  J.  Beardsworth,  W.  W.  Blean,  E.  H.  Olds.  E.  L. 
Bigelow.  One  dollar  opens  an  account.  Drafts  sold  on  principal  cities,  and 
loans  made  on  real  estate. 

Here  is  the  brick  block  erected  in  1900  conjointly  by  the  Masons  and 
Knights  of  Pythias,  each  society  having  rooms  on  the  second  floor.  There 


HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  69 

are  seventy-seven  members  in  the  Masonic  lodge.  It  dates  from  1867. 
Albert  W.  Lewis  is  master;  AV.  H.  Smith,  senior  warden,  Frank  Phillips, 
junior  warden.  The  Knights  of  Pythias  have  seventy-four  members,  and  the 
chancellor  commander  is  E.  A.  Huggins.  The  lower  story  of  the  block  is 
occupied  by  James  Beach  with  a  stock  of  general  merchandise.  His  residence, 
lately  erected  of  concrete,  is  the  first  of  the  kind  in  the  town,  and  a  model  of 
good  taste. 

J.  W.  Dinneen,  well  known  in  politics,  is  the  largest  dealer  in  all  kinds 
of  implements  for  farm  and  household. 

BEICKLAYKR  AND  STATESMAN. 

No  man  in  Albany  has  had  a  more  strenuous  career  than  Dean  S.  Efner. 
He  came  from  New  York,  crossed  Eock  river  at  Sterling  on  the  ice  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1841,  on  his  way  to  Albany,  his  home  ever  since.  He  has  seen  and 
done  much,  and  likes  to  relate  his  adventures.  A  mason,  like  Eobert 
Collyer,  he  built  the  Happer  house  in  1848,  and  the  one  in  which  he  lives. 
He  studied  law,  and  went  to  Springfield  for  examination,  where  he  met 
Lincoln  in  1859.  He  was  in  the  legislature  from  1871  to  1874.  Born  in 
1822,  and  now  in  his  87th  year,  has  never  spent  a  dollar  on  the  doctor.  Mr. 
Efner  is  a  man  of  positive  convictions,  and  is  ready  to  express  them. 

FIRST  PEOPLE  AND  FIRST  THINGS. 

Eev.  Enoch  Bouton,  Presbyterian,  1840,  was  the  first  minister  to  settle 
in  Albany,  preaching  as  occasion  offered. 

Ivy  Buck,  who  came  in  1837,  was  the  first  justice,  serving  eighteen  years. 
A  mason  by  trade,  he  built  several  houses,  kept  a  store,  and  ran  a  ferry. 
Duty  Buck  was  killed  in  the  tornado. 

David  Bernheisel  was  the  first  doctor,  who  afterwards  removed  to  Utah, 
and  was  elected  delegate  from  the  territory  to  congress. 

In  1838  Uriah  Cook  erected  the  first  frame  building,  and  the  first  brick 
was  erected  in  1840  by  W.  H.  Efner.  Ivy  Buck  opened  the  first  grocery  in 
1837,  and  Mcllvaine  and  Happer  the  first  dry  goods  store  in  1840  in  a 
building  near  the  river. 

In  December,  1839,  the  village  was  surveyed  for  Nevitt,  Buckingham, 
Slocumb,  and  the  other  proprietors,  by  C.  E.  Eood,  county  surveyor,  and  the 
plot  recorded  in  the  Eecorder's  office  in  1840. 

Charles  S.  Dorsey  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  1837,  but  after  four  years  it 
burned  down.  In  1853  Walker,  Happer  &  Co.  built  a  steam  saw  mill  on  the 
river  in  Upper  Albany/and  it  was  destroyed  in  1860  by  the  tornado. 

The  first  ferry  between  Albany  and  Camanche  was  run  by  David  and 
Samuel  Mitchell,  1840.  Horse  power  was  used  until  1850,  when  a  steam 
ferry  boat  was  put  into  operation.  The  tornado  of  1860,  Albany's  destroying 
angel,  put  an  end  to  its  usefulness. 

In  1854  McAuliffe  started  the  Herald,  which  soon  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Charles  Boynton.  He  continued  the  publication  until  December,  1854, 
when  he  removed  to  Sterling. 

A   postoffice   was   established   at  Van   Bnren,    now   Upper    Albany,    in 


70  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

winter  of  1837-38,  and  Willis  Osborne  appointed  postmaster.  In  1839  the 
name  of  the  office  was  changed  to  Albany,  with  Gilbert  Buckingham  post- 
master. 

The  popular  Frink  &  Walker  line  of  stages  opened  their  route  in  1844 
from  Chicago  directly  to  Albany,  having  previously  conveyed  passengers 
from  Galena  by  the  river.  The  increased  travel  led  W.  S.  Barnes  to  erect  the 
Eagle  hotel. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  Albany  was  Josephine  Davis,  daughter  of 
Jonathan'  and  Phebe  Davis,  May  18,  1838. 

Mrs.  Chamberlain  says  Dr.  A.  T.  Hudson  lived  for  a  time  in  the  second 
story  of  her  brick  cottage,  1848.  He  was  a  brother  of  Dr.  A.  S.  Hudson  of 
Sterling. 

That  ragged  shack  west  of  the  old  Eagle  hotel,  one  report  says,  was  built 
by  a  certain  Darrow,  and  that  grout  house  on  Main  street  by  Cheney  Olds, 
who  came  in  1838. 

LIVING  HEROES  OF   THE   G.    A.    K. 

The  post  is  small,  about  sixteen,  and  scattered  in  town  and  country. 
Col.  Peter  Ege,  who  is  a  veteran  enthusiast,  has  given  the  writer  from  hi.? 
records  of  about  seven  hundred,  living  and  dead,  the  names  of  the  old 
soldiers  residing  in  the  neighborhood:  W.  D.  Yopst,  8th  111.  cavalry.  Nnthan 
Sypes,  75  years -old,  Co.  B,  13th  111.  Four  years  and  three  months  in 
service,  pension  increased;  George  A.  Hill,  Co.  A,  34th  111.;  W.  R.  Slocumb, 
Co.  F ,  52nd  111. ;  Wm.  Mitchell,  75,  75th  111.,  pension  increased  to  $20  per 
month;  J.  C.  Snyder  and  John  Miller,  93rd  111.  Infantry;  Thomas  Turner, 
Iowa  Regiment;  Wm.  Tucker,  75  years  old,  Indiana  Regiment;  John  Wol- 
senholm,  86,  111.  Infantry;  P.  Perrigo,  Wisconsin  Regiment;  George  D. 
Quick,  140th  111.  Perry  Langford,  93rd  111. ;  Sergeant  W.  S.  Barnes,  son  of 
the  late  W.  S.,  93rd  111.;  James  H.  Ege,  93rd  111.,  is  now  at  Minneapolis; 
Robert  A.  Rouse,  Co.  A  ,  34th  111.,  is  in  Minnesota;  J.  High  Woodin,  Robt. 
C.  Markee,  34th  111.,  are  at  Quincy;  Col.  C.  Peter  Ege  himself,  34th  111.,  in 
the  service  four  years  and  four  months;  W.  R.  Lewis,  commander  of  the 
post,  still  active  at  71,  was  in  a  Pennsylvania  battalion,  fighting  bushwhack- 
ers in  Virginia.  The  writer  met  also  C.  L.  Brinker,  four  years  in  the  signal 
.service. 

ALBANY  A  PORT  OF  ENTRY. 

A  wave  of  dark  Oblivion's  sea 
Will  sweep  across  the  place 
Where  I  have  trod  the  sandy  shore 
Of  Time,  and  been  to  be  no  more. 

— Hannah  F.  Gould. 

No  strangers  and  few  of  our  Whiteside  people,  as  they  tread  the  sandy 
slope  along  the  river,  ever  dream  that  this 'quiet  spot  was  once  gay  with  life 
and  busy  with  traffic.  No  memorial  to  recall  the  past  but  a  few  weather- 
beaten  tenements  that  look  so  sad  and  forlorn  in  their  desolation.  In  imagina- 
tion one  can  see  La  Salle  and  the  French  explorers  in  their  frail  barks  row- 
ing up  and  down  the  mighty  river. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  71 

But  it  is  of  Albany's  palmy  days  between  1840  and  1860  that  we  desire 
now  to  speak.  It  was  a  prominent  point  on  the  Mississippi,  and  stage  lines 
brought  their  passengers  from  the  east  to  catch  steamers  up  and  down  the 
river.  The  ferry  transported  emigrants  to  Iowa  and  the  territories  towards 
the  opening  west.  The  packets  on  the  river  made  their  regular  stops  to  dis- 
charge and  receive  freight,  as  well  as  their  quota  of  travelers.  Farmers  hauled 
their  grain  and  produce  to  the  warehouses  on  the  shore,  and  returned  with 
lumber  from  the  saw  mills  to  build  their  houses  and  barns.  Stores  were 
opened  aiid  business  was  booming. 

According  to  the  Albany  Herald  of  1854,  the  town  had  then  1,000  inhab- 
itants, with  four  forwarding  and  commission  houses,  six  dry  goods  and 
grocery  stores,  two  drug  stores,  two  steam  saw  mills,  one  sash  factory,  and 
several  other  business  houses.  Dean  Efner  says  in  1841  Albany  polled  more 
votes  than  any  other  place  in  the  county  and  had  much  political  influ- 
ence. It  was  the  center  of  trade  from  all  directions. 

To  many  emigrants  for  Whiteside  from  the  east,  Albany  was  the  nat- 
ural port  of  entry.  The  people  from  New  England  and  New  York  came 
either  overland  or  by  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  and  thence  by  team  across  the 
prairies.  But  those  from  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  embarked  on  the  rivers, 
and  landed  at  Albany.  There  they  engaged  teams  to  transport  them  to  the 
other  parts  of  the  county.  So  John  Wolfersperger  and  others  came  in  1851. 
Indeed,  until  the  railroad  was  completed  to  Sterling  in  1855,  and  then  onward 
to  the  Mississippi,  Albany  was  the  most  convenient  port  through  which  to 
enter  Whiteside.  But  the  tornado  of  1860  with  its  wide-spread  ruin,  and  the 
diversion  of  travel  and  traffic  by  railroads,  have  robbed  Albany  of  much 
of  its  early  prestige.  The  same  sky  and  lovely  landscape,  but  the  hum  of 
busy  barter  is  no  longer  heard. 

ITEMS. 

The  completion  of  the  Western  Union  in  1865  gave  Albany  railroad 
communication.  It  is  now  the  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul,  giving  direct  con- 
nection with  the  lakes  and  the  north  and  Rock  Island  and  Kansas  City  to 
the  south. 

An  electric  lighting  plant  is  proposed  for  streets,  residences  and  business. 
The  scheme  contemplates  municipal  ownership.  The  cost  is  estimated  at 
$7,000. 

The  little  ferry  boat  that  plies  in  the  summer  season  between  Albany  and 
Clinton  is  a  great  convenience  for  travelers  who  wish  to  meet  trains  on  the 
Northwestern.  Besides  'it  is  a  delightful  sail  of  six  miles  on  the  big  river. 
Two  trips  every  afternoon. 

The  expenses  of  the  town  would  make  a  New  York  or  Chicago  alderman 
smile.  At  a  meeting  of  the  village  trustees  in  October,  1907,  after  the  treas- 
urer's report  was  read,  a  resolution  was  adopted  to  the  effect  that  on  account 
of  some  extraordinary  expenditures  on  streets,  the  president  and  clerk  were 
instructed  to  borrow  not  to  exceed  $100  at  legal  rate  of  interest/,  and  to  execute 
notes  for  six  months.  The  village  board  consists  of  five  trustees  and  a  president. 

The  population  of  Albany  has  varied.  In  1854  it  was  1.000,  in  1877 
about  500.  and  in  1900  placed  at  840. 


72  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  following  list  is  given  of  settlers  in  1837:  C.  R.  Rood,  Erastus 
Allen,  Isaac  C.  Allen,  R.  C.  Niblack,  S.  Searle,  C.  Lusk,  A.  Bergen,  P.  B. 
Vannest,  G.  McMahan,  0.  McMahan,  J.  Davis,  S.  Mitchell,  T.  Wilcoxson, 
Ivy  Buck,  Duty  Buck,  Jeremiah  Rice,  Wm.  Nevitt,  G.  Buckingham,  S.  B. 
Slocumb,  Thomas  Finch,  John  Slocumb,  Uriah  Cork.  In  1838  were  Cheney 
Olds,  Dr.  Eernheisel,  D.  Mitchell,  Isaiah  Marshall,  E.  Ewers,  G.  Reid,  R. 
Kennedy,  D.  Bliss,  L.  Spurlock,  A.  Nichols,  J.  Nichols,  B.  Spurlock,  G.  Gar- 
rett.  In  1839  came  B.  S.  Quick,  W.  S.  Barnes,  Dr.  Clark,  James  Hewlett, 
C.  C.  Alvord. 

For  a  time  Upper  Albany  was  Van  Buren  and  the  lower  town  Albany, 
but  the  folly  of  two  names  was  soon  apparent  and  the  common  name  adopted. 
The  towns  were  platted  in  1836. 

-DID   LINCOLN   SURVEY   ALBANY?      A   MYSTERIOUS   QUESTION   OF   HISTORY. 

The  following  article  contributed  to  the  Moline  Daily  Dispatch  by  J.  B. 
Oakleaf  in  1908,  we  have  not  been  able  to  verify: 

Very  few  are  aware  that  Abraham  Lincoln's  service  as  surveyor  were  in 
demand  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Rock  Island  county.  He  surveyed  and 
platted  New  Boston  in  Mercer  county  in  1834. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  services  as  surveyor  were  required  in  Whiteside  county 
two  years  later,  for  he  surveyed  and  platted  the  original  town  of  Albany, 
which  consisted  of  seven  blocks  of  eight  lots  each,  62x124  feet,  and  in  addi- 
tion one  block  which  was  designated  as  "Public  Square."  In  numbering  the 
blocks  from  one  to  seven  Mr.  Lincoln  omitted  to  number  block  5,  so  that 
one  block  of  the  original  plat  has  no  number.  The  surveyor's  certificate  is 
dated  June  16,  1836,  and  the  plat  was  filed  for  record  in  the  recorder's  office 
of  Whiteside  county  June  21,  1836. 

Mr.  Lincoln  evidently  went  up  the  Mississippi  from  some  point  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  the  boat  in  which  he  was  a  passenger  must 
have  made  stops  at  Rock  Island,  then  Stephenson,  and  while  the  boat  was 
unloading  its  cargo  Mr.  Lincoln  may  have  taken  a  little  stroll  in  the  village. 

In  his  journey  up  the  Mississippi  he  passed  the  mouth  of  Rock  river, 
where  four  years  before  he  had  been  in  camp  preparatory  to  the  march  up 
Rock  river,  and  he,  no  doubt,  was  an  interested  observer  of  the  country  from 
which  Black  Hawk  had  been  driven,  and  in  passing  the  island  and  entering 
the  rapids  .he  had  an  opportunity  ~of  seeing  the  place  where  the  Rock  Island 
bridge  was  first  built. 

In  his  argument  to  the  jury  in  -the  United  States  court  at  Chicago  in 
September,  1857,  as  to  the  effect  of  the  rapids  on  navigation  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  bridge,  he  pictured  the  rapids  as  he  had  seen  them  a  score  of  years 
before.  Any  one  reading  his  argument  before  the  jury  in  the  famous  "bridge 
case"  will  notice  that  his  knowledge  was  not  gained  from  the  testimony  of 
witnesses  alone. 

Albany,  111.,  was  the  farthest  point  north  in  the  state  in  which  Abraham 
Lincoln's  services  as  surveyor  were  required.  No  doubt  there  are  many  people 
now  living  in  Albany  who  are  not  aware  that  Abraham  Lincoln  surveyed 
the  original  town. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  73 


GARDEN  PLAIN. 

These  are  the  gardens  of  the  desert,  these 
The  unshorn  fields,  boundless  and  beautiful, 
For  which  the  speech  of  England  has  no  name, — 
The  prairies  — Bryant. 

After  John  Howard  Bryant  and  his  brothers  came  from  Massachusetts 
in  1831,  and  settled  around  Princeton,  Bureau  county,  their  famous  brother, 
William  Cullen  Byrant,  paid  them  a  visit.  He  had  much  travel  over  the 
prairies,  and  was  struck  with  the  virgin  beauty  of  these  vast  plains,  so  dif- 
ferent from  the  narrow  wooded  valleys  of  New  England.  No  wonder  he 
burst  into  song  as  a  hundred  images  excited  his  mind  of  the  flame-like 
flowers,  the  breezes  of  the  south,  the  prints  of  the  buffalo,  the  mounds  of  the 
Indian,  the  birds  and  the  insects  reveling  in  the  summer  sun,  the  sly  wolf 
and  the  playful  gopher,  "the  graceful  deer  that  bounds  to  the  wood  at  my 
approach."  Then  he  becomes  prophetic: 

—I  think  I  hear 

The  sound  of  that  advancing  multitude 
Which  soon  shall  fill  these  deserts.    From  the  ground 
Comes  up  the  laugh  of  children,  the  soft  voice 
Of  maidens,  and  the  sweet  and  solemn  hymn 
Of  Sabbath  worshipers. 

Bryant  died  in  1878  in  New  York,  but  long  before  he  might  have  looked 
in  vain  for  his  poetic  prairies  amid  the  fenced  farms  of  Bureau. 

No  wonder,  following  Bryant,  the  early  emigrants  were  enraptured,  and 
felt  as  Daniel  Boone  did  when  he  gazed  on  the  valleys  of  Kentucky.  Abel 
Parker,  with  his  lively  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters  from  Vermont, 
1836,  was  the  happy  man  to  build  his  cabin  first  amid  these  charming  sur- 
roundings. Others  soon  followed,  the  land  was  rapidly  taken  up,  farms  were 
opened  and  the  rich  soil  began  to  blossom  as  the  rose.  Only  a  small  portion 
of  the  township  is  not  open  to  the  plow.  On  the  north  are  the  Mississippi 
bluffs,  and  here  and  there  a  strip  of  sand  or  slough,  but  ditching  and  labor 
have  brought  every  available  acre  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

THE   VILLAGE. 

Garden  Plain,  proper,  or  the  "Corners,"  as  it  used  to  be  designated,  has 
grown  at  the  intersection  of  two  roads  and  consists  of  a  group  of  tasteful 
residences,  two  general  stores  and  the  usual  shops.  It  has  the  advantage  of 
the  Mendota  Branch  of  the  Burlington  railroad,  which  was  built  in  1871. 
The  school  is  in  charge  of  Minnie  Mouck  from  Fulton,  her  second  year, 
with  32  pupils.  The  village  stands  almost  in  the  center  of  the  township. 
The  first  schoolhouse  was  erected  here  in  1850,  a  better  edifice  for  graded 
purposes  was  dedicated  in  1869.  Like  the  other  emigrants  from  the  east, 
they  from  the  first  gave  earnest  attention  to  the  training  of  their  children. 

The  most  conspicuous  edifice  is  the  First  Presbyterian  church.     It  was 


74  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

organized  in  1863  with  James  A.  Sweet,  C.  S.  Knapp  and  Alexander  Wilson 
as  trustees.  The  society  really  began,  as  usual,  in  a  schoolhouse  at  the  ' 
Corners  in  1850,  and  the  first  communion  was  observed  March  24  of  that 
year,  Rev.  J.  J.  Hill  officiating.  A  succession  of  pastors.  For  a  time  the 
pulpit  was  supplied  by  ministers  in  connection  with  other  charges,  Albany 
and  Fulton.  The  present  structure  was  dedicated  in  October.  1870,  at  a 
cost  of  $4,000.  South  of  the  church  is  the  parsonage,  built  at  an  expense 
of  $1,750.  Both  are  ornaments  and  a  credit  to  the  community. 

Rev.  Archibald  G.  Stewart  is  now  the  pastor,  coming  east  from  Liver- 
more,  Iowa.  He  is  a  clergyman  of  thorough  preparation,  having  pursued 
his  college  course  at  Monmouth,  and  his  theological  at  McCormick  Seminary, 
Chicago,  1899.  Mrs.  Stewart  is  also  a  lady  of  culture,  a  graduate  of  Lenox 
college.  Iowa.  There  are  100  members  in  the  church,  and  besides  the  Sun- 
day school,  a  Christian  Endeavor,  Junior  Endeavor  aid  society  and  mission- 
ary society.  This  Garden  Plain  charge  is  in  connection  with  that  in  Newton. 
One  quarter  the  services  in  the  morning  at  Newton,  and  the  next  at  Garden 
Plain. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  village  is  the  cemetery,  and  here  lie  many 
of  the  first  people  of  the  settlement:  Senior,  Baker,  Reams,  Stone,  Storer, 
Kilgour,  Snyder.  Side  by  side,  Charles  Rood,  75,  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  88, 
who  died  in  1904,  having  long  survived  her  husband.  On  the  tomb  of 
Eliza  Ann  Short,  1814-1884,  "To  dear  mother."  Grounds  in  good  order. 
Several  soldiers,  whose  graves  are  not  marked  with  flag  or  record  of  com- 
pany and  regiment  to  which  they  belonged.  Some  of  the  bodies  buried 
here  were  moved  from  farms  where  they  were  first  interred,  as  there,  was 
no  cemetery.  The  land  belonged  to  the  Abel  Parker  estate,  Edwin  told  the 
writer. 

A  few  miles  south  of  the  village,  on  a  corner,  is  a  white  frame  church  be- 
longing to  the  Methodists.  The  society  was  organized  in  1848,  and  in  1860.  the 
•building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,  the  first  church  in  the  township.  It 
was  built  on  the  land  of  William  Minta.  First  on  the  Albany  and  then  on  the 
Fulton  circuit.  No  regular  services  now,  and'  the  house  looks  lonely  and 
deserted.  The  original  members  are  dead  or  away,  and  the  people  -who 
have  come  since  are  of  other  denominations.  This  is  not  the  only  case 
in  the  county,  where  the  church  homes  of  early  worshipers  are  left  standing 
among  strangers  who  have  no  attachment. 

"Gone,  gone,  are  the  old  familiar  faces." 

MUTUAL    INSURANCE    COMPANY. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Garden  Plain  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  held  in  the  town  hall  at  Garden  Plain  in  January,  1908.  this 
report  was  read: 

This  company  was  organized  and  began  business,  in  June,  1874.  with 
policies  written  at  that  time  amounting  to  $50,000.  Since  then  it  has  had 
a  steady  growth  until  the  membership  has  reached  666  with  insurance 
amounting  to  $999,995. 

During   the  year   just   closed   the  company   has   written    161   policies 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  75 

amounting  to  $246,000.  The  losses  paid  during  the  year  were  on  fire  risks, 
fifty-one  dollars;  lightning,  $712.41. 

When  the  company  was  first  organized  it  included  for  territory  the 
towns  of  Garden  Plain,  Newton  and  Fenton.  Since  then  the  towns  of  Ful- 
ton, Ustick,  Albany  and  Erie  have  been  added.  The  present  secretary,  J. 
M.  Eaton,  has  held  that  office  continuously  since  1875,  a  period  of  thirty- 
two  years. 

To  show  the  price  of  land,  we  may  mention  that  the  C.  R.  Rood  farm 
in  Garden  Plain  of  160  acres  was  sold  in  1908  to  James  Smith  of  that  town 
for  $125  an  acre.  Mr.  Smith  had  rented  the  farm  and  conducted  it  for 
several  years  previous  to  the  purchase. 

EARLY  GARDENERS. 

When   Adam   dolve,   and   Eve   span, 

Who  was  then  the  gentleman? — Hume's  History. 

.  We  have  several  familiar  names  of  men  who  were  well  known  through- 
out the  county.  James  A.  Sweet,  1839,  who  was  elected  Sheriff  in  1844,  and 
supervisor  for  years.  His  wife,  Miss  Judith  Greenborn,  Lyndon,  formerly 
from  Vermont,  died  in  1877.  Mr.  Sweet  was  a  New  Yorker.  William 
Minta,  England,  1839,  had  thirteen  children.  Consumption  carried  off 
most  of  the  family.  A  devout  Methodist,  and  he  gave  the  ground  for  Zion 
church.  Three  children  removed  to  California. 

Another  New  Yorker  was  Charles  R.  Rood,  who  came  to  Whiteside 
in  1836,  but  did  not  make  a  permanent  residence  in  Garden  Plain  till  1844, 
when  he  returned  with  his  wife,  Miss  Sarah  Churchill,  of  Clinton  county, 
N.  Y.  Mr.  Rood  was  a  surveyor,  a  master  in  his  profession,  and  on  the 
organization  of  Whiteside  in  1839  he  was  elected  county  surveyor.  Har- 
risburg  and  Chatham,  Lyndon,  Albany,  Fulton,  as  well  as  main  roads, 
farms  and  blocks,  were  laid  out  by  his  compass.  He  was  first  postmaster 
at  Garden  Plain.  From  Ohio,  the  state  of  Grant  and  McKinley,  came  David 
Mitchell  in  1838  to  Albany,  where  he  lived  until  he  bought  his  farm  in 
Garden  Plain.  Highly  esteemed,  and  served  as  county  treasurer  from  183& 
to  1841.  He  died  in  1850. 

The  writer  had  an  interesting  chat  with  Edwin  Parker,  who  lives  on 
his  farm  near  the  village.  He  found  the  gray-haired  pioneer  doing  his  even- 
ing chores  in  the  barn  .yard.  He  is  one  of  the  six  sons  of  Abel  Parker,  1836, 
David,  Jacob,  Truman,  Francis,  Hiram,  himself.  Three  sisters,  Clarissa, 
Eliza,  Mina.  He  spoke  of  his  older  brother,  David,  who  kept  travelers  when 
they  wanted  lodging  and  meals,  and  of  his  going  to  California  when  the 
gold  fever  broke  out.  Edwin  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1831,  and  married 
Mary  Jane  Dewey  in  Fulton  in  1858.  In  those  days  wolves  were  trouble- 
some. Although  75,  Mr.  Parker  is  spry  and  able  to  attend  to  the  lighter 
duties  about  his  place. 

In  the  village  we  called  upon  the  oldest  woman  of  the  place,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Storer,  who  makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Andrew  Stowell, 
in  a  comfortable  cottage.  Her  maiden  name  wa?  Curry.  She  was  born  near 


76  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Pittsburg,  Pa.,  1818,  Dec.  29,  and  is  now  in  her  ninetieth  year.  She  came 
west  in  1853  by  boat  on  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  landing  at  Albany  in  this 
county.  Mrs.  Storer  is  naturally  somewhat  feeble,  but  sits  in  her  chair  and 
enjoys  visitors.  She  spoke  of  Mrs.  Happer,  of  Albany,  ninety-one,  as  her 
older  sister. 

THE    CREAMERY. 

Not  far  south  of  Garden  Plain  on  the  direct  road  is  a  creamery,  which 
has  been  in  operation  for  25  years.  It  is  in  charge  of  Samuel  Murphy,  but- 
started  by  Robert  from  Ohio.  Samuel  has  been  the  manager  for  four  years. 
Churning  is  done  every  day  in  summer  but  Monday.  The  butter  product 
for  September,  1907,  was  17,800  pounds,  but  the  amount  has  reached  26,000. 
It  is  shipped  to  Chicago,  Clinton,  and  other  points,  besides  furnishing  a 
large  local  trade.  A  high  reputation  in  market.  Four  men  are  employed, 
and  three  teams  of  their  own  gather  the  cream.  The  residence  is  near  the 
factory. 

THE    ROADS. 

The  road  running  alorg  the  Mississippi  from  Rock  Islard  to  Galena,  a 
stage  route,  was  the  main  line  of  travel  before  any  of  the  present  towns  were 
laid  out.  It  is  now  the  Fulton  and  Albany  road.  A  second  road  ran  from 
Union  Grove  to  Albany.  In  1839  the  most  ambitious  scheme  was  under- 
taken in  the  construction  of  a  highway  across  Cat-tail  slough  with  rails  and 
earth,  a  sort  of  corduroy,  and  over  this  the  Frink  &  Walker  stage  company 
organized  a  lightning  express  from  Chicago  to  Albany,  then  the  exporting 
metropolis  of  the  county,  a  point  for  the  landing  of  emigrants  from  the 
east  or  shipping  grain  on  the  river.  It  is  now  the  Albany  and  Morrison 
road. 

ITEMS. 

The  postoffice  at  Garden  Plain  was  established  in  1846,  and  Charles  R. 
Rood  was  appointed  postmaster.  The  first  mail  was  carried  from  Peoria  to 
Galena,  and  afterwards  from  Chicago  to  Rock  Island.  This  was  by  stage. 
Then  came  the  railroads. 

The  old  ferry  from  Garden  Plain  to  Clinton  across  the  Mississippi 
river  was  called  the  Aiken  Ferry,  and  it  was  used  until  the  railroad  bridge 
was  built. 

Father  McKean,  Methodist  minister,  living  at  Elkhorn  Grove,  who  as 
a  kincl  of  home  missionary,  a  second  Peter  Cartwright,  traversed  the  country, 
preaching  as  he  could,  and  in  Garden  Plain  held  services  in  the  log  school- 
house. 

Two  tornadoes  have  visited  the  township.  One  on  the  afternoon  of 
Tuesday,  May  11,  1875.  coming  from  the  southwest,  destroying  buildings, 
fences,  hogs,  cattle,  poultry  and  trees  but  doing  no  injury  to  people.  The 
other  was  the  memorable  cyclone  of  June  3,  1860,  which  ravaged  the  south- 
ern section  of  the  county. 

The  citizens  have  always  shown  a  deep  interest  in  moral  questions.  At 
ah  early  day  was  a  temperance  reform  club.  Wherever  possible  Sunday 
schools  and  religious  services  are  held  in  the  school  houses.  There  is  a 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  77 

Woman's  Missionary  society  which  holds  an  annual  praise  festival  in  the 
church. 

NEWTON. 

Nature  and  Nature's  laws  lay  hid  in  night; 

God  said,  Let  Newton  be!  and  all  was  light. — Pope. 

In  one  respect,  Newton  differs  from  all  the  other  townships.  Instead 
of  a  village  or  city,  a  strong  church  is  the  center  of  influence.  All  its  early 
history,  its  cherished  traditions,  its  present  social  life,  are  bound  up  in  New- 
ton Presbyterian  church,  which  lies  in  the  heart  of  a  community  of  farms 
and  homes  which  hold  many  a  precious  association.  Its  semi-centennial, 
1857-1907,  was  celebrated  in  the  latter  year,  and  from  a  pamphlet  issued  at 
the  time,  we  glean  many  interesting  particulars. 

As  early  as  1839  the  Millers,  Thompsons  and  Booths  were  upon  the 
scene,  and  at  once  felt  the  importance  of  religious  services.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  S.  Thompson  took  part  in  the  organization  of  a  church  at  Albany  in 
1839.  After  the  Methodists  appeared,  both  denominations  held  services 
as  they  could  secure  ministers  in  the  log  schoolhouse  near  the  James  Smack 
place.  After  the  old  Kingsbury  school  house  was  built  in  1854,  the  Presby- 
terians met  there  until  the  erection  of  their  present  edifice.  Ministers  from 
Albany,  Fulton,  Morrison  and  other  towns  in  the  presbytery  sent  supplies. 
Finally  a  meeting  was  called  in  the  Kingsbury  schoolhouse,  March  11,  1857, 
and  a  permanent  organization  effected  with  James  Blean  and  John  Thomp- 
son as  ruling  elders.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Louis  Gano,  and 
the  constitutional  questions  proposed  by  Rev.  W.  E.  Mason,  of  Fulton.  Four- 
teen persons  united- in  the  organization:  Joseph  Miller,  Robert  Blean,  John 
Thompson,  Thomas  Wilson,  James  Blean,  Mrs.  Nancy  Kennedy,  Mrs.  Em- 
mons,  Mrs.  Joseph  Miller,  Mrs.  John  Thompson,  Mrs.  James  Blean,  Mrs. 
Deborah  Booth,  Mrs.  Sarah  Thompson,  Mrs.  Robert  Blean,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Wilson.  The  same  day,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Slaymaker,  William  Weakley 
and  Mrs.  Ephraim  Rexroad  united  with  the  church.  For  eleven  years  the 
people  continued  to  meet  in  the  Kingsbury  schoolhouse,  but  in  the  spring 
of  1868,  assisted  by  the  Board  of  Church  Extension,  sufficient  money  was 
raised  to  erect  a  building. 

The  church  was  united  with  that  at  Albany  as  one  charge  until  1873, 
when  Rev.  Josiah  Leonard  of  Clinton  agreed  to  preach  for  what  salary 
they  could  raise.  In  1877  Rev.  D.  B.  Fleming  became  resident  pastor,  and 
that  fall  a  parsonage  was  erected  on  the  lot  adjoining  the  church.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Lafferty.  For  twelve  years  or  until  1885,  the  church 
was  self-sustaining.  Of  late,  however,  the  congregation  has  not  felt  able  to 
maintain  a  regular  minister,  and  services  are  now  held  in  connection  with 
the  Garden  Plain  church,  one  society  to  have  preaching  in  the  morning  for 
three  months,  and  then  the  other.  This  order  was  adopted  at  the  installation 
of  Rev.  W.  C.  Miles  in  1891. 

THE   SOCIETIES. 

To  the  church  are1  due  the  existence  of  several  flourishing  bodies  which 


78  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

have  done  so  much  for  the  welfare  of  the  community.  Fourteen  women,  at 
the  suggestion  of  Mrs.  Helen  Fleming,  the  pastor's  wife,  met  Sept,  25,  1877, 
and  organized  the  Ladies'  Home  Missionary  society.  The  first  officers  were: 
Mrs.  M.  J.  Arrell,  president;  Mrs.  Helen  V.  Fleming,  vice  president;  Miss 
Mary  Carruthers,  secretary;  and  Miss  Alice  Arrell,  treasurer.  Since  1902  it 
has  been  called  the  Woman's  Missionary  society.  One  of  the  members,  Miss 
Edith  Jenks,  went  in  Oct.,  1901,  to  the  Punjab,  India,  and  is  laboring  faith- 
fully as  a  foreign  missionary.  Meetings  are  held  monthly  and  officers  are 
elected  annually.  At  present  the  society  numbers  23  active  and  three  hon- 
orary members.  Altogether  83  have  been  enrolled  since  the  beginning.  The 
society  has  made  and  sold  carpets  and  quilts,  given  dinners,  suppers  and 
socials.  The  total  amount  raised  since  organization  is  $1,969,  divided  equally 
between  home  and  foreign  missions.  Since  1883  a  scholarship  has  been 
sustained  in  Miss  Noyes'  school,  Canton,  China.  The  salary  of  a  missionary 
teacher  at  St.  George,  Utah,  has  been  assisted.  Occasionally  addresses  have 
been  delivered,  the  last  by  Rev.  W.  S.  Marquis,  D.  D.,  of  Rock  Island. 

GIRL  S   MISSION    BAND. 

This  was  organized  Nov.  12,  1887,  with  a  membership  of  nineteen  girls 
from  two  to  fourteen  years  of  age.  Mrs.  L.  A.  Slaymaker  was  elected  first 
president,  and  re-elected  for  fifteen  years  until  her  removal  to  Albany  in 
1902.  At  present  twenty-two  on  the  roll.  Meetings  are  held  regularly 
every  month. .  Each  girl  pledges  five  cents  a  month.  Various  methods  for 
raising  money  have  been  adopted,  such  as  mite  barrels,  birthday  offerings, 
earning  dollars,  autograph  quilts,  fairs,  bazars,  mite  boxes,  sociables.  Dur- 
ing the  first  ten  years  $489  were  raised.  Since,  $512,  making  a  total  of 
$1,001,  all  given  to  the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  This  is  a  record  hard 
to  surpass  for  a  country  society.  The  secretary  regularly  attends  meetings 
of  presbytery  and  brings  back  reports  for  encouragement.  Since  Mrs.  Slay- 
maker,  five  of  the  girls  have  been  presidents. 

THE   NEWTON  Y.   P.   S.   C.   E. 

This  was  organized  Feb.  22,  1891,  with  twenty-six  members.  It  was 
in  existence  for  thirteen  years,  but  was  finally  discontinued  owing  to  removals 
and  other  causes.  In  1894  the  society  undertook  to  aid  in  the  support  of 
Graham  Lee,  missionary  in  Corea,- by  raising  $1.10  per  member  from  59 
members.  This  obligation  was  afterwards  assumed  by  the  Rock  Island 
church.  In  1895  a  series  of  four  lectures  were  given.  Dr.  Skinner  of  Mor- 
rison, "The  Bible  in  Literature;"  McCluskey  of  Geneseo,  "Formation  of 
the  New  Testament;"  Dr.  Davis  of  Aledo,  "Bible  Inspiration;"  Dr.  Marquis, 
of  Rock  Island,  "The  Bible  and  Its  Monuments."  During  its  short  but 
earnest  history,  the  society  gathered  $403  for  missions  and  other  charities. 

THE    BOYS'    BAND. 

These  Mission  Soldiers,  as  they  are  sometimes  called,  were  organized 
in  1888  with  seven  boys:  Albert,  Jesse,  George  and  Louis  Slaymaker,  Alvin 
Van  Fleet,  Edward  Hawk  and  Robert  Blean.  During  the  twelve  years  fif- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  79 

teen  boys  were  enrolled  and  $85  collected  for  missions.     As  the  boys  grew 
to  manhood,  they  entered  into  other  Christian  work. 

THE   NEWTON   BIBLE   SOCIETY. 

This  met  in  the  old  log  schoolhouse  at  Newton  Center  until  1859,  when 
quarterly  meetings  were  held  at  different  places.  Since  1859  by  donations 
and  subscriptions,  a  total  of  $2,100  has  been  collected.  It  is  undenomina- 
tional, the  offerings  being  from  all  good  people  interested  in  the  cause. 

PASTORS     OF     NEWTON     CHURCH. 

A  long  roll  of  devoted  clergymen.  Rev.  Louis  Gano,  1857  to  1859. 
Dr.  Lackey  closed  his  service  in  1862.  Rev.  Jacob  Coon  was  seven  years 
from  1863.  Rev.  John  Giffin,  1871-1872.  During  much  of  the  time  the 
Newton  and  Albany  charges  were  served  by  the  same  minister.  Rev.  Josiah 
Leonard  began  his  ministry  in  1873,  and  remained  over  three  years.  Rev. 
David  Fleming  came  to  the  Newton  church  in  1877,  spending  six  and  a  half 
years  of  faithful  labor.  From  1883  to  1885  Rev.  James  Lafferty  occupied 
the  pulpit.  Rev.  Edward  H.  Sayre,  after  seven  years  in  India,  began  his 
ministry  in  1885,  for  two  years  being  the  first  pastor  who  served  the  Newton 
and  Garden  Plain  churches  as  one  field  of  labor.  Rev.  John  L.  Henning 
preached  two  years  from  1887.  C.  S.  Bain  for  one  year,  when  his  mind 
became  affected.  Rev.  Will  C.  Miles  remained  two  years  from  1891.  Rev. 
William  H.  Hyatt  came  to  Newton  and  Garden  Plain  in  1893,  remaining 
over  two  years.  Rev.  Andrew  McMacken  next  for  two  years  from  1896. 
Rev.  Charles  P.  Andrews,  1899,  served  the  two  churches  for  three  years. 
Rev.  Lewis  C.  Voss  came  in  1902  and  recently  resigned  for  another  field. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MANSE. 

On  Sunday,  Jan.  24,  1869,  the  present  edifice,  36  by  52  feet,  was  dedi- 
cated. Rev.  Josiah  Leonard  of  Fulton,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Coon  of  Albany 
conducted  the  exercises.  The  building  cost  about  $2,000  and  will  seat  250 
persons.  In  1877  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  $1,300  were  made  and 
the  parsonage  was  erected  on  a  lot  bought  from  Joseph  Marshall  for  $200. 
Also  from  him  was  purchased  the  cemetery  lot  in  1858  for  $50,  and  here 
repose  many  of  the  early  citizens.  At  the  semi-centennial  in  1907,  Rev. 
Lewis  C.  Voss  preached  the  sermon  from  I  Corinthians :  "For  other  founda- 
tion can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ."  The  records 
show  that  281  persons  have  been  members  of  the  church.  The  number  of 
deaths  is  fifty-six.  The  present  membership  is  eighty-six.  It  was  highest 
in  1899  with  136  members,  but  numerous  removals  and  deaths  have  mate- 
rially reduced  the  roll. 

THE  PIONEER  MILLERS. 

Up,   then,   with   speed   and   work; 

Fling  ease  and  self  away — 
This  is  no  time  for  thee  to  sleep — 

Up,  watch,   and  work,   and  pray? — Horatius  Bonar. 


80  HISTORY    OF    WHITESLDE    COUNTY 

Among  the  first  comers  no  name  is  more  deserving  than  that  of  Miller. 
Three  brothers,  Joseph,  John  and  Samuel,  who  made  their  first  trip  to 
Whiteside,  like  the  Wallaces  of  Sterling,  on  horseback.  This  was  in  1838. 
In  1840  they  settled  in  Newton.  Joseph  and  Samuel  had  several  children. 
John  was  single.  At  an  old  house  along  the  main  township  road  the  writer 
met  Jack  Miller,  son  of  Samuel,  who  emigrated  from  Cumberland  county, 
Pa.  He  proved  to  be  a  veteran,  having  enlisted  in  the  93rd  Illinois  Infantry, 
Col.  Putnam,  and  saw  three  years  of  service.  He  is  sixty-seven,  and  lives 
on  the  original  claim.  Part  of  the  house  is  ancient,  half  of  it  having  been 
moved  from  another  on  the  hill.  Mr.  Miller  is  still  active.  His  uncle, 
Joseph,  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Alexander  Thompson,  1839,  was  another  Cumberland  county  man. 
Luke  Abbey,  1837,  and  John  Beardsworth,  were  from  England.  Wm. 
Booth,  1839,  was  from  Virginia,  and  also  Henry  Rexroad.  Stephen  B.  Slo- 
cumb,  a  genuine  Sucker,  was  born  in  White  county,  on  the  Wabash  river, 
1813,  and  settled  in  Newton  in  1841.  Most  of  these  pioneers  reared  large 
families.  The  broad  prairies  were  lying  waste  and  they  believed  they  should 
be  peopled. 

THE    CEMETERY. 

Kings  have  no  such  couch  as  thine, 
As  the  green  that  folds  thy  grave. 

Not  far  from  the  church  is  the  cemetery.  The  soft,  shady  lawn,  in 
perfect  order,  speaks  volumes  for  the  refined  and  earnest  people  whose  kin- 
dred are  here.  As  you  ramble  over  the  sacred  grounds,  familiar  names  of 
the  early  settlers  are  inscribed  on  the  marble  and  granite:  Millers,  Booths, 
Robert  and  Mary  Blean,  John  Blean,  1796-1867,  Elizabeth  Kilgour,  1794- 
1874,  Slaymakers,  Alexander  Thompson,  1840,  aged  eighty-three,  and  his 
wife,  1783-1859,  Sarah  F.  Hawk,  1877,  aged  seventy-eight.  The  Beards- 
worth  family  have  a  massive  monument.  John,  1810-1895,  Mary,  1815- 
1870.  Alfred  B.  was  a  soldier,  1837-1863.  No  family  name  has  a  worthier 
record  than  that  of  Blean,  worthy  in  church  and  state.  The  Bleans  were 
Christians  and  patriots.  Here  is  James  H.  Blean,  second  lieut.  Co.  B,  75th 
111.  Infantry,  Perryville,  Oct.  8,  1862.  D.  K.  Blean,  Co.  G,  156th  111.  Infan- 
try. Major  Joseph  A.  Ege,  1805-1861. 

What  a  pretty  prospect  as  one-  gazes  over  the  wide  expanse  of  alluvial 
lowland,  dotted  with  cottages,  to  the  bluffs  on  the  horizon.  In  one  lot  are 
the  town  hall  and  Kingsbury  school,  1898,  both  white,  making  a  pretty 
contrast  with  the  foliage  of  the  grove.  Miss  Flora  M.  Parker  presided  in 
the  youthful  realm  with  21  pupils. 

A  RURAL  ARLINGTON. 

As  you  drive  east  from  Newton  church  to  Fenton  Center,  lying  on  a 
hill,  north  of  the  road,  is  one  of  the  most  inspiring  spots  in  the  county. 
St.  Paul's,  London,  has  Wellington,  Nelson,  and  her  heroes  under  the  pave- 
ment, but  here  the  patriot  graves  lie  open  to  sun  and  shower.  A  goodly 
company  of  soldier  boys.  They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  81 

and  in  their  deaths  they  are  not  divided.  Elisha  Ege,  75th  111.,  1864;  Wil- 
liam S.  Abbey,  Co.  A,  34th  111.,  died  in  camp,  1861 ;  Ellis  Passmore,  shot 
on  his  way  to  regiment,  1865;  Robert  M.  Hawk,  Co.  G,  15'6th  111.  Vol., 
1865,  with  Patrick  Henry's  "Give  me  liberty;"  Ira  A.  Payne,  killed  at  Mis- 
sion Ridge,  Tenn.,  Nov.  25,  1863;  William  Rainier,  Co.  F,  16th  Iowa 
Infantry,  1873;  Harrison  R.  Myers,  Co.  C,  8th  111.  Cavalry;  Harry  Hawk, 
Co.  F,  93rd  111.  Vol.,  wounded  at  Mission  Ridge,  Nov.  25,  1863,  died  Dec. 
5,  1863.  Then  there  are  many  of  the  fathers  and  mothers  who  bore  the 
burden  and  heat  of  the  day  at  home  while  the  noble  sons  were  battling  at 
the  front.  Luke  Abbey,  Yorkshire,  England,  1869,  at  eighty-two;  Van 
Fleet,  1809-1882;  Polly  Wells,  1847,  at  sixty-six;  Rexroad;  "Myers  and 
others.  A  charming  situation.  It  is  a  city  set  on  a  hill  that  cannot  be  hid, 
city  of  the  dead. 

—Duncan    is   in   his   grave. 
After  life's  fitful  fever,  he  sleeps  well. 

ITEMS. 

Slocumb  street  was  originally  a  trail  made  by  a  log  dragged  with  an 
ox  team  from  Albany  by  Stephen  Slocumb  in  1837. 

A  fine  quality  of  winter  wheat  was  once  grown,  and  threshed  with  flail 
or  by  tramping  with  oxen.  No  nearer  market  than  Galena  or  Chicago  until 
Albany  became  a  shipping  point. 

Eliza  Abbey  taught  the  first  school  in  1839  in  Henry  Rexroad's  cabin. 
Ten  pupils,  and  by  subscription. 

The  Methodists  were  first  as  usual  on  the  field,  and  preached  in  the 
Rexroad  and  Slocumb  cabins  in  1839.  McMurtay  and  McKean  the  min- 
isters. 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  built  in  1842  near  Mineral  Springs.  It  was 
of  hewn  logs.  When  the  schoolhouses  were  ready,  religious  services  were 
held  in  them. 

Near  the  eastern  boundary  were  two  springs  whose  waters  were  once 
so  highly  esteemed  that  they  promised  to  be  the  Carlsbad  of  the  county.  A 
romantic  spot.  Ideal  for  a  picnic  or  an  excursion. 

In  1856  a  rail  fence,  staked  and  ridered,  five  feet  high,  was  decided  to 
be  a  lawful  fence.  In  1862  it  was  voted  to  invest  $50  of  tax  money  in 
wolf  scalps,  one  dollar  for  old  fellows.  In  1864  a  tax  of  one  per  e.ent  on 
each  $100  valuation  was  voted  to  pay  soldier's  bounties. 

GENESEE. 

Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood, 

Stand  dressed  in  living  green,. 
So  to  the  Jews  old  Canaan  stood, 

While  Jordan  rolled  between — Watfs. 

There  are  two  ways  of  invading  Genesee  from  Sterling:  North  on  the 
Pennington  road  and  then  west,  south  of  the  big  mound,  or  west  to  Emer- 


82  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

son  and  then  north.  Let  us  take  the  latter.  It  is  early  autumn,  and  the 
roads  are  smooth  and  well  beaten.  Here  and  there  the  hills  have  been  cut 
down,  and  the  ditches  along  the  side  keep  the  main  track  dry  and  in  good 
condition.  The  country  is  gently  undulating,  and  the  extensive  cornfields 
stretch  away  with  their  rich  harvests. 

Heap  high  the  farmer's  wintry  hoard, 

Heap  high  the  golden  corn, 
No  richer  gift  hath  autumn  poured, 

From  out  her  golden  horn. 

Much  in  shock.  In  early  days  cattle  were  turned  in  to  roam  at  will, 
destroying  more  than  they  ate,  but  now  the  eastern  custom  prevails;  the 
stalks  are  shocked,  husked  and  hauled  to  the  yards  to  be  shredded.  Pity 
so  many  poor  -fellows  lose  their  hands  and  arms.  A  pleasing  feature  as  you 
drive  along  is  the  grassy  roadside,  clean  as  a  lawn,  no  coarse  weeds  to  annoy 
the  eye  and  seed  the  adjoining  fields. 

What  neat  white  building  on  the  west  of  the  road?  That  is  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church.  It  has  had  only  three  pastors,  John  Becker,  now  in 
Mitchell,  Iowa;  C.  Prottengeier,  now  in  Dubuque,  and  the  present,  Carl 
Holtermann,  who  came  in  May  4,  1902.  He  was  born  in  Lamstedt,  Han- 
over, Germany,  educated  at  Verden,  universities  of  Berlin  and  Gottingen, 
coming  to  America  in  June,  1890.  His  previous  charges  were  in  Missouri 
and  Nebraska.  The  congregation  consists  of  fifty  families,  and  the  Sunday 
school  of  40  to  50  scholars.  All  services  are  in  German.  Most  of  the  people 
come  from  Grossherzagtum,  Oldenburg,  Germany.  With  this  congregation  is 
connected,  the  West  Genesee  Lutheran  church,  two  miles  west  of  Coleta.  Its 
name  is  Immanuel.  There  are  24  families,  and  the  services  are  in  German. 
The  officers  of  East  Genesee  church  are:  Eibe  Folkers,  Julius  Schultz, 
Edward  Remners,  Herman  Balster.  The  officers  of  the  AVest  Genesee  are: 
Carl  Bnhrow,  Wilhelm  Rohde  and  Dirk  Dirks.  Mr.  Holtermann  is  44  years 
old  and  in  the  prime  of  his  usefulness.  He  has  a  fine  family,  and  happily 
situated  in  a  white  frame  parsonage  just  across  from  the  church.  It  is 
affiliated  with  the  Iowa  Synod. 

By  the  side  of  the  church  is  the  grave  yard,  with  several  substantial 
monuments.  On  the  tombs  we  read  the  names  of  well  known  families: 
Beutel,  Wahl,  Engel,  Eilers,  Harms,  Dirks,  Stern,  Matznick.  Glancing 
through  the  windows  of  the  church,  the  interior  showed  two  long  rows  of 
pews,  finished  in  oak,  with  other  ecclesiastical  furniture  in  proper  keeping. 

Few  old  or  weather-beaten  houses  are  noticed.  The  farmers  as  they 
improved  in  circumstances,  tore  down  the  early  tenements,  and  now  in  every 
direction  you  see  the  pretty  dwellings  with  piazzas  and  the  huge  red  barns 
and  necessary  out  buildings. 

A  short  drive  further  and  we  enter  the  village  of  Coleta,  the  emporium 
of  Genesee.  The  houses  stand  along  two  main  streets,  north  and  south,  east 
and  west.  Besides  the  cottages,  there  are  two  general  stores,  Charles  Garwick 
and  Hugh  Shannon;  hardware,  Adam  Myer;  blacksmiths.  P.  Eckel.  H. 
Wolf  and  Laren  Hughes;  confectionery  and  restaurant,  H.  Carpenter.  Here 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  83 

you  can  get  a  delicious  country  dinner  that  no  money  can  buy  in  the  stale 
supplies  of  the  cities.  Cream  from  their  own  Jersey  cow,  and  bread  like  a 
cork  of  Mrs.  C's  own  baking.  J.  S.  Bushman  is  postmaster.  Dr.  Proctor, 
a  graduate  of  Rush  Med.  College,  began  practice  here  in  1896. 

One  main  school  with  two  departments,  taught  by  Prof.  C.  L.  Hurless 
and  wife.  He  is  son  of  Cephas  Hurless,  long  prominent  in  county  affairs. 
There  are  75  pupils  in  both  rooms,  and  eight  grades  of  study  with  one  year 
of  high  school  work  for  those  who  graduated  last  year.  Their  sixth  year  of 
service  here.  Mrs.  H.  received  her  education  in  Iowa,  at  the  Jefferson 
County  high  school  and  the  Iowa  State  Normal  school  at  Cedar  Falls.  Six 
years'  experience  in  Iowa.  Prof.  Hurless,  after  the  common  school  course, 
attended  the  Milledgeville  high  school,  the  Illinois  college  at  Fulton,  and  the 
South  Dakota  Normal  School  at  Spearfish.  His  experience  extends  over 
eleven  years,  and  as  an  educator  he  commands  the  confidence  of  the  whole 
community. 

The  churches  are  frame.  The  United  Brethren,  Radical,  dating  from 
1889,  has  75  members,  with  Rev.  Arthur  Harrison,  pastor,  in  his  second 
year,  residence  at  Mi.  Carroll.  He  was  previously  presiding  elder. 

The  Christian  church,  or  Disciples,  has  115  members.  It  is  the  second 
charge  of  Rev.  C.  W.  Marlow,  a  graduate  in  1901  of  Eureka  College.  The 
nucleus_  of  the  present  church  was  formed  at  Genesee  Grove  in  1837  by 
Elder  Yeager.  Then  came  the  regular  organization  in  1847  in  a  school 
house  by  Henry  Howe.  Among  the  leading  members  were  the  Crums, 
Nances,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Yeager.  The  latter  deserve  grateful  remem- 
brance for  their  zeal. 

Rev.  S.  A.  Hoffman  is  in  his  second  year  at  the  M.  E.  church.  There 
are  45  members.  The  foreign  missionary  society  has  20  members,  Epworth 
league  25.  The  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  is  J.  L.  Milroy.  Mr. 
H.  came  to  this  conference  from  Wisconsin. 

The  store  of  J.  T.  Crum  was  the  first  building  erected  in  Coleta,  after- 
wards purchased  by  Ephraim  Brookfield,  who  for  several  years  besides 
teaching  carried  on  a  business  in  general  merchandise.  He  taught  as  early 
as  1858. 

Rev.  J.  G.  Breden  is  pastor  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  Liberal.  He 
takes  the  place  of  Rev.  J.  A.  F.  King,  who  went  to  Jordan  church.  The 
membership  is  29,  and  is  composed  of  a  few  families,  chiefly  Overholser, 
Deets,  and  Hurless. 

Perhaps  the  most  lively  institution  in  Coleta  is  the  literary  society 
which  is  in  operation  every  winter.  There  is  a  regular  program  at  every 
session,  music,  recitations,  essays,  and  a  debate.  This  is  announced  a  week 
or  two  in  advance,  giving  the  speakers  ample  time  to  prepare.  The  subjects 
for  discussion  are  timely.  For  instance,  during  the  winter  of  1908  were 
argued:  Should  Washington's  example  in  retiring  after  a  second  term  be 
made  a  law?  Is  there  more  pleasure  in  pursuit  than  in  possession?  Will 
the  Hennepin  canal  prove  a  financial  benefit  to  Illinois?  The  meetings  are 
held  on  Saturday  night,  and  arouse  great  enthusiasm. 


84  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

OLD    SOLDIERS. 

Janies  Siddles  enlisted  at  Mt.  Carroll  in  Co.  K  ,  15th  Illinois  Infantry. 
The  first  captain  was  Adam  Mase.  They  were  sworn  in  at  Freeport,  April, 
1861.  The  first  battle  was  Shiloh,  then  at  Corinth,  Vicksburg.  Part  of  the 
time  the  regiment  was  chasing  Sterling  Price  through  Missouri.  Their 
service  of  three  years  ended  at  Natchez. 

Jacob  'Howe,  85,  was  in  the  75th  Illinois,  and  was  wounded  three  times, 
in  head,  foot,  and  leg,  and  mustered  out  at  Nashville.  He  came  to  the 
county  in  1855  from  Newcastle,  Pa.,  the  home  of  Sankey,  the  singer.  His 
mother  lived  to  89,  his  grandmother  to  110.  He  rejoices  in  the  increase  of 
his  pension  to  $24  per  month,  owing  to  the  efforts  of  Hon.  Frank  O.  Lowden. 

While  the  original  settlers  of  Genesee  are  gone,  there  are  still  living  in 
Coleta  some  venerable  people  who  are  bright  and  active.  Perhaps  the 
oldest  is  Grandma  Wallace,  who  has  celebrated  her  88th  birthday,  but  some- 
what hindered  by  a  lameness  in  her  hip,  caused  by  a  fall.  John  Overholser, 
son  of  Martin,  came  here  from  Ohio  in  1854.  He  is  brother  of  J.  P.  Over- 
holser, P.  M.,  of  Sterling.  Although  74,  he  does  his  various  chores  every  day. 
On  his  father's  side  all  lived  to  80  or  90.  John  Anthony,  father  of  Joshua, 
from  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  1853,  entered  six  hundred  acres  at  $1.25  an 
acre.  R.  B.  Colcord,  who  died  in  1907  in  California,  settled  in  Genesee  in 
1837,  and  after  his  marriage  in  1854  carried  on  the  business  of  marble 
cutting  till  his  removal  to  Sterling  in  1869. 

There  are  nine  schools  in  Genesee,  and  six  Sunday  schools.  Most  of 
these  people's  academies  have  names,  as  is  the  fashion  now,  North  Star, 
Washington,  Lafayette.  Some  of  the  grounds  are  attractive  with  lawn, 
trees,  and  walks,  and  the  interiors  adorned  wdth  portraits  of  Lincoln,  Lowell, 
and  other  eminent  Americans. , 

South  of  Coleta  is  the  creamery  operated  by  J.  B.  Gilbert,  managed  by 
G.  M.  Lefever.  The  receipts  of  cream  vary  with  the  season.  Churning  is 
not  done  every  day  unless  sufficient  cream  is  furnished.  The  butter  product 
varies  from  350  pounds  in  the  fall  to  600  pounds  in  midsummer.  Six  men 
are  engaged  in  hauling,  their  territory  extending  to  Milledgeville. 

Not  far  south  of  Coleta  is  a  low,  weather-beaten  shanty,  windows  out, 
the  picture  of  loneliness  and  desolation.  It  is  known  by  the  neighbors  as 
the  "Helen  Brookfield  Eighty,"  and  belongs  to  the  original  estate  of  Ephraim 
Brookfield,  who  married  Harriet  Yeager  in  1859,  doing  business  in  Coleta 
till  1874,  when  he  sold  out,  If  this  ancient  structure  could  talk,  what  an 
intensely  valuable  narrative  it  could  give  of  people  and  changes  in  Genesee. 
We  are  reminded  of  Horace  Smith's  address  to  Belzoni's  mummy  in  London : 

Speak!    for  thou   long   enough   hast   acted  dummy; 

Thou  hast  a  tongue — come,  let  us  hear  its  tune; 
Thou'rt  standing  on  thy  legs,  above  ground,  mummy, 

Revisiting  the  glimpses  of  the  moon. 

This  white  frame  building  is  the  Hickory  Grove  church,  originally  built 
by  the  Methodists,  but  except  an  occasional  Sunday  school,  no  regular 


HISTORY    OF    WIIITESIDE    COUNTY  85 

service  has  been  held  for  years.  A  neat  iron  fence  in  front.  The  early 
members  of  the  society  are  dead,  their  descendants  have  gone,  and  the  farm- 
ers adjacent  have  other  church  relations.  The  cemetery,  however,  is  kept  in 
excellent  condition.  Every  spring  and  fall  the  kindly  hands  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  unite  in  showing  respect  to  the  graves  of  the  pioneers. 
On  the  tombs  we  read  the  names  of  Wink,  Courtright,  Kingsbury,  Van 
Osdol,  Johnson.  On  the  monument  of  John  Yeager,  who  died  at  33  in  1864, 
is  the  inscription,  "Erected  by  Union  Ladies  of  Genesee." 

MURDER  IN  GEXESEE. 

John  Miller  killed  August  Langberg  on  Aug.  3,  1884,  with  an  ax, 
splitting  his  head  open.  Both  were  farm  laborers,  and  the  tragedy  was  on 
a  farm  where  one  of  them  was  working.  The  quarrel  was  about  a  jug  of 
liquor.  Miller  was  indicted  at  December  term  of  court,  1884,  plead  guilty, 
and  was  sentenced  to  penitentiary  for  life.  He  was  taken  to  the  penitentiary 
Dec.  16,  1884,  and  was  sent  from  there  to  insane  asylum  at  Chester,  Feb.  4, 
1893,  and  in  October  died  of  consumption.  Walter  Stager,  states  attorney, 
has  kindly  furnished  this  item  from  his  practice. 

VARIOUS  ITEMS. 

If  good  roads  and  substantial  bridges  are 'a  sign  of  civilization,  Genesee 
is  entitled  to  a  high  place.  Two  steel  bridges  have  just  been  placed  over 
Spring  creek,  whose  antics  in  the  early  freshets  require  the  strongest  safe- 
guards. Each  forty  feet  long.  Concrete  approach. 

Among  the  smaller  industries  is  pop  corn.  Charles  Muntz  had  three 
acres  in  1907  from  which  he  gathered  200  bushels.  At  one  dollar  a  bushel, 
it  is  evident  that  the  crop  is  profitable. 


CLYDE. 

Art  is  long,  and  Time  is  fleeting, 

And   our  hearts   tho  stout   and  brave, 
Still,   like  muffled  drums,  are  beating, 

Funeral    marches    to    the    grave. — Longfellow. 

Soon  after  leaving  Morrison,  as  you  drive  north,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road,  is  a  cemetery  with  numerous  tombs.  The  gate  is  not  fastened, 
and  one  is  at  liberty  to  walk  about  the  grassy  mounds.  Several  names  on 
the  marbles  of  early  settlers,  Secor,  Kennedy,  Hays,  Pratt,  Harris,  Parry, 
Hiddleson.  The  oldest  record  is  that  of  T.  L.  Jackson,  who  died  in  1882  at 
94.  Compass  and  square  on  the  stone.  Here  sleep  a  group  of  heroes  of  the 
Civil  war.  Aaron  Bailey,  who  died  in  1871  at  77.  J.  Warren  Heaton,  1864, 
only  seventeen,  a  youthful  patriot.  D.  Columbia,  whose  stone  bears  the 
simple  motto,  "In  the  service  of  his  country."  J.  D.  Paschal,  1886,  at  79. 
Sergeant  Charles  M.  Shaw,  Co.  H,  5th  Vermont  Volunteers,  dving  in  1870 
nt  34. 


86  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Sleep,  soldiers,  still  in  honored  rest, 

Your  truth  and  valor  wearing! 
The  bravest  are  the  tenderest, 

The  loving  are  the  daring. 

This  little  cluster  of  houses  to  which  we  are  coming  is  Malvern.  Two 
stores,  a  town  hall,  and  a  church,  the  Evangelical.  The  pastor,  Rev.  R.  S. 
Welsh,  lives  at  Fairhaven,  and  comes  over  to  preach  on  Saturday  night 
or  Sunday  morning,  according  to  previous  arrangement.  Before  his  present 
work,  he  labored  in  Paoific  Garden  Mission,  Chicago.  Mrs.  Davis  is  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school  of  35  scholars.  The  proprietor  of  one  of  the 
Malvern  stores  is  M.  W.  Humphrey,  who  came  to  the  country  in  1857, 
and  married  Emma  Newton,  whose  father,  George  Newton,  emigrated  from 
England  in  1852,  and  was  a  gallant  soldier  in  the  75th  Illinois. 

Rock  creek  and  Little  Rock  creek  run  through  Clyde,  and  various  mills 
were  erected  in  early  days.  The  Milnes  mill  on  Little  Rock,  built  by 
Joseph  Milnes,  was  taken  down  in  1895,  and  a  bridge  now  crosses  the 
stream  near  the  site.  W.  P.  Hiddleson  erected  the  building  known  as  the 
Hough's  mill,  still  in  active  operation  by  George  Appel,  who  grinds  grists 
for  the  farmers  as  they  bring  them  in  the  old-fashioned  style.  Chiefly, 
feed  for  stock,  as  most  people  prefer  the  refined  roller  flour.  There  was  also 
a  Brothwell  mill  which  disappeared  long  ago.  As  these  mills  were  the 
natural  centers  of  business  and  gossip,  the  first  post  offices  were  established 
at  Brothwell's  and  Milnes'  mills.  In  1840  an  oil  mill  to  manufacture  that 
fluid  medicine  was  put  up,  but  early  frosts  spoiled  the  castor  beans  and 
ended  the  enterprise. 

Near  Malvern  reside  the  liveliest  couple  the  writer  has  seen  in  his 
travels.  The  gude  wife  is  a  daughter  of  Donald  Blue,  who  had  an  adven- 
turous career.  He  was  born  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  1799,  year  of 
Washington's  death,  emigrated  to  Canada,  was  in  the  Patriot  War  of  1837, 
settled  in  Clyde  in  1839,  drove  an  ox  team  to  California  in  1852,  returned 
to  his  farm,  and  spent  the  last  twelve  years  of  his  life  in  Morrison.  A  large 
family  of  eleven  children.  This  daughter  was  first  married  to  Robert 
McKay  by  Rev.  Mr.  Crissman  of  Morrison  in  1888,  and  the  second  time  to 
Daniel  Ackerman,  of  New  Jersey,  the  last  of  his  family.  He  came  with  his 
father  through  Chicago  about  1840.  The  father  was  offered  eighty  acres 
in  the  heart  of  the  young  port  if  he  would  act  as  pilot  on  the  lake  for  a  few 
months,  but  fleas,  mire,  and  other  annoyances  were  so  offensive  that  the 
mother  refused  to  stay,  and  so  the  Ackermans  are  not  today  among  the 
millionaires  of  the  metropolis.  The  old  gentleman  landed  in  Clyde  with 
fifty  cents  in  silver,  and  moved  into  a  green  loo;  cabin  before  the  chimney 
was  completed.  Both  the  present  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ackerman  are  impetuous 
talkers,  each  trying  to  head  the  other,  and  lively  as  crickets.  She  regu- 
larly every  Saturday  takes  thirty  pounds  of  butter  to  Sterling,  receiving 
30  cents  in  winter,  25  in  summer. 

Here  is  a  Dunkard  church.  It  was  purchased  about  1868  from  the 
Seventh  Day  Adventists  who  had  become  too  feeble  to  support  it.  There 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  87 

are  40  members,  and  Sunday  school  all  winter.  There  are  three  pastors  who 
exercise  the  sacred  functions  in  turn,  like  the  priests  in  the  tourses  of  the 
Jewish  sanctuary:  D.  E.  Gerdes,  W.  M.  Grater,  and  John  W.  Miller. 
They  do  not  expect  support  from  the  congregation,  but  earn  their  own 
bread  by  the  sweat  of  their  brow.  The  Bible  is  their  creed.  They  take  its 
declarations  in  their  plain  meaning.  Feet  washing  is  observed  once  a  year 
after  communion.  At  their  religious  meetings  there  is  the  utmost  freedom 
and  cordial  intercourse. 

A  little  further  on  is  the  Aldritt  School,  taught  in  1908  by  Miss  Cora 
Hoak.  The  property  in  fine  condition  with  concrete  walk  to  the  door, 
convenient  pump,  pictures  on  the  walls,  cheerful  flowers  in  the  windows. 
Judging  by  the  register,  the  Janvrins  are  the  prevailing  family  in  the  dis- 
trict. The  school  is  fitly  called  Aldritt,  for  several  of  that  name  were 
pioneers  in  the  district.  John  in  1846,  Richard  in  1844,  William  in  1845^ 
all  from  Staffordshire,  England,  settled  in  Clyde,  and  reared  large  and 
respectable  families.  Another  Englishman  was  Richard  Beswick,  who  came 
to  Clyde  in  1839,  and  opened  an  extensive  farm.  His  son,  George  R.,  was 
in  the  13th  Illinois,  and  died  at  Rolla,  Missouri,  in  1862. 

Near  the  site  of  the  early  Milnes  mill,  the  writer  had  a  short  interview 
with  the  venerable  R.  M.  Kennedy,  who  came  from  Franklin  county,  Pa., 
in  1839  to  Indiana,  then  to  St.  Paul,  driving  an  ox  team  800  miles,  which 
he  sold,  and  returned  by  water  to  Fulton.  Seven  in  the  family  stayed  all 
night  with  Walter  Wright  for  two  dollars  and  a  half.  He  settled  in  Clyde 
in  1855.  Mr.  Kennedy  is  85,  and  looks  good  for  another  decade. 

Besides  the  Aldritts,  some  of  the  other  pioneers  were  from  England, 
Zachariah  Dent,  1839;  Henry  W.  Daniel,  1838;  Samuel  Ressell,  1838. 
From  Scotland,  Samuel  Currie;  1839;  William  Wilson,  1839;  and  John 
Wilson,  1839.  In  honor  to  the 'Scotch  element,  there  is  peculiar  propriety 
in  naming  the  township  Clyde  after  the  famous  river  at  Glasgow. 

THE    MT.    CARMEL    FAITH    MISSIONARY   TRAINING    HOME    AND    ORPHANAGE. 

'Tis  not  enough  to  help  the  feeble  up, 

But  to  support  him  ever  after. — Shakespeare. 

The  drying  up  a  single  tear  has  more 

Of  honest  fame  than  shedding  seas  of  gore. — Byron. 

Ten  miles  northeast  of  Morrison,  in  Clyde  township,  is  situated  the  only 
private  charity  in  Whiteside.  This  is  Mt.  Carmel  Faith  Missionary  Training 
Home  and  Orphanage.  It  is  undenominational,  and  depends  upon  the 
promises  of  God  and  prayer  of  faith  to  supply  its  needs.  Very  much  in  the 
spirit  of  Spurgeon's  Orphanage  in  London,  Francke's  institution  at  Halle, 
or  George  Muller's  at  Bristol,  England.  There  are  forty  acres  in  the  prop- 
erty deeded  by  the  generosity  of  Mr.  and  Mr?.  A.  G.  Zook.  There  are  several 
houses  for  the  school  proper,  besides  the  buildings  for  farm  purposes.  Two 
wells  and  some  unfailing  springs  afford  an  abundant  supply  of  water. 

A  simple  narrative  explains  the  origin  of  the  work.     While  engaged  at 


88  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  wood  pile  in  1899,  God  met  Mr.  Zook,  definitely  calling  him  to  yield  his 
property  and  himself  for  service.  A  new  move,  but  the  assurance  was  clear 
that  it  was  to  be  a  training  home  for  Christian  worker.-;.  It  was  soon  learned 
that  the  earnest  laborers  in  Chicago  in  this  field  were  overrun  with -neglected 
and  homeless  children.  They  were  praying  for  relief,  and  here  was  their 
opportunity.  On  March  1,  1900,  the  home  was  opened.  The  first  child  was 
received  April  6.  In  August,  1901,  a  new  step  was  taken  by  faith,  the  editing 
of  a  paper.  Its  name,  Soul  Food,  is  significant  of  its  purpose. 

From  time  to  time  children  were  brought  into  the  orphanage  from  Chi- 
cago and  from  surrounding  towns.  The  object  of  the  work  is  not  to  put 
children  into  private  homes,  but  to  provide  proper  care  and  training  in  the 
orphanage,  and  bring  up  the  neglected  children  in  ways  that  will  make  them 
useful  Christian  men  and  women.  Only  children  will  be  accepted  who  will 
be  allowed  to  remain  till  they  are  eighteen,  so  that  parents  may  not  reclaim 
them  before  they  are  firmly  established  in  right  principles.  There  are  three 
features  in  the  discipline  of  the  young  people:  the  day  school,  religious  in- 
struction, and  industrial  training.  Each  day  is  begun  with  an  hour  of 
worship. 

All  are  expected  to  take  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  establishment.  The 
boys  do  the  chores,  cut  the  wood,  help  about  the  field  and  garden.  Each  has 
a  small  garden  spot  to  exercise  his  taste  and  ability.  The  girls  assist  in  the 
household  and  in  the  care  of  the  younger  children.  Good  health  has  been 
a  blessing  vouchsafed  to  the  little  family.  The  laws  of  proper  living  are 
observed.  The  nervous  and  debilitated  children  from  the  city  with  country 
air  and  diet  and  exercise  soon  gain  appetite,  digestion,  clear  skins  and 
bright  eyes. 

But  more  room  is  an  imperative  necessity,  or  the  work  cannot  enlarge. 
More  children  cannot  be  taken  because  there  is  no  place  to  receive  them. 
In  1904,  the  last  report,  the  family  consisted  of  thirty  children  ranging 
from  two  months  to  fifteen  years,  all  well  and  active.  There  are  five  workers. 
Very  soon  a.  Missionary  Training  Home  is  expected  to  be  an  active  depart- 
ment. There  are  constant  calls  for  men  and  "women  qualified  for  evangelistic 
work,  to  carry  the  gospel  to  darkened  minds  at  home  and  abroad.  The 
printing  press  is  proving  an  important  factor  in  the  preparation  of  gospel 
workers.  While  setting  type  the  boys  are  gathering  a  fund  of  useful  infor- 
mation. A  while  the  farm  had  been  rented  but  now  an  overseer  in  charge 
provides  employment  for  the  lads,  and  thus  an  income  is  secured  from  the 
land. 

From  a  booklet  of  By-laws  we  glean  several  items  of  interest.  No  salaries 
are  paid  to  any  worker.  There  must  be  simplicity  of  dre«.  Purity  and 
temperance  are  demanded  in  all  things.  All  workers  are  encouraged  to  make 
special  study  of  the  Bible,  and  to  spend  much  time  in  secret  prayer.  Punc- 
tuality must  be  observed  in  rising  and  retiring,  and  in  attendance  at  th^ 
table.  There  are  only  four  articles  in  the  simple  confession  of  faith,  and 
this  is  the  second:  We  believe  in  a  definite  work  of  sanctification  by  grace, 
cleansing  the  heart  from  all  sin,  and  making  the  body  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  89 

To  set  forth  the  needs  of  the  home  and  the  spirit  of  the  institution,  a 
small,  three-column  paper  of  four  pages  is  published  monthly  at  Morrison, 
with  A.  G.  Zook  as  editor,  and  A.  Myrtle  Zook  and  May  L.  Donaldson,  asso- 
ciate editors.  The  subscription  price  is  low,  and  two  hundred  more  patrons 
are  needed  to  make  the  journal  self-supporting.  "Soul  Food"  is  the  sug- 
gestive title  of  the  paper.  No  secular  topics  are  discussed,  the  whole  aim 
being  to  encourage  faith  and  pious  meditation.  Bishop  Ken's  hymn  seems 
to  pervade  the  columns: 

Direct,  control,  suggest,  this  day, 

All  I  design,  or  do,  or  say; 

That  all  my  powers  with  all  their  might, 

In  thy  sole  glory  may  unite. 

Near  Malvern  is  a  horticultural  enterprise  that  has  grown  steadily  from 
a  small  beginning.  In  1882  Lee  Horning  conceived  the  plan  of  a  vineyard, 
and  planted  several  thousand  vines  of  different  varieties.  Some  not  yielding 
well  were  replaced  with  Concord  and  Moore's  Early,  which  nourished  till 
1900,  when  the  severe  winter  froze  them  so  they  had  to  be  replanted.  Now 
they  are  in  good  bearing  condition.  It  was  his  intention  to  market  the 
fresh  fruit,  but  it  was  attended  with  so  much  drudgery,  that  he  decided  to 
make  the  crop  into  wine.  His  plan  has  proved  successful,  but  has  required 
the  expenditure  of  time,  money,  and  perseverance:  In  order  to  give  the 
proper  flavor,  age  is  a  necessary  condition,  and  he  keeps  the  wine  in  storage 
from  eight  to  ten  years,  before  placing  on  market.  As  this  storage  requires 
much  room,  underground  cellars  of  stone,  steel  and  cement  had  to  be  con- 
structed, as  well  as  cold  air  ducts  to  afford  proper  ventilation.  An  acetylene 
system  furnishes  abundant  light.  Two  of  his  products  he  takes  special 
pleasure  in  recommending,  the  unfermented  wine  for  church  service,  and  the 
pure  article  for  medicinal  use.  Mr.  Horning  is  justly  proud  of  his  estab- 
lishment, and  is  always  glad  to  welcome  visitors  to  its  examination. 

VARIOUS  ITEMS. 

Much  timber  yet  in  Clyde,  some  second  growth,  and  in  October  a  drive 
over  the  hills  is  a  luxury. 

The  glorious  splendor  of  thy  sunset  clouds, 
The  rainbow  beauty  of  thy  forest  leaves. 

The  roads  do  not  always  follow  section  lines,  but  wind  -around  the  hills 
and  through  the  woods  to  reach  the  point. 

Isaac  Fletcher,  who  died  in  Morrison  in  March,  1908,  was  a  citizen  of 
Clyde  for  forty  years.  He  and  his  wife  came  from  England  in  1860,  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  the  township,  and  by  industry  acquired  a  competence 
sufficient  to  enable  them  to  retire  when  health  failed  to  a  cottage  in  Mor- 
rison. He  was  nearly  82. 


90  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 


HOPKINS. 

There  was  a  sound  of  revelry  by  night, 

And  Belgium's  capital  had  gathered  then 
Her  beauty  and  her  chivalry,   and  bright 

The  lamps  shone  o'er  fair  women  and  brave  men. — Byron. 

A  circle  has  one  center,  an  ellipse  has  two,  but  Hopkins  has  three, 
Como,  Gait  and  Emerson.  The  only  member  of  the  family  of  townships 
that  enjoys  that  distinction.  The  early  people  in  Como  were  a  choice  set, 
nothing  common  or  unclean,  as  Peter  once  said.  They  were  either  of  noble 
descent  or  of  marked  ability.  For  instance,  Mrs.  Margaret  Perkins,  wife  of 
Hamilton,  was  Miss  Breck,  of  Rochester,  on  the  committee  to  receive  Lafay- 
ette on  his  second  visit  in  1824.  Mrs.  Harding,  wife  of  Dr.  Harding,  was  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Bigelow,  of  Boston,  member  of  the  Massachusetts  legis- 
lature, William  Pollock,  surveyor  of  the  county  from  1847  to  1853,  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  Maison,  of  an  old  Philadelphia  family.  The  Sampsons 
were  prominent.  Two  brothers,  William  and  Henry  Briggs.  Simeon  Samp- 
son, a  sea  captain,  married  Caroline,  daughter  of  William.  After  residence 
here,  Simeon  returned  to  Boston,  but  retained  his  property  in  the  West, 
which  became  valuable.  In  early  Como  were  six  engineers,  three  ship  cap- 
tains, one  minister,  one  editor,  and  one  doctor.  They  were  mostly  New 
England  people. 

Another  familiar  name  is  the  Burrs.  Capt.  James  M.  Burr  came  from 
Boston,  and  had  several  children.  Miss  Adeline  became  the  wife  of  the 
distinguished  David  Davis,  senator,  judge  of  the  U.  S.  supreme  court,  friend 
of  Lincoln,  and  administrator  of  his  estate.  She  resides  since  his  death  in 
Fayetteville,  N.  C. 

Among  the  happy  recollections  of  William  Pollock,  the  surveyor,  was 
his  introduction  to  General  Jackson  at  his  inauguration  at  Washington  in 
1829,  whom  he  described  as  a  plain  looking  old  fellow.  John  Williams 
Pollock,  son  of  WTilliam,  born  in  1841,  had  a  varied  and  responsible  career 
in  the  rebellion.  He  served  three  years,  part  of  the  time  with  the  83d 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  then  on  staff  duty  in  South  Carolina.  At  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  was  custodian  of  the  secret  archives  of  the  Confederacy, 
captured  with  Jefferson  Davis,  taking  them  to  Washington,  and  turning 
over  to  Gen.  Thomas.  Since  the  war  he  has  lived  an  Nebraska,  representing 
his  district  one  term  in  the  legislature. 

Jason  Hopkins,  after  whom  the  township  is  named,  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  a  cabinet  maker,  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  a  cavalry 
regiment,  and  at  its  close  came  to  Como,  where  he  remained  till  his  death 
in  1853. 

Of  all  the  Como  pioneers,  Jesse  Scott  was  the  most  inventive  and  orig- 
inal. While  other  emigrants  came  in  regular  passenger  packets  by  river, 
or  In  wagons  overland,  Jesse  started  from  Ohio  in  a  hundred-ton  keel  boat 
propelled  by  horse  power.  On  this  was  a  cabin  of  two  rooms  for  the  use  of 
the  family.  Never  before  or  since  did  any  navigator  stem  the  current  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  91 

the  Mississippi  with  such  a  contrivance.  Leaving  the  great  river,  he  turned 
up  the  Rock,  and  on  landing  at  Como,  set  up  his  cabin,  where  it  braved  the 
elements  for  many  winters.  A  piece  of  the  siding  is  in  the  Whiteside  His- 
torical Society.  Mrs.  Scott  died  in  18T6,  and  Jesse  in  1907. 

Como  was  platted  in  1838  on  the  original  claim  of  Jason  Hopkins,  and 
was  laid  out  in  nine  blocks  and  142  lots,  which  were  bid  off  by  the  settlers, 
on  condition  they  were  to  build  a  house  or  forfeit  the  money  paid.  The 
postoffice  was  established  in  1840,  with  Dr.  Harding  as  postmaster.  The 
Congregational  church  was  erected  in  1854,  the  first  church  building  in 
Hopkins.  Charles  Holmes  and  Lorenzo  Hapgood  opened  a  store  in  1844, 
and  the  Smiths  and  Weber  a  mill  store.  In  1845  Aaron  W.  Pitts  began  the 
manufacture  of  an  improved  plow,  much  superior  to  those  in  common  uss, 
and  which  had  an  extensive  sale. 

The  first  hotel  in  Como  was  opened  in  1839  by  Capt.  Henry  Sampson, 
and  as  the  daily  line  of  four-horse  stages  changed  teams  here,  and  pas- 
sengers took  their  meals,  the  young  village  became  a  lively  point.  But  the 
large  grist  mill,  erected  in  1845,  at  a  cost  of  $42,000,  and  carried  on  for 
many  years  by  Leman  and  Howard  Smith,  was  the  commercial  glory  of  the 
place.  It  was  the  only  mill  in  the  valley,  up  and  down  Rock  river,  and  was 
the  headquarters  for  flour  and  feed  for  half  the  county.  But  Babylon  fell, 
and  the  big  landmark  is  no  more.  W.  R.  Kelsey,  of  Lyndon,  is  our  author- 
ity in  saying  that  it  was  abandoned  in  1868  or  '69,  and  was  burned  to  the 
ground  in  1880. 

THE    LYCEUM. 

Ev'ry  word  he  speaks  is  a  syren's  note 
To  draw  the  careless  hearer. — Beaumont. 

Como  has  always  had  good  schools  and  teachers,  with  such  men  as 
Phinney  and  Crary  at  the  desk,  and  naturally  with  the  intelligence  of  her 
citizens  would  have  a  lyceum.  Their  New  England  training  may  account 
for  jt,  too.  In  our  Historical  Society  is  the  record  of  the  Como  Lyceum 
from  1858  to  1860.  After  the  constitution  and  by-laws,  are  the  minutes  of 
the  meetings  held  every  week.  The  main  business  of  the  society  seemed 
to  be  debate,  and  the  best  brains  of  the  village  investigated  all  kinds  of 
questions,  moral,  social,  political. 

We  glean  a  few:  Resolved,  that  intemperance  has  caused  more  misery 
in  the  world  than  any  other  evil.  Resolved,  that  a  tariff  barely  sufficient  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  our  government  is  the  best.  Resolved,  that  we  can 
profit  more  by  the  defects  than  the  excellencies  of  others.  Resolved,  that 
we  are'  not  free  moral  agents.  Resolved,  that  the  signs  of  the  times  indicate 
the  perpetuity  of  the  Union.  Is  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  constitutional? 
A  roll  of  twenty-one  members  is  given,  and  among  them  are  the  following: 
John  Phinney,  Norman  Besse,  Charles  N.  Russell,  Washington  Loomis, 
Charles  B.  Holmes,  Henry  Murray,  George  Davidson,  R.  B.  Stoddard,  John 
I.  Russell.  Joel  Burdick,  Francis  Dubridge,  R.  C.  Warfield,  S.  S.  Partridge, 
W.  T.  Smith. 


92  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 


GALT. 

Since  I  was  so  soon  done  for, 
I  wonder  what  I  was  begun  for. 

When  Gait  was  platted  in  1855,  and  the  railroad  came  through,  the 
death  knell  of  Como,  over  a  mile  south,  was  rung.  So  near,  and  yet  so  far. 
A  depot  was  erected,  and  various  business  concerns  sprang  up,  some  of 
which  have  since  subsided.  The  elevator  and  lumber  yard  remain.  The 
Cheese  company  was  started  in  1873  with  a  capital  of  $3,100  and  a  main 
building  and  addition.  For  a  few  years  sixty  thousand  pounds  of  cheese 
were  made  annually.  William  Pratt  was  president,  and  Robert  A.  Gait 
treasurer.  It  ceased  operations  long  ago.  An  account  of  the  Gait  family 
after  whom  the  station  is  named  is  given  in  the  second  volume. 

On  a  spacious  lot  planted  with  trees,  stands  the  most  imposing  edifice 
in  Gait,  the  school  room  below,  and  the  town  hall  in  the  second  story.  It 
is  of  frame  painted  white.  The  citizens  take  pride  in  their  school  as  the 
best  jewel  in  their  crown.  In  December,  1907,  an  operetta,  "Bonnybell, 
or  Cinderella's  Cousin,"  was  given  by  the  pupils,  and  received  with  great 
satisfaction.  In  the  cast  were  forty  pupils,  and  the  characters  were  all  well 
taken  from  the  prince  and  queen  to  the  fairies  and  brownies.  Some  excel- 
lent musical  numbers.  The  town  hall  is  the  favorite  place  for  oyster  sup- 
pers and  festivals.  It  is  at  the  service  of  any  minister  who  desires  to  hold 
religious  meetings. 

EMPIRE  OR  EMERSON? 

Perhaps,  in  this  neglected  spot  is  laid 

Some  heart  once  pregnant  with  celestial  fire; 

Hands  that  the  rod  of  empire  might  have  swayed, 
Or  waked  to  ecstasy  the  living  lyre. — Gray. 

A  mile  or  so  north  from  'Gait  is  Emerson.  The  old  name  was  Empire, 
but  some  admirer  of  the  philosopher  decided  to  change  the  appellation.  In 
its  palmy  days,  the  prettiest  inland  spot  in  the  county.  It  has  not  the 
bluffs  of  Albany  and  the  mighty  Mississippi,  but  Elkhorn  and  the  dam, 
Spring  creek  and  its  rocky  banks,  the  mossy  meadows  between,  the  white 
cottages,  and  around  all,  the  refreshing  woodlands,  made  a  romantic  picture 
on  which  the  eye  loved  to  linger.  But  much  of  the  beauty  is  departed.  The 
dam  is  gone  and  turned  into  a  cornfield,  and  so  farewell  to  Riley's  "ole 
swimmin'  hole,"  and  the  skating  crystal  of  January.  The  bed  of  Spring 
creek  is  quarried  out.  Acres  of  noble  oak  have  fallen  before  the  Vandal  ax. 
It  were  vain  to  say 

Woodman;   spare   that   tree, 
Touch  not  a  single  bough. 

Corn  and  hogs  drive  out  all  sentiment.  Like  Como,  the  present  village  has 
lost  much  of  its  early  importance.  The  grist  mill,  woolen  factory,  and  saw 
mill,  ceased  operations  before  the  dam  was  swept  away.  There  remain  the 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  93 

store  and  blacksmith  shop.  There  is  a  substantial  two-story  schoolhouse, 
erected  in  the  early  fifties,  and  afterwards  enlarged.  It  once  bore  the  flat- 
tering title  of  Oak  Grove  Academy.  Here  were  in  attendance  at  various 
times  some  persons  who  are  quite  well  known:  Rev.  John  K.  Reed,  mis- 
sionary to  Africa,  Dr.  Frank  Keefer,  Miss  Alice  Dinsmoor,  Mrs.  George 
Keefer,  Jarvis  Dinsmoor,  Esq.  At  one  time  many  of  the  patrons  were  from 
Franklin  county,  coming  in  1854  and  55,  the  Reeds,  Reefers,  and  Groves. 
James  Dinsmoor,  Esq.,  a  member  of  the  legislature,  had  an  extensive  farm 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  district.  Of  all  the  settlers  fifty  years  ago, 
only  two  are  living,  Benjamin  Reed  and  Mrs.  Ryerson,  now  in  Sterling. 
Martin  Ryerson  came  from  New  Jersey  to  Whiteside  in  1850,  worked  as  a 
carpenter  and  farmer,  married  Margaret  Johnson,  and  died  a  few  years  ago. 
At  sixteen  he  was  apprenticed  for  four  years  at  ten  cents  a  day. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Harry  Reed,  we  are  furnished  with  the 
subjoined  account  of  the  First  Lutheran  church  of  Hopkins.  It  stands  in 
Emerson  on  the  road  leading  north : 

The  Lutheran  church  at  Empire  (now  Emerson)  was  organized  April 
4,  1870,  and  a  church  building  erected  the  same  year.  Dr.  J.  W.  Richards, 
who  has  since  risen  to  a  prominent  position  in  the  Lutheran  church,  was 
practically  the  first  pastor  of  the  church,  although  there  was  preaching  for 
a  short  period  before  that  time.  The  names  "of  the  pastors,  and  time  they 
served,  are  as  follows:  J.  W.  Richard,  April  1,  1871,  to  July  31,  1873; 
J.  T.  Gladhill,  August  1,  1873,  to  December  15,  1874;  E.  S.  Rees,  August 
1,  1875,  to  August  1,  1878;  J.  W.  Elser,  December  1,  1878  to  December  1, 
1880.  At  this  date  the  church  ceased  to  have  a  resident  pastor,  and  services 
were  held  by  Rev.  E.  Brown  of  Sterling  Sunday  afternoons,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  Sunday  each  month,  during  more  than  nineteen  years,  until  his 
death.  From  that  time  until  now  preaching  services  have  been  held  by 
Mr.  H.  K.  Hostetter  of  Sterling,  and  the  ministers  of  Trinity  Evangelical 
church  on  alternate  Sunday  afternoons.  There  are  58  members  of  the 
church.  The  Sunday  school  was  held  in  the  schoolhouse  long  before  the 
church  was  built.  It  has  continued  without  any  interruption  ever  since. 
The  superintendent  is  H.  M.  Overholser.  The  total  attendance  is  about  50. 

Old  Empire  had  two  conspicuous  characters,  familiar  to  the  dwellers 
as  household  words,  Joel  Harvey  and  Major  Wallace.  Joel  came  from  New 
York.  He  built  the  mill  and  store,  several  dwellings,  and  owned  large 
tracts  of  land  in  the  vicinity.  It  was  said,  although  ready  to  buy,  he  never 
sold  an  acre.  A  man  of  enterprise,  sagacity,  and  very  tenacious  of  his  rights. 
His  son,  Samuel,  was  second  sergeant  in  Co.  B,  13th  Illinois  Volunteers, 
and  went  through  all  the  battles  without  a  scratch.  Joel  bored  an  artesian 
well  in  Sterling,  and  laid  pipes,  long  before  the  present  system.  He  removed 
to  Sterling,  and  died  there  in  1875. 

ELIJAH    AND    ELIZABETH    WALLACE,    PIONEERS    IN    HOPKINS. 

My  acquaintance  with  Major  Wallace  began  in  1859  when  I  taught  the 
Empire  school,  and  boarded  at  the  large  white  farm  house,  one  of  the  firm- 
est ever  put  up  in  the  county.  Martin  Ryerson.  neighbor  on  the  north,  was 


94  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  carpenter.  He  was  a  man  of  powerful  muscle,  raw  boned,  and  used  to 
pick  up  timbers  that  generally  required  two  ordinary  fellows  to  lift.  A 
wide  hall  runs  through  the  center,  two  spacious  rooms  on  each  side.  The 
major  called  the  ample  cellar  and  garret  the  two  best  rooms  in  the  house. 

A  genuine  Sucker,  careless  in  dress,  slouch  pulled  over  his  eyes,  his 
hooked  cane  hung  over  his  arm,  shambling  gait,  always  ready  to  stop  and 
chat,  full  of  joke  and  story.  An  early  riser,  and  at  four  o'clock  he  might 
regularly  be  seen  dozing  in  his  rocking  chair  before  the  Franklin  stove  in 
the  sitting  room.  0  pity  this  has  disappeared,  the  only  specimen  in  the 
state,  I  suppose.  It  was  a  large  cast  iron  hearth  with  back  and  plate,  all 
open,  no  doors. 

His  estate  of  stream  and  woodland  was  his  world.  Day  after  day  about 
the  house  or  farm,  or  to  the  village  store,  or  to  some  neighbor'.-;,  or  in 
pleasant  weather  lounging  at  one  end  of  the  long  front  porch.  He  was 
induced  to  attend  the  state  fair  at  Freeport  about  1860,  and  that  was  the  only 
time  I  ever  heard  of  his  going  away,  or  saw  him  in  his  Sunday  suit  of  rusty 
black.  He  was  no  Beau  Brummel. 

As  he  had  plenty  of  leisure  and  tired  of  reading,  he  liked  to  meet  folks. 
He  was  fond  of  the  children,  talked  to  them  as  they  went  to  school,  and 
they  in  turn  liked  him.  In  fact,  Major  had  no  enemies.  He  never  looked 
for  trouble,  never  made  any,  always  in  good  humor,  played  jokes,  and  took 
them.  Always  at  meeting  when  any  was  held  in  the  school  house,  an 
admirer  of  Rev.  E.  Erskine,  Presbyterian,  who  occasionally  preached  at 
Empire. 

It  is  said  the  father  of  Hugh  and  Elijah  Wallace  came  with  them  at 
first,  and  that  they  rode  on  horseback  from  Cumberland  county,  Pa.,  the 
father  advising  the  boys  in  the  selection  of  land.  Certainly  the  original  tract 
as  purchased  in  1838  was  an  ideal  spot,  watered  by  Spring  and  Elkhorn 
creeks  with  prairie  for  fanning,  and  woodlands  for  pasture.  A  noble  home- 
stead, now  all  in  the  hands  of  strangers.  The  major  soon  planted  a  large 
orchard,  and  for  years  after  his  bins  were  full.  Empire  people  were  invited 
to  help  themselves. 

The  major  took  to  hunting  and  fishing  as  a  duck  to  water.  Just  suited 
his  tastes,  as  he  had  no  fondness  for  steady  work.  What  stories  he  had  of 
deer,  fish,  and  the  wild  denizens  of  the  woods.  At  that  day  a  stroll  on  the 
prairie  or  a  search  along  the  banks  of  the  creeks,  generally  was  rewarded 
with  some  kind  of  game.  An  expert  carver,  laying  a  fowl  in  pieces  with 
the  ease  of  an  operator  in  a  hospital. 

Elizabeth  Wallace  was  in  some  respects  like  the  major,  good  natured, 
companionable,  simple  in  dress,  kindly,  sympathetic,  but  much  more  indus- 
trious. Seldom  away  from  home,  except  once  in  a  while  to  a  neighbor's, 
but  always  busy.  Her  tastes  were  purely  domestic.  The  kitchen  was  her 
world.  The  preparation  of  the  meals  and  the  various  functions  of  the  cul- 
inary department  occupied  most  of  her  time. 

She  took  the  milk  management  into  her  care,  for  they  had  a  herd  of 
cows,  and  it  was  her  joy  to  perform  the  regular  task  of  making  the  butter. 
In  pleasant  weather  as  you  drove  past  the  kitchen  door,  you  were  sure  to 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  95 

see  Aunt  Elizabeth  standing  by  the  high  upright  churn,  and  moving  the 
piston  up  and  down,  the  strings  of  her  white  cap  fluttering  in  the  wind. 

Gentle  in  mein  and  mind 
Of  gentle  womankind. 

Mrs.  Wallace  had  an  excellent  pedigree,  belonging  to  one  of  the  best 
families  in  Pennsylvania,  the  Cassatts.  Her  father  was  prominent  in  politics, 
and  if  will  be  remembered  that  the  late  Napoleonic  president  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company  was  A.  J.  Cassatt.  In  her  girlhood,  Mrs.  Wal- 
lace had  a  good  education,  and  in  her  pioneer  days  must  have  missed  the 
refinements  of  her  father's  home  in  which  the  first  years  were  spent  before  the 
big  frame  house  was  built,  was  allowed  to  stand,  and  was  used  as  a  cob  house. 
It  was  on  the  south  side  of  the  Morrison  road,  and  near  the  rocky  bank  of 
Spring  Creek,  but  finally  tumbled  down.  As  late  as  1865  the  spring  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill  north  of  Spring  creek  bridge,  was  running,  but  with  the  cut- 
ting of  the  forest  trees  it  has  dried  up. 

The  major  died  at  53  in  1861,  followed  in  time  by  Anna  and  David. 
The  oldest  daughter,  Mary,  married  and  moved  to  Iowa,  where  the  mother 
removed  after  the  sale  of  the  favorite  early  homestead.  James  also  died  in 
Iowa.  Robert  is  in  California.  Aunt  Elizabeth,  on  her  death  in  Iowa,  was 
brought  to  Sterling,  and  laid  by  the  side  of  her  husband  and  daughter  in 
Riverside.  The  entire  family  is  broken  up  and  the  Wallace  name  is  for- 
gotten. 

Northwest  of  Emerson  is  a  German  church  for  the  benefit  of  the  sur- 
rounding farmers  from  the  Fatherland.  The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  of  Hopkins  township  was  organized  in  the  year  1875  by  Rev.  FT. 
Lussky,  at  present  in  Ottawa,  111.  Before  Rev.  Lussky  organized  this 
church,  there  had  been  Lutheran  service  for  some  time  by  Rev.  C.  Seuel, 
who  was  at  that  time  stationed  at  Lyons,  Iowa.  His  present  location  is 
Freistadt,  Wis.  Several  years  ago  he.  advanced  to  the  office  of  president  of 
the  Wisconsin  District  of  the  Missouri  Synod. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  first  members  of  this  congregation : 
John  Kuelson,  Aug.  Stern,  John  Staassen,  H.  T.  Meins,  Frank  Haven, 
Aug.  Ohms,  Louis  Dauen,  John  F.  Onken,  D.  L.  Janssen,  Henry  Ohnen, 
Gerh.  Dirks,  Wm.  Hinrichs.  After  Rev.  C.  Seuel,  the  congregation  had  the 
following  ministers:  Fr.  Lussky,  C.  Ponitz,  and  Em.  Meyer.  Emanuel 
Meyer,  present  minister,  was  born  in  Rodenberg,  Cook  county,  111.,  educated 
at  Concordia  College,  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  and  prepared  for  the  ministry  at 
Concordia  Seminary,  Springfield,  111.  His  installation  here  took  place  on  Oct. 
23,  1892,  fifteen  years  ago  last  October.  At  the  present  time  the  church  has 
a  voting  membership  of  53.  All  told,  about  75  families  belong  to  this  church. 
There  is  no  Sunday  school,  but  part  of  the  Sunday  service  is  devoted  to 
catechetical  instruction  for  the  children  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  con- 
gregation. The  average  attendance'  of  the  children  is  30.  Besides  this, 
there  is- a  parochial  school  with  28  pupils. 


96  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

ITEMS. 

In  the  Whiteside  Historical  Society  is  a  wooden  sign,  two  feet  by 
three,  bearing  the  words,  "Temperance  House,"  which  swung  in  the  stage- 
coach days  before  the  Sampson  hotel. 

As  late  as  1860  the  cabins  of  Joel  Harvey  and  Major  Wallace  were 
.standing  on  their  property.  The  first  by  his  new  dwelling,  the  second  in 
his  barn  yard,  both  used  as  cob  houses. 

Peter  Pollock,  son  of  the  pioneer  surveyor  of  Como,  says  Elkhorn 
creek  derives  its  name  from  that  animal's  remains  in  Hopkins.  His  father 
gave  Elijah  Wallace  $15  for  a  pair  of  elkhorns  found  along  the  creek,  and 
sent  them  as  a  gift  to  Peter  Maison  in  Philadelphia. 

Como's  old  cemetery,  north  of  the  town,  opposite  the  dam,  has  suffered 
of  late  by  the  inroads  of  the  creek  in  freshet,  so  that  some  graves  had  to  be 
removed. 

Col.  George  Weber,  promoter  of  the  Como  mill,  a  frequent  visitor  at 
Pollocks,  was  grandfather  of  Jane  Addams,  the  founder  of  Hull  House  in 
Chicago. 

Buckley's  circus  in  Como  when  time  was  young  was  the  first  sawdust 
exhibition  in  the  county. 

Dr.  Leander  Harding,  who  gave  pills  and  powders  for  Como  aches,  was 
highly  esteemed  as  a  man  and  a  physician. 

One  of  the  most  useful  citizens  at  old  Empire  was  0.  C.  Stolp,  manager 
of  the  carding  mill.  Mrs.  Stolp  was  a  good  cook,  and  the  traveler  was  sure 
of  comfortable  entertainment.  There  was  a  prophet's  chamber  for  the 
itinerant  Methodist  preacher.  Mr.  S.  was  for  a  long  time  the  only  person 
in  the  village  to  conduct  the  Sunday  school.  He  took  delight  in  every  goad 
word  and  work.  At  the  lyceum  meetings  in  the  schoolhouse  he  often  sent 
in  a  poem  on  some  current  event.  Two  children,  Lydia  and  Byron.  Byron 
is  a  doctor  near  Chicago.  Mr.  Stolp  died  in  Missouri. 

Asleep  in  Jesus!  far  from  thee 

Thy  kindred  and  their  graves  may  be. 

COMO    CHIEF A    TROTTER. 

About  1870,  when  the  old  Sterling  fair  was  in  its  glory,  and  the  after- 
noon races  were  the  attractive  feature,  the  appearance  of  one  dark  horse  in 
the  ring  was  the  signal  for  applause.  That  was  Como  Chief,  and  he  was 
always  driven  in  sulky  by  his  proud  owner,  Ezekiel  Olds.  In  his  best 
days  he  was  never  beaten,  although  matched  against  imported  stock.  Game 
to  the  last,  reliable,  never  broke,  trotted  squarely  from  start  to  finish.  What 
cheers  as  the  Olds  horse  crossed  the  pole.  Like  Patti,  he  never  seemed  to 
decline.  Year  after  year  witnessed  the  triumphs  of  the  staunch  steed.  But 
that  was  a  generation  ago,  and  driver  and  horse  are  now  under  the  violets. 

PRICES  IN  1862  AND  1865. 

WAR  HISTORY  IN    OLD   LEDGERS. 

There  was  a  pile  of  dusty  day-books  in  the  basement  of  the  store  formerly 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  97 

owned  by  D.  M.  Crawford,  Sterling,  and  one  winter  day  as  the  janitor  was 
shoving  them,  one  by  one,  into  the  furnace,  a  friendly  hand  in  the  nick  of 
time  rescued  two  from  annihilation,  and  placed  them  in  the  Historical 
Society.  A  glance  through  the  big  volumes  makes  interesting  reading  today. 
The  present  generation  knows  little  about  low  prices  or  high  prices.  "Before 
and  after,"  as  the  patent  medicine  pictures  say.  It  was  about  1860  that 
corn  was  only  ten  cents  a  bushel,  and  in  some  places  was  burned  for  fuel. 

Let  us  look  at  the  day-book  of  June,  1862.  Common  shoes  only  $1.15, 
muslin  14  cents  a  yard,  cheap  gloves  9  cents,  cheaper  shoes  50  cents,  calico 
18  cents,  drilling  28,  denim  22,  coffee  25  cents,  cotton  flannel  30,  buttons  10, 
thread  8.  As  the  year  wore  on,  however,  things  advanced,  and  we  find  in 
November,  muslin  ,at  28  cents,  thread  10,  shoes  $1.75,  calico  20.  The  poor 
farmers  were  almost  giving  their  produce  away.  What  do  you  think  of 
bringing  30  pounds  of  butter  five  miles  for  eight  cents  a  pound,  and  eges 
for  four  cents?  The  hens  should  have  gone  on  a  strike.  Lard  was  only 
seven  cents.  As  the  stores  took  the  butter  and  eggs  in  trade,  we  find  they 
were  sold  over  the  counter  at  the  same  price. 

Now  turn  to  the  day-book  for  March,  1865.  The  war  was  about  over, 
but  goods  were  soaring.  The  times  did  not  try  men's  souls  as  in  1776,  but 
their  pocketbooks.  Muslin  65,  suspenders  90,  coffee  50,  hose  50  and  60, 
tea  $2.25,  drilling  50,  Cassimere  $3.62  per  yard,  check  60,  hickory  55, 
cloth  for  coats  $8  yard,  denim  60,  wool  shirt  $4,  boy's  coat  $11,  yarn  $2, 
goods  for  suit  $43,  cotton  flannel  65.  The  poor  farmer  began  to  smile. 
November,  1865,  he  was  receiving  30  cents  for  butter,  and  30  for  eggs. 
Doubtless  the  books  for  1866  and  onward  would  show  a  gradual  decrease  in 
merchandise,  but  produce  has  never  since  fallen  so  low. 

PROPHETSTOWN. 

Prophet,  said  I,   thing  of  evil! 

Prophet'  still,  if  bird  or  devil ! 

By  that  heaven  that  bends  above  us, 

By  that  God  we  both  adore., 

Tell  this  soul  with  sorrow  laden — Poe's  Raven. 

Many  of  our  state  names  preserve  the  memory  of  the  red  man,  who 
roamed  these  prairies  before  us,  and  it  is  commendable.  Every  name  tells 
a  story,  awakens  an  emotion :  Illinois,  Mississippi,  Chicago,  Winnebago. 
Of  all  our  townships,  Prophetstown  is  the  only  one  of  Indian  association, 
recalling  Black  Hawk's  chief  adviser,  whose  home  was  on  or  near  the  site 
of  the  present  village. 

Too  goodly  a  land  to  be  neglected,  and  soon  as  the  Black  Hawk  strug- 
gle was  settled  and  the  coast  was  clear,  the  white  emigrants  made  their 
claims.  In  June,  1834,  Asa  Crook  and  family  arrived,  living  in  his  wagon 
and  a  lodge  all  summer  until  he  erected  a  log  house  in  the  fall.  John  W. 
Slakes  and  wife  came  in  September.  In  the  spring  of  1836,  James  Knox, 
Sr..  started  the  ferry  across  Rock  river,  the  first  in  the  county.  The  same 
year  Daniel  Crocker  from  Galena  opened  a  store  in  a  log  cabin.  In  June, 


98  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

1837,  Jabez  Warner  with  his  two  sons  came  up  Rock  river  in  a  flatboat, 
with  a  stock  of  goods,  forming  a  partnership  with  Simon  Page.  Most  of  the 
original  settlers  came  before  1840,  and  we  shall  consider  them  again. 

Prophetstown  lies  in  the  heart  of  a  very  rich  agricultural  district.  The 
land  is  extremely  fertile,  and  thrifty  farmers  have  grown  independent. 
Perhaps  the  only  rural  section  where  the  tillers  of  the  soil  have  automo- 
biles. It  is  said  in  town  and  country  around  there  are  nearly  twenty  of 
these  destructive  machines.  The  face  of  the  land  is  beautiful,  not  a  dead 
level,  but  just  enough  swell  and  meadow  to  gladden  the  eye  and  rejoice  the 
heart.  No  wonder  Black  Hawk  and  his  braves  clung  to  this  lovely  valley. 

Heavens,   what   a  goodly   prospect 
Of  hills  and  dales  and  woods. 

Prophetstown  is  on  the  Mendota  branch  of  the  Burlington,  and  can  be 
reached  from  the  north  or  south  by  changing  cars  at  Denrock.  A  pleasant 
drive  from  Sterling  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  through  a  charming 
section  of  well  improved  farms.  Soon  after  leaving  the  station  you  enter 
the  main  street  with  several  blocks  of  stores',  offices,  and  various  business 
houses.  Here  is  the  Farmers'  National  Bank,  organized  in  1902,  with  a 
present  capital  stock  of  $60,000,  and  deposits  of  $133,907.  N.  Thompson 
is  president,  and  0.  P.  Petty,  formerly  of  First  National,  Sterling,  is  assistant 
cashier. 

This  is  the  office  of  the  Eclipse  Self-Sharpening  Lawn  Mower,  a  ma- 
chine that  is  winning  high  praise  wherever  used.  It  has  ten-inch  drive 
wheels,  four  steel  blades,  handle  and  roller  of  seasoned  hard  maple.  As  a 
precaution  against  rust  the  machine  is  treated  to  a  heavy  coat  of  white 
paint,  and  then  finished  in  aluminum,  giving  it  a  neat  appearance.  Three 
prime  points  are  claimed.  It  does  not  rust,  nor  clog,  and  is  self-sharpening. 
During  three  years  it  has  stood  all  tests,  and  is  recommended  by  those  who 
have  used  it  as  the  best  on  the  market.  The  manufacture  is  just  in  its 
infancy,  but  is  bound  to  grow. 

Along  Main  street  are  the  offices  of  the  five  doctors  who  take  care  of  the 
public  health,  Johnson,  Arnett,  Tascher,  Mother,  and  Bruce  from  Indiana, 
the  latest  arrival.  Also,  three  dentists  who  aim  to  keep  the  village  ivory  in 
perfect  condition,  Holland,  and  two  Gostelows.  These  have  their  rooms 
over  stores.  Several  restaurants,  where  a  dime  will  secure  a  good  cup  of 
coffee  and  piece  of  pie,  or  a  quarter  a  square  meal.  The  postoffice  business 
is  increasing.  The  sale  of  stamps  during  1907  amounted  to  $4,009,  an 
increase  of  $285  over  the  previous  year.  The  money  order  trade  was  $20,- 
000.  The  weight  of  mail  matter  dispatched  from  July,  1907,  to  Decem- 
ber, 1907,  was  8,222  pounds.  There  are  five  rural  routes. 

THE  CHT'RCnES. 

The  Methodist  church  erected  in  1864  sprang  from  a  mission  in  the 
house  of  N.  G.  Reynolds  in  the  summer  of  1836.  There  is  a  membership  of 
260,  a  Sunday  school  of  150,  with  an  Epworth  League,  Ladies'  Aid,  Women's 
Foreign  Mission  Society.  The  pastor.  Rev.  W.  B.  Doble,  is  an  Englishman, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  99 

was  educated  at  Northwestern  University  and  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  and 
entered  the  Rock  River  Conference  in  1890.  This  is  his  first  year  in  this 
charge. 

On  a  hill  stands  the  _Swedish  Lutheran  with  parsonage  adjacent.  There 
are  over  one  hundred  communicants,  a  Bible  class  of  40,  a  Ladies'  Aid 
of  30,  a  Y.  P.  S.  E.  A  small  Sunday  school  for  the  reason  that  most  of  the 
families  are  from  the  country  and  simply  attend  the  service  of  preaching. 
The  pastor,  Rev.  A.  Edgren,  came  from  south  of  Stockholm,  and  after  a 
high  school  education  in  Sweden,  studied  at  Augustana  College,  then  at  Pax- 
ton,  now  at  Rock  Island,  graduating  in  1873.  His  third  year  in  this  place. 

The  largest  church  in  the  town  is  the  Congregational,  with  a  member- 
ship of  340,  a  Sunday  school  of  190,  a  cradle  roll  of  40.  There  are  various 
societies:  Woman's  Missionary  Union,  Ladies'  Aid,  Christian  Endeavor, 
Senior  and  Junior,  Boys'  Club.  Every  two  weeks  a  Bible  club  mests  on 
Friday.  The  pastor  is  Rev.  Charles  Henry  Burdick,  of  Wisconsin,  a  grad- 
uate of  Beloit  college  and  Chicago  Theological  Seminary.  1902.  His  first 
charge  was  at  Moline. 

What's   a  table   richly  spread 
Without  a  woman  at  its  head? 

The  ladies  of  Prophetstown  are  wide  awake.  The  W.  C.  T.  U.  of  fifty 
members  meet  every  two  weeks  and  discuss  subjects  announced  beforehand.  A 
class  in  Domestic  Science  of  thirty,  who  have  papers  read  and  topics  to  consider. 
Some  viand  is  cooked,  and  the  good  women  pass  opinion  on  its  preparation.  As 
a  help  and  education  in  this  department,  literature  is  studied  in  the 
form  of  Good  Housekeeping,  published  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  the  Bos- 
ton Cooking  School  Magazine. 

The  Bay  View  Club  of  sixteen  members,  so  called  from  the  Bay  View 
Magazine,  issued  at  the  summer  school  in  Michigan,  is  purely  literary. 
Mrs.  George  E.  Paddock  is  the  presiding  genius.  They  meet  twice  a  month, 
and  compass  in  their  deliberations  a  wide  variety  of  topics,  American  his- 
tory and  literature,  proverbs,  current  events,  the  orators,  the  reformers,  like 
Garrison  and  Phillips,  historians  like  Parkman,  Motley  and  Prescott.  A 
lady  is  appointed  to  read  a  paper  followed  by  a  discussion.  The  meetings 
are  held  at  the  homes. 

Paris  has  its  Eiffel  tower,  Washington  the  marble  monument,  land- 
marks of  the  sky  that  overtop  all  meaner  objects.  Prophetstown  has  her 
lofty  tank,  100  feet  high,  situated  on  a  bluff  east  of  town.  The  pumping 
station  is  at  the  foot,  and  it  measures  140  feet  to  the  top  of  the  steel  tank. 
The  pump  is  run  by  a  25  horsepower  gasoline  engine,  with  a  capacity  of 
166  gallons  a  minute.  The  consumption  is  from  25.000  to  30,000  gallons 
per  day,  and  the  pump  works  about  four  hours  a  day  to  supply  the  demand 
of  a  hundred  patrons  whose  number  is  increasing.  All  the  new  residences 
have  closet  and  bath.  The  water  is  obtained  from  a  huge  well.  24  feet  deep 
and  ten  feet  across.  It  is  not  river  water,  but  flows  from  an  upper  strata 
in  the  bluff.  The  waterworks  were  constructed  in  1904,  and  with  the  exten- 
sions since,  have  cost  $25,000. 


100  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

During  the  disastrous  fire,  Jan.  27,  1908,  the  water  system  worked  to 
perfection.  Asst.  Engineer  Amos  Ott  had  charge  of  the  pumping  station 
and  when  the  fire  broke  out  the  65,000  gallon  reservoir  was  filled  to  the 
brim.  At  no  stage  of  the  fire  was  there  less  than  40,000  gallons  of  water 
in  the  tank.  During  the  time  that  three  leads  of  hose  were  used  the  water 
fell  ten  feet  but  that  was  the  lowest  stage  recorded.  The  pressure  was  strong, 
even  at  the  lowest  stage.  The  pumping  capacity  proved  almost  equal  to  the 
demand  of  two  lines  of  hose. 

Surrounding  the  pumping  station,  which  is  near  the  river,  is  a  native 
grove  of  the  original  oak,  blackberry,  walnut,  willow,  affording  a  delightful 
park  for  popular  resort.  No  expense  is  needed.  A 'simple  platform,  and  fes- 
tivals and  celebrations  can  be  enjoyed  all  through  the  summer.  As  you 
ascend  the  bluff  is  the  new  concrete  mansion  of  Herbert  Lancaster,  the  choic- 
est situation  in  the  town,  commanding  a  noble  view  of  Roek  river  and  the 
woods  on  either  bank. 

The  minstrel  boy  to  the  war  has  gone, 
In  the  ranks  of  death  you'll  find  him, 

His  father's  sword  he's  girded  on, 

And  his  wild  harp  slung  behind  him. — Moore. 

The  cemetery  east  of  town,  approached  by  a  concrete  walk,  is  crowded 
with  memorials  of  marble  and  granite.  Numerous  soldiers.  Lieut.  T.  G. 
Bryant,  1863;  0.  T.  Clark,  Co.  F,  28th  Iowa  Infantry;  John  Sanderson, 
Co.  H,  136th  N.  Y.  Infantry;  John  H.  Rise,  Co.  G,  i47th  111.  Infantry; 
Roswell  Slater,  1863,  543  Post;  and  Wm.  Hyde,  only  39;  Corporal  J.  W. 
Keefer,  Co.  B,  34th  111.  Infantry;  Charles  O/Pratt,  Co.  G,  13th  111.  Infan- 
try, 34,  died  in  Lyndon,  1871;  Henry  M.  Dailey,  183'3-1903;  J.  D.  Beards- 
ley,  Co.  K,  34th  111.  Infantry. 

A  soldiers'  monument  of  gray  granite  surmounted  by  a  private  with  gun 
at  rest.  On  each  of  "four  side?,  Kenesaw,  Gettysburg,  Shiloh,  Resaca  and 
this  inscription  : 

Erected  in   1905  by  W.  R.  C.  No.  97 

in  honor  of  Union  Soldiers  and  Sailors 

of  the  Civil  War. 

J.  A.  Parrott  Post. 

Cedar,  white  pine,  Norway  spruce,  here  and  there,  are  beautiful  emblems 
of  the  evergreen  shore  sought  by  the  dwellers  in  the  tombs  they  shadow. 
All  the  early  names  may  be  read  on  the  marbles:  McKenzie.  Pratt.  Waito. 
Noyes,  Snyder,  Greene,  Reynolds,  Field,  Ramsay,  Hill,  Butler,  Averill.  Pad- 
dock, Shaw,  Thompson,  Richmond,  Loomis,  Jabez  Warner,  1780-1847.  A.  J. 
Matson,  1819-1886.  This  grave  awakens  glorious  memories.  It  is  that  of 
Delight,  wife  of  Josiah  Cleaveland,  who  was  at  Yorktnvn.  17S1.  Washington 
and  Cornwallis  days.  She  died  in  1856  at  92,  and  was  the  grandmother  of 
Capt,  David  Cleaveland,  of  the  Civil  war.  Here  also  are  the  tombs  of  Silas 
Sears,  long  the  county  surveyor,  and  N.  G.  Reynolds,  eight  years  county 
judge,  1791-1866. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  101 

Beyond  this  solemn  enclosure  is  the  creamery,  operated  by  E.  C.  Dodge 
&  Co.  While  most  of  the  cream  is  brought  by  the  surrounding  farmers, 
some  is  shipped  from  stations  along  the  railroad.  The  quantity  of  butter 
made  varies  from  35  tubs  in  winter  to  100  in  summer.  The  milk  is  brought 
in  thirty-gallon  cans.  Payment  is  made  twice  a  month,  and  it  provides  the 
honest  yeoman  with  ready  money.  A  banker  remarked  that  many  a  farmer 
would  have  gone  to  the  wall  without  this  frequent  receipt  of  cash.  On  a 
shelf  are  rows  of  little  bottles  with  samples  of  milk  for  the  Babcock  tester. 

Near  the  creamery  is  the  modest  home  of  Capt.  David  Cleaveland,  the 
liveliest  of  veterans.  He  was  in  Co.  B,  34th  111.,  and  participated  in  Shiloh, 
Kenesaw  and  other  hard  engagements.  As  he  talks  of  those  stirring  times 
his  eye  brightens  and  he  is  again  leading  the  charge  on  the  rifle  pits. 

Wept  o'er  his  wounds,'  or  tales  of  sorrow  done, 
Shouldered  his  crutch,  and  showed  how  fields  were  won. 

Only  the  captain  is  none  of  Goldsmith's  crippled  victims. 

The  Grand  Army,  John  A.  Parrott  Post,  543,  is  a  thrifty  organization, 
owning  their  own  building.  They  occupy  the  upper  floor,  renting  the  lower 
for  a  store.  A  well  furnished  apartment,  with  portraits  on  the  walls  of  Wash- 
ington, Grant,  Garfield,  McKinley.  A  kitchen  and  dining  room  for  festi- 
vals. The  invaluable  treasure  of  the  place  is  a  library  of  some  200  stout 
volumes,  containing  a  complete  record  of  the  Rebellion,  Union  and  Con- 
federate. It  was  presented  by  the  lamented  Hitt.  There  are  twenty-three 
veterans  in  the  post.  The  W.  R.  C.  also  occupy  the  room  with  their  meetings. 

OLD  LANDMARK  GONE. 

What  was  known  as  the  Annis  House  was  taken  down  in  January,  1908. 
Nathan  Thompson,  who  came  in  1844,  says  the  building  was  there  at  that 
time,  and  was  erected  about  1841  or  42.  It  was  last  occupied  by  H.  A. 
Sturtevant  as  a  residence.  As  a  hotel  it  goes  back  to  the  early  days  of  the 
stage  coach,  and  saw  much  of  primitive  travel  and  excitement.  Walnut  was 
cheaper  than  pine,  as  it  was  a  native  wood,  and  the  writer  secured  a  piece  of 
a  door  jamb  for  the  Historical  Society,  which  is  as  hard  and  bright  as  ever 
after  sixty  years  of  usefulness.  Peace  to  its  ashes. 

Among  the  agricultural  diversions  of  the  community  is  the  Rock  River 
Poultry  Association,  which  held  its  third  annual  show  in  Dec.,  1907.  Four 
hundred  birds  were  on  exhibition  from  tiny  bantams  to  colossal  White 
Brahmas.  Entries  of  all  classes  of  the  feathered  tribe,  Plymouth  and  Buff 
Rock,  Wyandottes,  turkeys  and  geese,  fantail  and  carrier  pigeons.  A  unique 
exhibit  of  ring-necked  pheasants  of  H.  Cleaveland  attracted  much  attention. 
Sufficient  premiums  are  awarded  to  induce  a  generous  display.  The  officers 
in  charge  were  gratified  with  the  liberal  patronage  extended.  There  is  a 
popular  fondness  for  fowl,  not  only  at  shows,  but  at  holiday  dinners. 


102  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

IN    MEMORIAM. 

Friend  after  friend  departs; 

Who  hath  not  lost  a  friend? 
There  is  no  union  here  of  hearts, 

That  finds  not  here  an  end. 
Were  this  frail  world  our  only  rest, 
Living  or  dying,  none  were  blest. — Montgomery. 

When  the  news  spread  over  Prophetstown  on  Saturday  night,  October 
19,  1907,  that  Professor  Ellison  was  dead,  every  heart  felt  a  personal  loss. 
He  had  long  been  in  declining  health,  had  remained  in  the  schoolroom  after 
repeated  warnings  of  the  danger,  but  an  unwillingness  to  surrender  his  life 
work  impelled  a  continuance,  and  the  end  was  unavoidable.  The  hero  died 
in  the  harness.  .  . 

Willard  Sylvester  Ellison  was  a  natural  teacher,  and  took  all  pains  to 
equip  himself  for  the  career.  He  studied  at  Valparaiso,  at  Illinois  and  Iowa 
universities  and  various  normal  schools.  After  ten  years  in  district  schools, 
Gridley  in  Ustick,  Thompson  in  Carroll,  Miles  in  Iowa,  Garden  Plain  and 
Unionville,  he  entered  upon  his  final  position  as  head  of  the  schools  in 
Prophetstown.  Eighteen  beautiful  years!  Beautiful  in  every  relation  in 
life,  teacher,  father,  friend,  husband,  citizen.  His  pupils,  old  and  young, 
cherished  for  him  the  profoundest  affection.  Not  simply  an  educator,  but 
a  leader  in  every  good  word  and  work.  The  famous  Dr.  Arnold  of  Rugby 
left  a  deathless  example  of  faithfulness  after  fourteen  years  of  service.  Elli- 
son was  eighteen  in  Prophetstown. 

Never  did  the  village  witness  a  more  impressive  funeral.  The  Congre- 
gational church  was  packed  with  a  mourning  community.  The  ministers 
of  the  town  all  took  part. 

The  pallbearers  escorting  the  flower  laden  casket  were  Messrs.  N.  W. 
Paddock,  R.  C.  Forkey,  M.  P.  Brewer,  B.  E.  Hurd,  Simon  Keiser  and  S. 
D.  Gostelow.  The  short  opening  service  was  in  charge  of  Rev.  Doble,  who 
concluded  with  a  fervent  prayer.  Rev.  Mr.  Burdick  delivered  a  sermon,  the 
text  of  which  was  a  portion  of  Paul's  letter  to  Timothy.  The  lesson  was  a 
beautiful  tribute  to  the  life  of  Prof.  Ellison,  who  had  fought  the  good  fight 
and  won  the  victory.  The  old  church  choir  composed  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fenn, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daggett,  Mr.  Case  and  Mrs.  Paddock,  rendered  several  excel- 
lent and  appropriate  selections.  Rev.  Mr.  Edgren  pronounced  the  benediction. 

Prof.  Ellison  was  born  in  Snringfield.  Illinois  January  28,  1857.  His 
father  died  in  1862,  his  aged  mother  is  still  living.  He  was  married  in  1886 
to  Miss  Alice  Heberling,  who  with  four  children,  remain-;  to  mourn  his  loss. 

A  movement  is  in  progress  by  the  pupils  and  citizen*  to  erect  a  suitable 
monument  to  his  memory. 

But  to  the  hero,  when  his  sword 

Has  won  the  battle  for  the  free, 
Thy  voice  sounds  like  a  prophet's  word; 
And  in  its  hollow  tones  are  heard 
The  thank*  of.  millions  vet  to  be. — 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  103 

Unlike  the  good  Indians,  the  old  soldiers  are  not  all  in  the  cemetery, 
but  dozens  of  them  walk  the  streets,  proud  to  enjoy  the  land  they  fought  to 
save.  The  gray-haired  veterans  meet  almost  daily  at  the  postoffice,  where 
they  hear  the  gossip  of  the  street.  II.  L.  Johnson,  cousin  of  L.  L.,  of  Ster- 
ling, 147th  111.  Infantry.  Emmitt  Underbill,  34th  111.,  re-enlisted  in  1864, 
and  recalls  the  grand  review  in  Washington,  May,  1865.  All  the  veterans 
agree  that  this  parade  of  the  tattered  flags  and  bronzed  uniforms  was  the 
most  glorious  event  in  the  military  annals  of  the  world.  E.  P.  Beardslee, 
34th  111.,  Co.  K,  1861-1864,  now  past  sixty-six,  lost  a  finger  at  Corinth.  Ed 
Reynolds,  75th  111.,  was  shot  in  the  side.  George  Potter,  seventy,  2nd  Ver- 
mont Volunteers,  1861-1864,  went  through  the  Battles  of  the  Wilderness, 
and  was  wounded  in  the  side.  At  the  funeral  of  Henry  Giles,  34th  111.,  were 
Comrades  Oscar  Olmstead,  F.  U.  Brewer,  Charles  Birdsall,  Levi  Hopkins, 
Harrison  Johnson,  Emmitt  Underbill  and  Captain  Cleaveland.  The  Grand 
Army  is  crossing  the  river. 

SOME   OLD   FAMILIES. 

Of  the  original  settlers  of  Prophetstown,  none  are  left,  afid  even  their 
descendants  are  scarce.  The  Warners  are  an  exception.  Jabez  Warner,  who 
came  from  St.  Louis  in  1837,  had  nine  children,  some  of  whom  became 
prominent.  Edward  B.,  afterwards  in  Morrison  and  county  treasurer;  Sarah 
C.,  who  married  Silas  Sears,  county  surveyor,  and  who,  still  living  at  eighty, 
the  writer  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting.  She  lives  in  one  side  of  her  large 
dwelling,  and  keeps  house  by  herself,  bright  in  mind,  although  somewhat 
feeble  in  body.  She  has  a  distinct  remembrance  of  the  early  days.  Indians 
were  numerous  and  continual  beggars.  Her  mother  never  denied  them 
anything,  gave  a  loaf  of  bread  whenever  they  asked  for  it.  There  was  a 
lurking  suspicion  that  at  any  time  they  might  attempt  a  massacre.  A  son 
of  Jabez  was  John  H.,  who  married  Miss  Clarissa  E.  Bryant.  He  spent  his 
later  years  with  his  daughter,  Orpha,  widow  of  George  Shaw.  Mr.  Warner 
died  in  1907  at  ninety  or  more,  to  the  last  busy  about  the  flower  beds  and 
garden.  The  low  brick  house  in'  which  Mrs.  Shaw  lives  is  a  relic,  built  in 
1856,  and  in  fine  preservation.  A  daughter,  Eliza  A.,  married  Andrew  J. 
Tuller,  a  business  man,  who  afterwards  removed  to  Sterling.  They  had  a 
daughter,  Mary,  a  lovely  girl.  The  whole  family  are  gone,  except  Will,  a 
jeweler  in  Chicago. 

Anthony  J.  Mattson,  who  came  to  the  young  town  in  1838,  was  for 
many  years  its  representative  citizen.  He  was  postmaster  in  1848,  merchant 
in  1852,  banker  in  1855.  He  entered  heartily  into  every  movement  to 
improve  the  place,  and  worked  successfully  to  secure  railroad  facilities.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  provost  marshal,  and  then  chief  clerk  in  the  U.  S.  Reve- 
nue assessor's  office.  He  was  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank,  organized 
in  1872.  Only  67  at  his  death  in  1886.  A  useful  and  strenuous  career. 

Judge  Reynolds,  as  he  was  commonly  called,  or  Nathaniel  G.  Reynolds, 
came  in  1835  from  New  York  by  lake  to  Detroit,  and  thence  by  team  with 
wife  and  five  children  to  Chicago  and  the  Rock  river  country.  Flour  was 
twenty  dollars  a  barrel.  He  passed  through  the  usual  primitive  hardships, 


104  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  was  so  highly  esteemed  that  he  was  elected  to  responsible  positions, 
county  commissioner,  deputy  marshal,  justice  of  the  peace  and  eight  years 
county  judge.  In  1860  he  removed  to  Sterling,  and  died  there  in  1866. 
The  writer  often  saw  Judge  in  his  declining  years.  He  was  a  plain,  sociable 
gentleman  of  the  old  school. 

Of  the  Olmstead  clan,  George  is  the  best  known  member.  His  father, 
Oliver,  a  native  of  Canada,  came  in  1837.  He  married  Electa  Hunt,  and 
the  honeymoon  was  enjoyed  in  a  log  cabin  with  frozen  pork  and  cornbread, 
instead  of  roast  goose  with  oyster  stuffing.  George  lives  like  a  king  on  a 
main  street,  and  is  never  absent  from  Sunday  school  conventions. 

The  Ramsay  name  is  kept  bright  and  illustrious  by  Judge  Frank  D. 
long  a  successful  lawyer  in  Morrison.  His  father,  Luther,  came  in  1839. 

But  the  Nestor  of  Prophetstown  is  Nathan  Thompson,  born  in  1822, 
here  since  1845.  He  is  court  of  last  resort  on  all  antiquarian  matters  about 
the  village.  No  appeal  from  Nate's  decision. 

HAMDEX    A.    STURTEVANT. 

—Blow,  wind!  come,  wrack! 


At  least,  we'll  die  with  harness  on  our  back. — Macbeth. 

When  Mr.  Sturtevant  died  in  February,  1908,  Prophetstown  lost  her 
oldest  business  man.  Not  only  prosperous  himself,  but  the  instrument  of 
prosperity  for  others.  Busy  from  a  boy. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  engaged  in  stock  buying  for  A.  J.  Patter- 
son of  Rock  Falls.  For  three  years  he  served  this  man  and  with  so  great 
success  that  when  he  concluded  to  go  for  himself  he  was  receiving  a  salary 
of  $1,500  per  year.  His  success  followed  him  and  for  years  he  was  well 
known  in  the  old  Chicago  stock  yards  district.  For  37  years  a  resident  of 
the  town.  He  was  nearly  seventy. 

A  little  fire  is  quickly  trodden  out, 

Which,  being  suffered,  rivers  cannot  quench. — Shakespeare. 

Early  on  Monday  morning,  Jan.  27,  1908,  Prophetstown  had  her  second 
serious  fire.  It  began  on  Sunday  night  in  the  basement  of  Kempster's 
hardware  store,  and  before  the  flames  were  under  control,  the  whole  concern, 
including  the  extensive  implement  stock,  the  largest  in  the  county,  was 
destroyed.  The  Turck  restaurant  building  was  much  damaged.  States 
Attorney  Waite's  library,  Dr.  Hart's  new  medical  office  and  supplies  were 
consumed.  Some  adjacent  properties  injured.  The  total  loss  reaching  $50,- 
000.  R.  W.  Kempster  &  Co.  had  an  insurance  of  $33,000,  but  still  lost 
about  $13,000.  Partial  insurance  on  the  others. 

One  of  the  new  industrial  enterprises  is  what  is  called  Diamond  Pattern 
Lumber.  It  is  something  novel.  Simply  a  wooden  pattern  for  sills,  stair 
treads,  engine  platforms,  any  place  where  a  firm  foot-hold  is  desired.  This 
pattern  is  ready  for  the  foundry.  You  buy  the  style  desired,  and  take  to 
the  foundry  to  be  cast,  thus  saving  wages  of  a  patternmaker.  The  pattern 
is  made  in  pieces  eight  feet  long,  six  to  twelve  inches  wide,  of  clear  lumber 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  105 

stock.  Dr.  J.  H.  Tascher  is  president  of  the  Macdonald  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  the  business  has  already  extended  over  the  United  States  and 
even  abroad.  Pins  are  stuck  on  a  map  in  the  office  of  the  points  giving 
orders,  and  the  cities  reach  from  sea  to  sea,  lakes  to  gulf. 

Most  of  the  fraternal  orders  are  in  flourishing  condition, .electing  officers 
every  winter,  and  closing  with  a  sumptuous  banquet.  A  long  list.  Among 
them  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  Royal  Neighbors,  the  Pythians,  the  Frater- 
nal Reserves.  At  the  social  of  the  Rebekahs  on  one  occasion  a  basket  sale 
realized  $35,  and  a  dance  concluded  the  festivities.  The  Royal  Neighbors 
have  readings,  music  and  drills,  and  suppers  where  250  plates  are  laid.  The 
Mystic  Workers  are  growing  rapidly,  and  at  their  functions  discuss  their 
plum  pudding  to  the  sweet  strains  of  a  lively  orchestra. 

There  are  three  banks :  Farmers'  National  Bank,  organized  in  1902, 
with  a  capital  of  $60,000,  and  deposits  by  last  report  of  $133,907.  Nathan 
Thompson  is  president;  George  E.  Paddock,  cashier;  and  0.  P.  Petty,  assist- 
ant cashier.  The  Citizens'  Bank,  T.  F.  Jamison,  cashier.  This  is  a  private 
concern,  organized  by  Mrs.  E.  M.  Warner  and  Charles  J.  Warner.  Bank 
of  Prophetstown,  also  private;  president,  George  E.  Paddock;  cashier,  H.  E. 
Paddock.  This  is  the  oldest  institution  in  the  town,  in  operation  for  thirty 
years. 

The  population  in  1900  was  1,143,  but  by  the  school  census,  it  is  now 
nearly  1,500. 

Taxes  for  1908  were  generally  higher  all  over  the  county,  and  the  fol- 
lowing for  Prophetstown  will  give  a  good  idea  of  other  townships: 

State   tax    $2,803 

County   tax    4,220 

Town  tax   517 

Road  and  bridge  tax 4,505 

School  tax   8,862 

City  tax    3,868 

Dog  tax    105 


Total   $24,822 

The  principal  places  where  popular  entertainments  are  given  are  Sholes 
Hall  and  the  Dudley  auditorium. 

ITEMS. 

Good  traveling  all  over  the  town.     Ten  miles  of  cement  sidewalks. 

Henry  Stewart,  who  lives  to  the  south,  ships  honey,  1,500  pounds  at 
a  time,  to  Galesburg.  He  has  cement  floors  in  his  winter  bee  house,  and 
other  appliances  to  keep  the  "How  doth  the  little  busy  bee,  improve  each 
shining  hour,"  in  good  heart  for  spring. 

E.  C.  Dodge  &  Company  have  added  a  new  churn,  and  a  new  eight 
horsepower  gas  engine,  to  meet  the  demands  of  their  creamery. 

Hotel  Eureka  entertains  the  wayfarer  in  satisfactory  style.  Rates,  two 
dollars  a  day.  C.  A.  Gould,  an  energetic  young  man,  is  proprietor. 


106  .     HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

One  mile  from  town  is  the  wagon  bridge  of  four  arches  over  Rock  river, 
not  so  wide  here  as  further  up. 

A  village  organization  under  state  law.  George  E.  Paddock  is  president 
two  years,  with  six  trustees,  three  elected  for  two  years'  term. 

Good  electric  service,  the  plant  under  private  management. 

A  lecture  course  of  four  entertainments  was  given  in  1908  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of  the  Methodist  church. 

There  is  no  complete  system  of  sewerage,  and  this  is  doubtless  one  of 
the  next  enterprises  of  the  progressive  place,  as  the  water  supply  is  abundant. 

LEON. 

I  love  tranquil  solitude 

And  such  society 

As  is  quiet,  wise,  and  good. — Shelley. 

About  seven  miles  south  of  Prophetstown  on  the  border  line  of  the 
township  and  Henry  county  is  the  sequestered  village  of  Leon.  A  neighbor- 
hood of  intelligent,  industrious  people,  hearty  in  their  support  of  an  earnest 
and  growing  church  and  a  small  but  excellent  school.  The  building  is  new, 
and  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  Miss  Rena  Seyller,  teacher  in  1908,  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Prophetstown  high  school,  and  prepared  for  her  work  at 
De  Kalb  Normal,  and  was  in  her  third  year  of  service. 

The  church  has  almost  one  hundred  members,  several  having  been 
added  during  a  revival  in  the  winter  of  1908.  There  is  an  Epworth  League 
of  35  active  members,  and  a  flourishing  Ladies'  Aid  society.  Rev.  I.  P. 
Berry,  the  pastor,,  after  a  course  at  Oberlin,  Valparaiso  and  De  Kalb  Normals, 
and  ten  years  in  public  schools,  engaged  in  ministerial  work. 

For  a  small  place,  a  variety  of  gatherings  and  functions  during  the 
winter  to  divert  and  instruct  in  the  way  of  sociables,  home  plays,  public 
concerts  and  lectures.  Once  Ralph  Bingham  was  on  the  list.  The  popula- 
tion of  Leon  is  about  125.  A  farming  community,  and  the  growth  is  gradual. 

The  quiet  of  the  hamlet  was  rudely  broken  on  Nov.  20,  1905,  by  the 
shooting  of  Burton  Mapes,  a  farmer,  by  Arthur  Handley,  who  had  been 
working  for  him.  The  affray  occurred  half  mile  south  of  Leon,  at  a  crass- 
road,  near  a  cornfield.  The  men  had  a  dispute  about  wages,  and  Handley 
drew  his  revolver  and  fired  a  bullet  which  pierced  the  side  and  lungs  of 
Mapes,  killing  him  instantly.  In  the  trial,  Handley  claimed  that  Mapes 
assaulted  him  and  that  the  shot  was  fired  in  self  defense.  Handley  was 
taken  before  Justice  Mathis,  then  to  the  county  jail,  and  on  the  meeting 
of  the  grand  jury,  indicted  for  murder.  William  Allen  of  Erie,  and  H.  C. 
Ward  of  Sterling  defended  the  prisoner.  States  Attorney  Stager,  assisted  by 
C.  L.  Sheldon  prosecuted  the  case.  Judge  E.  C.  Graves  presided.  Morrison 
was  the  scene  of  great  excitement  during  the  trial,  which  continued  several 
days,  summoning  numerous  witnesses,  and  attracting  crowds  of  curious  spec- 
tators. The  case  was  given  to  the  jury  at  11:28  a.  m.  on  Monday,  and  on 
Wednesday  at  10:08  a.  m.,  they  returned  the  verdict  of  Not  Guilty.  A 
demonstration  of  applause  in  court,  which  the  Judge  suppressed.  One  fea- 


HISTORY    OF    WIIITES1DE    COUNTY  107 

ture  lent  a  slight  romance  to  the  trial  and  won  sympathy  for  the  accused. 
His  betrothed,  Miss  Gracia  Goodell,  a  sprightly  maiden  of  eighteen,  was  a 
close  observer  of  events.  Mrs.  Mapes,  wife  of  the  victim,  was  also  in  con- 
stant attendance. 

As  a  specimen  of  criminal  expense,  the  various  items  as  published  at 
the  time,  are  given : 

Assembling  of  jury $    700.00  '  *! 

Judge's  fees 80.00 

.Sheriff    120.00 

Circuit  clerk  hire  48.00 

Jury's  fees   192.00 

Board  for  jury   108.00 

Foreign  witnesses   .'.  .  125.40 

Assistant  attorneys  for  state 1,000.00 


$2,373.40 

The  forty  cents  recalls  the  incident  of  the  loafer  who  provided  a  fishing 
outfit  of  two  jugs  of  whisky  and  one  loaf  of  bread,  and  was  asked  why  he 
wanted  so  much  bread.  As  will  be  seen,  the  county  always  loses  by  a  mur- 
der trial,  one  citizen  and  considerable  cash. 

Two  lively  weeklies  chronicle  passing  events.  The  Echo,  established  in 
1892  by  William  Wilson.  In  1896  it  was  purchased  by  Cleaveland  and 
Hotchkiss,  and  in  1908>  transferred  to  E.  G.  Mathis.  Since  October  of  that 
year  he  has  been  in  control.  Eight  pages  and  six  columns  to  a  page.  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  To  use  the  language  of  Mr.  Mathis,  the  Echo  is  purely 
a  local  newspaper,  standing  pre-eminently  for  Prophetstown,  her  interests 
and  her  people.  No  better  weekly  in  the  county. 

The  older  of  the  two  is  the  Whiteside  Bulletin,  originally  the  Prophets- 
town  Spike.  It  was  established  Sept.  2,  1871,  and  took  its  name  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  a  patron  because  the  last  spike  had  been  driven  on  the  branch 
railroad  that  entered  Prophetstown  in  March  of  that  year.  It  was  one  of 
the  first  papers  established  in  the  county  south  of  Rock  river.  Until  Jan., 
1878,  it  was  managed  by  A.  D.  Hill,  gaining  a  good  local  circulation,  and 
was  quite  an  influentdal  publication,  politically  independent.  The  next 
owner  and  publisher  was  John  W.  Olmstead,  who  after  conducting  the  paper 
for  some  months,  sold  it  to  C.  G.  Glenn.  He  transferred  it  to  A.  W.  H. 
Frazer,  and  in  May,  1883,  A.  D.  Hill  again  purchased  the  business,  conduct- 
ing it  to  Feb.,  1888,  when  he  disposed  of  it  to  Mrs.  II.  P.  Greene.  The 
next  publishers  were  Case  and  Mathis,  then  R.  C.  Turner,  and  now  E.  J. 
Cunningham. 

WOODLANDS  OF  WHITESIDE. 

Woodman,  forbear  thy  stroke! 

Cut  not  its  earth-bound  ties; 
Oh,  spare  that  aged  oak, 

Now  towering  to  the  skies ! — George  P.  Morris. 


108  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Where  is  my  cabin-door,  fast  by  the  wild  wood? 

Sisters  and  sire,  did  ye  weep  for  its  fall? — Campbell. 

Where  are  the  luxuriant  groves  that  once  gave  a  charm  to  the  early 
landscape?  The  Indians  left  them,  the  first  settlers  found  them.  But  they 
are  slowly  and  sadly  disappearing.  The  places  that  knew  them,  shall  soon 
know  them  no  more  forever.  Like  the  buffalo,  they  are  falling  before  civili- 
zation. 

Where  are  Buffalo  Grove,  Hickory  Grove,  Round  Grove,  Gap  Grove, 
and  dozens  of  others?  Those  not  entirely  cleared  away  are  mere  shadows 
of  their  former  extent.  These  bodies  of  timber  seemed  like  old  friends  with 
their  welcome  shade  and  protection  to  men  fresh  from  the  hills  of  New  Eng- 
land, New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  The  early  settlers  seemed  to  have  a 
respect  for  forests  that  had  grown  for  a  century.  They  used  them  only  for 
the  development  of  their  farms.  They  did  not  estimate  them  by  the  cord, 
and  turn  the  product  into  money.  The  commercial  spirit  was  not  abroad 
to  stifle  sentiment  and  spoil  the  panorama.  It  was  reserved  for  the  second 
generation  to  clear  the  native  woods,  and  put  the  land  into  corn  and  potatoes. 
The  tree,  like  the  negro  in  Dred  Scott,  had  no  rights  which  a  white  man 
was  bound  to  respect. 

There  are  still  bodies  of  timber  along  the  Elkhorn  and  Rock  river,  but 
the  various  woodlands  scattered  through  the  townships  are  much  smaller. 
A  few  years  ago  at  Emerson  a  large  tract  of  timber  was  cut  away,  and  Coe's 
grove  in  Jordan  is  yearly  receding.  It  seems  to  be  considered  sharp  manage- 
ment to  clear  the  land  and  farm  every  acre. 

All  this  is,  of  course,  poor  housekeeping.  The  United  States  is  approach- 
ing a  timber  famine.  Walnut,  oak  and  other  hard  woods,  pine,  maple,  are 
yearly  becoming  scarcer,  and  the  government  has  found  it  necessary  to  reserve 
160,000,000  acres  on  the  western  slope  for  future  lumber  needs  of  the  country. 
So  the  railroads  realize  the  situation.  The  Pennsylvania  has  set  out  550,000 
trees,  and  the  Santa  Fe  system  is  considering  the  merits  of  the  Eucalyptus 
of  Australia. ' 

Another  fact.  Why  do  the  Ohio  and  other  large  rivers,  the  Elkhorn 
and  the  creeks  rise  so  rapidly  after  rains  and  overflow  their  banks?  The 
water  dashes  over  the  bare  hills  or  plains  with  nothing  to  check,  while 
woodlands  catch  the  rain  as  in  a  reservoir  and  give  it  off  in  gradual  supply. 

It  would  seem  a  wise  thing,  then  to  cherish  our  woodlands,  and  make 
an  effort  to  supply  the  loss.  Most  farmers  plant  a  few  trees  for  shade  around 
the  house,  or  a  row  for  windbreak  about  the  orchard.  They  have  not  yet 
reached  the  stage  of  the  Kansas  men  who  set  out  acres  of  trees  and  culti- 
vate like  corn  until  they  form  a  grove,  and  are  able  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves. 

Norway  plants  annually  1,500,000  trees  to  take  the  place  of  those 
consumed  in  the  manufacture  of  wood  pulp,  which  is  one  of  her  chief  arti- 
cles of  export. 

Two  farmers  in  Whiteside  have  given  this  subject  of  forestry  the  con- 
sideration is  deserves.  Tobias  Kauffrnan  in  Jordan  in  1876  had  the  happy 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  109 

and  patriotic  thought  of  starting  a  centennial  grove,  setting  out  an  acre  of 
Norway  spruce  and  white  pine  in  nursery  rows.  As  they  became  too  thick, 
he  thinned  them  out,  and  today,  after  thirty  years,  some  of  the  evergreens 
are  two  feet  in  diameter.  They  stand  north  of  the  house,  and  not  only 
answer  as  a  living  bulwark  against  the  polar  blizzards,  but  form  a  cheerful 
ornament,  summer  or  winter,  for  the  pleasure  of  the  passing  traveler. 

More  recent  is  the  scheme  of  "A.  N.  Abbott,  Ustick,  of  the  state  experi- 
ment statiQn.  In  a  note  he  informs  the  writer  that  he  aims  to  have  eighty 
acres  in  forest.  Sixty  to  be  planted,  twenty  in  an  old  wood  lot  to  be  man- 
aged under  forest  care.  He  has  already  planted  25,000  trees  on  twenty 
acres,  and  intends  to  plant  10,000  in  the  spring.  The  kinds  are  mostly  black 
walnut  and  hardy  catalpa.  He  has  set  out  two  thousand  white  pine,  2,500 
white  ash,  also  black  walnut,  tamarack,  spruce,  black  cherry,  Russian  mul- 
berry, larch,  osage,  cotton  wood,  maple,  elm.  He  adapts  the  trees  to  soils 
suitable.  The  writer  was  on  the  land  devoted  to  this  experimental  forest, 
and  was  surprised  at  the  rapid  growth  of  the  trees,  especially  black  walnut. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Mr.  Abbott's  example  will  find  numerous  imitators 
everywhere  in  Illinois. 

LYNDON. 

On  Linden  when  the  sun  was  low, 
All  bloodless  lay  the  untrodden  snow, 
And  dark  as  winter  was  the  flow 

Of  Iser  rolling  rapidly. — Campbell. 

The  Scotch  poet  lived  too  early,  and  penned  this  stanza  about  a  town 
in  Bavaria  where  the  French  general  Moreau  beat  the  Austrians  in  1800. 
Our  Lyndon  is  fifteen  miles  from  Sterling,  down  the  valley  on  the  Burling- 
ton road  as  you  go  to  Rock  Island.  Like  most  railroad  towns,  the  best  part 
is  not  seen  from  the  cars.  It  is  necessary  to  walk  up  and  down  the  streets 
to  get  a  correct  impression  of  the  place.  Plenty  of  shade,  and  in  summer 
one  is  reminded  of  William  Finn's  description  of  early  Philadelphia,  "a 
greene  country  towne."  No  wonder  the  first  settlers  were  delighted  with 
the  virgin  prairie,  waving  with  flowers. 

Fair  as  a  garden  of  the  Lord.  The  primitive  settlers  came  as  early  as 
1835,  and  among  the  original  fourteen,  were  such  men  as  Chauncy  G.  Wood- 
ruff, Adam  R.  Hamilton,  William  D.  Dudley,  Liberty  Walker.  Every  year 
following  brought  a  new  installment  to  the  promised  land.  In  1836  came 
William  Farrington,  Augustus  Rice,  Dr.  Augustin  Smith.  In  1837,  D.  F. 
Millikan,  A.  I.  Maxwell,  David  Hazard,  P.  Daggett,  Brainard  Orton,  R.  G. 
Clendenin.  In  1838,  John  M.  Scott,  T.  Dudley,  Marcus  Sperry,  Lyman 
Reynolds.  In  1839,  Charles  R.  Deming,  John  Roy,  F.  B.  Hubbard,  Solomon 
Hubbard. 

Although  these  pioneers  have  long  since  passed  away,  their  names  are 
perpetuated  by  worthy  descendants  or  their  memories  by  familiar  landmarks. 
The(  Dr.  Smith  house  is  still  pointed  out  as  doubtless  the  oldest  in  Lyndon. 
There  is  Hamilton's  Grove,  and  the  Dudley  homestead,  lately  repaired. 
Lucius  E.  Rice  has  grown  gray  by  the  early  fireside.  Martha  Millikan  was 


110  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

still  sprightly  as  Mrs.  John  Whallon  until  her  recent  death.  Samuel  A. 
Maxwell,  teacher,  editor,  scientist,  gardener,  with  his  intellectual  family,  is 
certainly  enlarging  the  usefulness  of  the  Maxwells.  Harvey  Daggett  has 
lately  resumed  business  on  the  sacred  soil  of  his  fathers.  For  thirty  years 
until  his  death  in  1867,  the  name  of  Robert  G.  Clendenin  stood  for  all  that 
was  pure  in  morals,  or  right  in  principle. 

The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just, 
Shall  flourish  when  he  sleeps  in  dust. 

Joseph  E.  Roy,  son  of  John,  was  for  many  years  Home  Missionary  of 
the  Congregational  church. 

TRYING    TIMES. 

Must  I  be  carried  to  the  skies, 

On  flowery  beds  of  ease, 
While  others  fought  to  win  the  prize, 

And  sailed  thro'  bloody  seas? — Watts. 

All  the  pioneers  had  their  tale  of  woeful  struggle.  Lucius  E.  Rice,  who 
came  with  his  father  in  1836,  remembers  the  swamps  and  corduroy  roads  of 
Indiana,  the  mire  of  Chicago,  the  scow  across  that  river  pulled  by  two  men 
with  a  rope,  and  Dixon's  ferry  with  its  solitary  house,  which  would  have 
done  for  a  story  by  G.  P.  R.  James.  Chauncy  Woodruff  covered  his  cabin  with 
hay.  which  was  not  waterproof,  and  permitted  every  shower  to  soak  the 
bedding. 

Mrs.  Sarah  M.  White,  now  living  in  Norman,  Nebraska,  sends  the 
writer  some  incidents  of  her  pioneer  experience.  She  moved  with  her  first 
husband,  Ruel  Hurlburt,  to  Lyndon  in  1845.  Their  house  had  only  one 
room.  Much  ague.  She  shook  so  that  everything  rattled  in  the  building. 
A  rainy  season,  and  the  prairies  were  covered  with  decaying  vegetation.  No 
roads,  and  no  fences  but  sod  thrown  up  with  ditches  alongside.  Sod  was 
used  also  for  roofs.  Church  services  were  held  in  the  schoolhouse.  "We  went 
to  church  with  cart  and  oxen,  and  enjoyed  it  as  much  as  in  a  buggy  and 
horses  later.  Nothing  but  wild  fruit.  Abundance  of  gooseberries  in  Lyndon 
woods.  We  crossed  the  river  in  a  dugout.  Once  I  got  ten  quarts,  carrying 
all  the  way  home. 

"Wild  plums  were  plentiful.  I.  was  told  to  pit  them,  but  when  I  came  to 
use,  there  was  nothing  but  skins.  Crabapples  we  secured  in  Hamilton's 
grove,  blackberries  in  Morrison  woods.  Some  farmers  took  their  wheat  to 
Chicago  with  a  team,  and  the  trip  occupied  two  weeks.  Mr.  Hurlburt  hauled 
a  load  of  dressed  pork  to  Peoria,  no  other  way  of  getting  produce  to  market. 
When  steamboats  came  up  Rock  river,  some  farmers  put  their  wheat  in 
sacks  and  shipped  it.  I  once  helped  a  -man  sew  sacks,  and  although  I  sewed 
two  to  his  one,  the  farmer  allowed  me  only  half  as  much  pay."  She  adds  that 
Mr.  Hurlburt  died  in  1860.  and  Matthew  White,  her  second  husband,  in 
1884. 

Always  a  fly  in  the  ointment.  The  Indian  was  then  in  the  land,  and  a 
good  many  of  him.  Tn  the  winter  of  1 830-36  two  thousand  were  encamped 


HISTORY    OF    WHTTESIDE    COUNTY  111 

% 

between  Lyndon  and  Prophetstown.  Although  generally  peaceful,  they  were 
a  source  of  annoyance,  became  ugly  when  refused  a  request,  lazy,  preferred 
to  beg  rather  than  work.  They  were  the  ancestors  of  our  present  tramps. 
Lucius  E.  Rice,  who  bubbles  over  with  pioneer  incident,  speaks  of  Big  John 
going  to  the  house  of  Pardon  A.  Brooks  for  flour.  Alex.  Seely  killed  an. 
Indian  on  the  way  from  town,  and  to  save  his  life  from  the  enraged  red  skins 
who  yearly  hunted  for  him,  left  the  country. 

Lo,  the  poor  Indian  whose  untutored  mind 
Sees  God  in  clouds,  or  hears  him  in  the  wind. 

EARLY  NAVIGATION. 

Before  the  days  of  dams  and  when  water  was  plentier,  Rock  river  was 
considered  a  fairly  navigable  stream.  Lucius  E.  Rice  told  the  writer  that 
the  steamer  "Gipsy"  from  a  St.  Louis  grocery  made  regular  trips  with  goods, 
selling  on  credit  for  pay  in  October,  stopping  at  various  points  along  the 
stream.  Then  came  the  "Potosi,"  and  the  "St.  Louis  Oak."  The  Lighter 
was  a  stern  wheeler,  1838,  and  ran  all  summer.  Farmers  shipped  winter 
wheat,  which  then  yielded  forty-five  bushels  to  acre.  His  father  sent  some 
to  St.  Louis,  then  the  market,  for  4  cents,  and  received  27  cents  a  bushel. 
The  "Maid  of  Iowa"  was  sent  by  Mormons  from  Nauvoo  to  Dixon  after  Joe 
Smith. 

DREAMS   OF   LOWELL   OR  PITTSBURGH. 

With  a  water  power  in  her  rapid  river  equal  to  that  of  the  Merrimac, 
there  seemed  no  reason  that  Lyndon  should  not  be  a  center  of  manufactures. 
So  various  enterprises  were  undertaken.  The  Lyndon  Hydraulic  Manufac- 
turing Company  was  organized  in  1872  with  a  capital  of  $60,000.  Justus 
Rew  was  president,  John  Whallon  secretary,  with  seven  directors,  George  P. 
Richmond,  B.  E.  Orton,  John  W.  Hazard,  and  others.  A  dam  was  built  at 
the  head  of  the  rapids,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  A  flouring  mill  was  erected 
with  five  run  of  stones,  at  a  cost  of  $35,000.  It  passed  into  the  management 
of  Church  and  Patterson,  and  then  to  L.  P.  Johnson.  A  paper  mill  was 
built  in  1873,  near  the  flour  mill,  by  Orton  Brothers,  at  a  cost  of  $12,000. 
In  1875  Johnson  and  Hubbard  took  charge,  furnishing  the  machinery  at  an 
additional  expense  of  $21,000.  Also  in  1873,  Hoole  and  Putnam  built  the 
Victoria  Flouring  Mill,  stone  and  frame,  at  a  cost  of  $18,000.  It  had  a 
capacity  of  75  barrels  of  flour  and  600  bushels  of  feed  per  day.  Then  came 
the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Manufacturing  Company,  who  fini-hed  a  brick 
building  in  1876  for  the  production  of  all  kinds  of  agricultural  implements. 
The  officers  at  the  last  election  were:  S.  J.  Baird,  president;  John  Whallon, 
secretary;  and  W.  C.  Snyder,  treasurer.  Alas!  for  these  high  hopes.  It  is 
sad  to  relate  that  not  one  of  these  schemes  was  long  successful,  and  of  all 
these  buildings,  only  a  tottering  brick  wall  stands  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

0,  ever  thus,   from   childhood's   hour, 

I've  seen  my  fondest  hopes  decay ; 
I  never  loved  a  tree  or  flower, 

But  'twas  the  first  to  fade  away. 


112  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

# 

Now  a  return  to  the  former  manufacturing  activity  is  projected  by  the 
•erection  of  a  government  dam  across  the  river.  Capitalists  are  interested  in 
the  movement,  and  engineers  have  been  called  to"  investigate  the  site  and 
conditions.  The  object  is  to  use  the  water  power  at  Lyndon  in  the  produc- 
tion of  electricity  to  be  transmitted  from  a  common  center  to  places  as 
•distant  as  Moline  or  Davenport.  It  is  to  be  hoped  the  project  may  be  carried 
to  triumphant  completion. 

PLATO'S  ACADEMY. 

Borne  had  her  Augustan  age,  and  England  her  era  of  Elizabeth.  None 
of  our  present  generation  know  that  Lyndon  was  once  the  educational  center 
of  the  county.  While  Sterling  and  Morrison  were  in  their  academic  bar- 
renness, Lyndon  was  enjoying  the  advantages  of  a  higher  education.  Her 
boys  were  prepared  at  home  in  the  languages  for  entrance  at  Knox  College 
at  Galesburg,  and  on  returning  after  graduation  were  qualified  to  give  their 
younger  townsfolk  the  benefit  of  their  accomplishments.  Edward  P.  Scott, 
H.  H.  Smith,  and  others  were  examples.  The  reputation  of  the  school  spread, 
und  boys  from  a  distance  came  to  Lyndon  academy. 

The  following  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Sterling  Republican,  June, 
1857: 

LYNDON   HIGH   SCHOOL. 

The  next  term  will  begin  on  Monday.  Students  boarded  in  private 
families  at  $2  per  week.  Miss  H.  E.  Davis,  late  from  Vermont,  is  a  perma- 
nent teacher  in  music,  French,  drawing,  and  painting.  Terms  for  common 
branches  $4,  Greek  and  Latin  $7,  French  $5,  piano  $8,  water  colors  $3. 
A  daily  lesson  in  penmanship.  The  school  is  furnished  with  globes,  maps, 
skeleton,  chemical  apparatus.  The  teachers  are  M.  R.  Kelly,  Miss  Louisa 
Drue,  Miss  H.  E.  Davis.  Directors,  R.  G.  Clendenin,  W.  Anderson,  Moses 
Lathe. 

So  we  find  ambitious  Sterling  boys  who  sought  a  better  education  than 
possible  at  home,  enrolled  at  Lyndon.  Among  them  Col.  W.  M.  Kilgour. 

WEBSTER  AND  HAYNE. 

Politics  also  found  a  congenial  spirit  in  the  Lyndon  people.  Some  of 
the  big  guns  of  the  times  stood  on  the  platform  of  the  town  hall.  Jonathan 
Blanchard,  then  at  Galesburg,  afterwards  at  Wheaton,  conducted  revivals 
and  denounced  secret  societies.  Owen  Lovejoy,  inspired  by  his  brother's 
Wood,  thundered  against  slavery.  Ex-Gov.  Bebb  and  John  Wentworth  met 
in  joint  debate  on  the  tariff.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  came  in  1855  to  justify 
liis  action  in  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  speaking  to  an  audi- 
ence that  packed  the  house  inside,  and  to  an  audience  that  stood  on  wagons 
backed  to  the  windows  on  the  outside. 

THE  LYNDON  ADVOCATE. 

This  was  the  village  paper,  and  was  published  for  several  years,  but 
like  a  thousand  other  good  journals,  is  in  the  tomb  of  the  Capulets.  A 
•copy  dated  Saturday,  Nov.  17,  1883,  W.  M.  Patrick,  editor,  is  before  us. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Among  the  advertisers  are  John  Whallon,  attorney  at  law;  S.  Zimmer 
proprietor  Lyndon  hotel;  E.  D.  Adams,  house  and  sign  painter;  Ira  Sher- 
wood, boot  and  shoemaker;  L.  D.  Baldwin,  dealer  in  coal,  flour,  etc.;  G.  R. 
Cady,  village  liveryman;  8.  S.  Epla,  tonsorial  artist;  G.  E.  Swarthout,  village 
drayman;  Robinson's  restaurant;  F.  W.  Carman,  M.  D.;  Strickler  Brothers, 
drugs  (branch  store)  ;  B.  F.  Myers,  druggist;  Parmenter  Brothers,  general 
store;  Howe  &  Co.,  fancy  groceries;  Parkhurst's  big  column;  A.  S.  Hazard, 
blacksmith.  Only  Parmenter  Brothers  in  business  now  out  of  the  above  list, 
most  of  whom  are  dead.  Mention  was  made  of  the  grand  double  concert 
under  the  management  of  A.  S.  Morris;  John  M.  Hamilton's  sale  and  a  big 
surprise  party  given  for  John  Dudley  by  'sixty  guests  on  his  departure  for 
California. 

Still  earlier,  1873,  was  the  Lyndon  Free  Press,  an  eight-column  sheet, 
printed  entirely  from  the  Fulton  Journal  forms,  without  alteration,  except 
the  first  page,  which  gives  Lyndon  locals  and  advertisements.  John  Gray  is 
editor,  and  the  Lyndon  Free  Press  Company,  publishers. 

THE  QUEEN  OF  FRUITS. 

A  creature  not  too  bright  or  good, 

For  human  nature's  daily  food. — Wordsworth. 

Lyndon's  sun  and  soil  seem  to  suit  the  luscious  strawberry,  and  it 
reaches  a  flavor  and  fragrance  that  pleases  the  popular  palate.  Remember 
what  Dr.  Boteler  said:  "God  doubtless  might  have  made  a  better  berry 
than  the  strawberry,  but  doubtless  God  never  did."  Miss  Edna  Sturtevant 
interviewed  several  of  the  growers,  and  we  give  the  result  of  her  observa- 
tions. The  Osborn  Brothers,  Lester  and  Oliver,  are  the  most  extensive  with 
seven  acres,  and  in  the  business  seven  years.  An  average  yield  is  7,000 
quarts  to  the  acre.  They  ship  to  Rock  Island,  De  Kalb,  and  other  places. 
Their  favorite  kinds  are  Haverland,  Warfield,  Lovett,  Brandywine.  J.  G. 
Laxton  started  15  years  ago  with  one  acre,  increasing  to  seven.  He  has  the 
usual  varieties.  The  yield  depends  upon  the,  soil.  Berries  suited  to  clay 
will  not  do  well  on  sand.  He  ships  to  Watertown.  He  is  also  in  the  bee 
business,  beginning  22  years  ago,  and  at  present  has  a  hundred  stand.  The 
average  yield  per  stand  is  100  pounds.  In  1907  he  sold  12,000  pounds, 
sending  chiefly  to  Clinton.  He  keeps  the  Italia1!!  bee.  Another  man,  Clyde 
Bowen,  has  kept  bees,  Italians,  for  two  years,  has  fifty  stand,  selling  so  far  in 
home  market.  William  Shepherd  has  three  acres  of  strawberries,  Porter 
Holt  one  acre,  Mr.  Hubbard  one  acre.  They  nearly  all  raise  the  same 
varieties. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  religious  society  organized  in  the  county  was  the  present  Con- 
gregational, June,  1836.  The  first  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  William 
D.  Dudley,  and  directed  by  Rev.  Elisha  Hazard,  agent  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society.  Among  the  names  enrolled  were  such  early  settlers  as  the 
Hamaltons,  Dudleys,  iWiooclruffs,  Atkinsons,  Millikans,  Hubbards,  Ortons. 
Services  were  held  in  the  bluff  schoolhouse  find  in  the  homes,  until  the 


114  HISTORY    OF    WHITES1DE    COUNTY 

present  church  building  was  erected  in  1850  at  a  cost  of  $2,500.  Rev.  Elisha 
Hazard  was  first  pastor,  followed  by  Nathaniel  Smith,  Wm.  Blanchard, 
Chapman,  Judd,  Webb,  Gilbert,  Gray,  Machin,  and  others.  The  present 
pastor,  George  Thomas  Hanna,  wad  born  in  Maryland,  spent  four  years  at 
Oberlin  College,  studied  physical  culture  at  Lake  Geneva  summer  school, 
enjoyed  nine  months  at  Northfield  in  Bible  study  under  Meyer,  Campbell 
Morgan,  Mott,  and  Speer.  He  has  been  connected  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at 
Belvidere  and  Sterling.  This  is  his  first  charge.  Mrs.  Hanna  is  from  Wales. 
The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  .ninety.  There  are  sixty  in  the 
Sunday  school.  Several  societies,  Ladies'  Aid,  Missionary,  Bible  Class  of 
adults,  juvenile  choral  society. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  by  Revs.  W.  Buck  and 
G.  L.  S.  Stuff  in  1841,  with  Chauncy  Woodruff,  Leonora  Hazard,  Dr.  Smith, 
Lucy  Ware,  J.  D.  Odell,  Samantha  Reynolds  and  Harry  R.  Smith  among 
the  members.  At  first  it  was  on  the  Savanna  circuit,  then  on  the  Union 
Grove.  Preaching  in  various  buildings  until  the  town  hall  was  erected. 
The  church  was  built  in  1874  at  a  cost  of  $2,500.  Rev.  A.  D.  Burkett,  the 
present  pastor,  spent  three  years  in  Simpson  college,  Iowa,  two  at  Taylor 
university,  Indiana,  has  been  over  three  years  in  the  ministry,  and  is  in 
his  second  year  here.  There  are  148  members.  Both  the  Congregational 
and  Methodist  congregations  have  neat  frame  parsonages,  convenient  to  the 
church.  In  the  M.  E.  church  are  the  usual  societies,  the  Ladies'  Aid,  Ep- 
worth  League,  W.  C.  T.  U.,  and  the  Sunday  school.  In  1907  there  was  a 
Young  People's  Bible  Study  class.  In  1908  it  has  taken  the  form  of  a  Mis- 
sion Study  class. 

A  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  1837,  but  no  building  was  erected, 
and  services  have  been  irregular  on  account  of  small  membership. 

The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  Lyndon  township,  four 
miles  south  of  Morrison,  was  organized  several  years  ago  by  Rev.  Fr.  Lussky. 
Some  of  the  first  members  were:  C.  Strelow,  John  H.  Johnson,  Siebelt 
Arians,  Louis  Rosenow,  Fred  Rosenow,  John  Rosenow,  Albert  Strelow,  Her- 
man Strelow.  The  church  today  has  a  voting  membership  of  20.  Number 
of  families,  34.  The  church  has  no  Sunday  school,  but  catechetical  instruc- 
tion by  the  pastor.  Number  of  children  present,  25.  In  October,  1906,  the 
congregation  dedicated  its  new  church,  36x50  feet. 

OLD  CURIOSITY   SHOP. 

Rich  and  rare  were,  the  gems  she  wore. 

So  many  of  the  early  settlers  came  from  New  England,  and  brought 
their  heirlooms  with  them,  that  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  town  in  the 
county  can  show  so  large  an  assortment  of  relics.  No  tables  brought  over 
in  the  Mayflower,  but  no  end  of  ancient  china  and  furniture.  At  a  festival 
held  in  the  summer  of  1907  a  unique  exhibition  of  these  family  curios  was 
an  attractive  feature.  Among  these  were  shawls,  samplers,  dolls,  swords, 
books,  pitchers,  candlesticks,  cups,  portraits,  spinning  wheels,  arrows,  bask- 
ets, Bibles,  lamps 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  115 

Mrs.  Helen  Greenlee  loaned  a  large  spinning  wheel,  brass  candlestick 
and  snuffers.  Mrs.  Mary  Patterson's  dishes,  candlestick,  tray  and  snuffers 
were  over  a  hundred  years  old,  and  were  carefully  preserved.  Mrs.  W.  F. 
Millikan's  pewter  platter  three  hundrd  years  old,  sampler,  embroidery  and 
foot  stove  attracted  much  attention.  Mrs.  McNett  exhibited  a  rocking  chair 
which  has  been  in  use  over  one  hundred  years.  Mrs.  Bouck  has  a  platter 
and  a  plate  that  she  can  truly  trace  back  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  years; 
how  much  older  it  is  she  does  not  know.  Her  old  pewter  platters  are  prob- 
ably over  two  hundred  years  old.  Mrs.  Bouck  loaned  counterpanes,  pla.tes, 
platters,  cups,  bowls,  tureens  and  saucers,  large  and  small,  that  are  just 
magnificent,  one  set  of  dishes  being  imported  and  almost  priceless.  The 
dishes  are  the  delft,  mulberry  and  oriental  ware. 

John  Dudley  has  a  bear  trap  and  all  who  are  interested  in  the  early 
history  of  the  county  will  be  much  interested  from  the  fact  that  its  history, 
so  far  as  is  known,  began  with  the  days  when  the  first  settlers  came  to  ths 
county.  Here  is  the  story :  Soon  after  the  Dudleys  and  Hamiltons  settled 
at  the  bluff,  John  Dudley's  grandfather  found  the  trap  in  the  wood.?.  Tightly 
clenched  in  its  iron  jaws  were  the  bleached  bones  of  an  animal,  thought  at 
the  time  to  be  the  bones  of  a  deer.  When  we  think  of  the  years  that  have 
elapsed  and  that  these  traps  are  scarcely  in  existence  in  Illinois,  it  really  is  a 
valuable  relic  of  other  days.  It  was  never  known  who  placed  the  trap  in  its 
place,  whether  Indian  trapper  or  white  man. 

A  very  interesting  document,  yellowed  by  age,  is  possessed  by  Mrs. 
Mahala  Hicks  Cady.  The  paper  in  question  is  a  commission  granted  to  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace  of  Whiteside  county.  It  was  granted  by  Gov. 
Joseph  Duncan  and  Secretary  of  State  A.  P.  Sweet  on  September  13,  1836, 
to  Chauncy  G.  Woodruff,  Mrs.  Cady's  grandfather.  This  territory  was  then 
undivided  and  was  known  as  Jo  Daviess  county.  The  document  is  one  of 
many  valuable  papers  much  prized  by  Mrs.  Cady  relating  to  the  early  days 
of  our  village  and  county. 

THE   LANGDON   SCHOOL. 

Five  miles  south  of  Morrison  in  Lyndon  township  was  dedicated  with  im- 
pressive ceremonies  in  October,  1907,  a  new  schoolhouse  which  is  a  fino 
specimen  of  modern  educational  progress.  The  walls  of  concrete,  the  inside 
of  yellow  pine.  A  concrete  porch,  a  belfry,  cloak  rooms,  furnace  and  warm 
play  room  in  basement.  The  building  is  24x28,  and  twelve  feet  high.  A 
lively  program  of  music,  recitations,  letters  from  former  pupils,  toasts,  an 
address  by  the  veteran  John  Phinney  on  "Schools  Fifty  Years  Ago."  Miss 
Augusta  Fuller  is  teacher,  with  thirty  pupils. 

THE    BOYS    IN    BLUE. 

In  the  God  of  battles  trust! 
Die  we  may — and  die  we  must ; 
But,  oh,  where  can  dust  to  dust 

Be  consigned  so  well, 
As  where  heaven  its  dews  shall  shed, 
On  the  martyred  patriot's  bed. — John  Pierpont. 


116  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

A  group  of  active  veterans.  Win.  Ward,  Co.  G,  156th  Illinois,  fought 
at  Nashville  and  Chattanooga,  Henry  B.  Shaw,  Co.  B,  75th  Illinois,  Capt. 
Whallon,  was  at  Stone  river,  Lookout  Mountain,  Chickamauga,  wounded  in 
ear  and  coat  shot  to  pieces,  good  at  81.  Wm.  Allen,  enlisted  at  17  at  Lyndon, 
Co.  C,  8th  Illinois  cavalry,  wounded  in  arm  and  neck  in  service  near  Wash- 
ington. H.  Hazard,  78  years  old,  enlisted  at  Morrison  in  Co.  C,  8th  Illinois 
cavalry,  first  colonel,  Farnsworth,  service  in  Virginia  and  Maryland.  A.  W. 
Greenlee,  postmaster,  is  of  Scotch  descent,  enlisted  first  at  Spring  Hill  in 
Co.  I,  8th  Kansas  Infantry,  1861,  the  second  time  in  9th  Iowa  cavalry,  1833. 
A  remarkable  record,  as  father  and  six  sons  all  enlisted.  His  son,  H.  R.,  is 
ensign  on  the  Rhode  Island,  battleship  in  the  great  fleet  that  lately  sailed 
for  the  Pacific. 

In  the  cemetery  west  of  Lyndon  are  the  graves  of  several  soldiers. 
Capt.  G.  M.  Cole,  Co.  G,  13th  Illinois.  Capt,  Harry  Smith,  71,  1854.  A.  A. 
Higley,  died  of  wounds,  Perryville,  1862.  On  the  tombs  may  be  read  the 
names  of  old  settlers,  Lathe,  Sands,  Bell,  Pratt,  Emery,  Hazard,  and  others. 
Martin  Potter,  1812-1884.  Mary  A.  Smith,  daughter  of  Dr.  Smith,  1837. 
George  R.  Hamilton,  1820-1904.  On  the  family  lot,  the  principals  of  a 
dreadful  tragedy.  Albert  S.  Swarthout,  Nov.  10,  1892.  John  S.  died  in 
jail,  1893.  Ernest  in  the  penitentiary,  1896.  In  front  along  the  road  is  a 
soldiers'  plot,  with  a  cannon  for  a  centerpiece.  It  recalls  the  lion  on  the 
mound  at  Waterloo,  1815. 

THE    SCHOOL. 

There  are  two  buildings,  the  main  one  two  stories,  three  departments, 
four  teachers,  seventy-five  pupils.  Well  equipped  with  piano,  globes,  maps, 
various  apparatus,  portraits  of  Webster,  Lincoln,  and  other  eminent  Ameri- 
cans, dictionaries  and  encyclopedias.  J.  W.  Machamer,  the  principal,  after 
high  school  study,  attended  the  De  Kalb  Normal.  He  is  assisted  by  Miss 
Drusilla  Parmenter  in  primary,  Miss  Bessie  Smith  in  intermediate,  and  Mrs. 
Cora  Millikan  in  the  high  school  room. 

Lyndon  is  an  incorporated  village.  A.  W.  Greenlee  is  president  of  the 
board,  and  the  trustees  are  R.  Allen,  C.  Gardner,  Dr.  Harriman,  J.  Shep- 
herd, W.  Austin,  N.  Mayberry,  and  clerk,  P.  Holt.  The  supervisor  is  A.  E. 
Parmenter. 

DENROCK. 

Five  miles  southwest  of  Lyndon  is  this  station,  on  the  edge  of  the  town- 
ship. It  Ls  at  the  intersection  of  two  branches  of  the  Burlington,  from  Clinton 
and  from  Sterling.  The  most  prominent  objects  are  the  coal  shoot  and 
two  tanks,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  numerous  freight  trains.  The 
lunch  room  attended  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  N.  Hogeboom  is  made  unusually 
inviting  by  the  kindly  sendee  of  these  excellent  people.  Home  cooking, 
mince  pies  of  her  own  baking,  every  viand  good  and  wholesome.  A  cozy 
sitting  room  in  the  rear  for  retirement,  and  bedrooms  for  chance  travelers 
above.  They  have  managed  the  place  for  fifteen  years. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  117 

TWO    LYNDON    TRAGEDIES. 

Is  this  a  dagger  which  I  see  before  me, 
The  handle  toward  my  hand? — Macbeth. 

Christmas,  December  25,  1883,  was  not  a  day  of  peace  on  earth  and 
good  will  to  men  for  two  young  fellows,  the  assassin  and  his  victim.  Chris- 
tian Riebling,  a  foreign  German,  32  years  old,  entered  the  office  of  G.  R. 
Cady's  livery  stable,  and  ordered  Albert  Lucia  to  leave,  as  he  had  previously 
ordered  him  from  the  store  of  C.  L.  Parkhurst.  Lucia  replied  that  he  would 
not  unless  told  to  do  so  by  Cady.  Riebling  repeated  his  order,  at  the  same 
time  pointing  his  revolver  at  the  boy,  who  jumped  to  his  feet,  exclaiming, 
"My  God,  he  is  going  to  shoot!"  As  he  passed  towards  the  door,  he  struck 
Riebling's  arm,  and  forced  the  revolver  downward  so  that  the  bullet  took 
effect  in  the  upper  part  of  Lucia's  leg.  Riebling  was  arrested,  taken  to  Mor- 
rison jail,  December  27,  to  await  action  of  the  grand  jury  for  the  March 
term  of  circuit  court.  Eleven  days  after  receiving  the  wound,  Lucia  died, 
and  when  the  grand  jury  met,  Riebling  was  indicted  for  murder.  The  case 
was  called  March  25,  Messrs.  J.  D.  Andrews,  of  Sterling,  and  W.  H.  Allen, 
of  Erie,  appointed  by  court  to  defend  the  prisoner,  state's  attorney  Walter 
Stager  prosecuting.  The  trial  occupied  two  days,  the  case  given  to  the  jury 
at  nine  o'clock  on  evening  of  March  26,  and  after  seven  hours'  deliberation 
the  verdict  of  guilty  was  brought  in  the  following  morning.  The  execution 
of  the  sentence  was  fixed  by  the  court  on  May  16.  The  gallows  was  erected 
in  an  enclosure  near  the  jail.  The  prisoner  was  attended  to  the  last  by  his 
spiritual  advisers,  Sweet  of  Morrison  and  Breen  of  Lyndon,  took  his  stand 
on  the  trap  with  composure,  in  a  short  speech  spoke  of  his  trust  in  the  Lord 
and  his  sorrow  for  the  crime,  and  with  the  black  cap  placed  over  his  head, 
awaited  the  end.  When  Sheriff  Beach  pulled  the  lever  at  six  minutes  after 
two,  the  body  fell  five  feet  without  a  struggle,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  life 
was  pronounced  extinct.  The  number  of  persons  in  the  enclosure  was 
estimated  at  150.  but  there  was  a  curious  crowd  outside.  Riebling  had  dark 
hair,  blue  eyes,  face  pitted  with  small-pox,  and  weighed  165  pounds.  Not  a 
single  relative  with  him  in  his  last  moments  upon  earth. 

THE  SWARTHOUT    MURDER. 

An  orphan's  curse  would  drag  to  hell 

A  spirit  from  on  high ; 

But  oh,  more  horrible  than  that 

Is  the  curse  in  a  dead  man's  eye.— Ancient  Mariner. 

Two  miles  west  of  Lyndon  is  the  farm  of  Albert  M.  Swarthout.  There 
is  a  large  frame  house,  and  the  usual  buildings  to  furnish  a  farm  of  200 
acres.  He  had  two  sons,  John,  the  older,  who  was  practicing  medicine  and 
rooming  in  Lyndon,  and  Ernest,  the  younger,  married,  who  with  his  wife 
was  keeping  house  for  the  father,  whose  wife  died  in  1891.  For  a  while  his 
daughter,  Rattle,  Mrs.  Buell  Langdon,  had  been  in  charge  at  the  old  home 
till  the  marriage  of  Ernest. 

On   Thursday,   Nov.    10,    1892,   Mr.   Swarthout   drove   in   his  buggy   to 


118  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Morrison,  returned  at  six  in  the  evening,  unhitched  the  horse,  took  him  to 
the  barn,  and  was  seen  no  more.  Shortly  afterward,  Mrs.  Buell  Langdon, 
the  daughter,  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Swarthout,  the  younger  son's  wife,  who  were 
in  the  house,  noticed  a  straw  stack  to  the  south  on  fire,  rang  the  bell  and 
called  the  sons,  John  and  Ernest,  who  were  at  the  barn.  Charles  Sturtevant, 
a  farmer  living  sixty  rods  west,  also  saw  the  burning  stack,  and  went  over 
to  give  the  alarm.  He  found  the  boys  in  the  house,  who  said  they  had  been 
to  the  stack,  but  could  not  put  it  out.  Mr.  Sturtevant  asked  where  their 
father  was,  but  they  did  not  know. 

No  search  was  made  for  the  missing  man  until  the  neighbors  insisted 
upon  it.  On  Friday  morning,  however,  an  examination  of  the  ashes  of  the 
straw  pile  revealed  portions  of  the  skull  and  other  bones.  At  the  coroner's 
inquest  in  the  afternoon,  the  two  sons  and  one  son's  wife  were  the  only 
witnesses,  and  the  verdict  was  that  the  deceased  came  to  his  death  from 
causes  unknown  to  the  jury.  This  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  community, 
now  thoroughly  aroused.  Complaint  was  made,  both  Ernest  and  John  were 
arrested  on  Saturday,  taken  before  Justice  Bates,  but  on  requesting  that  the 
preliminary  examination  be  postponed  till  Nov.  18,  in  default  of  bail,  they 
were  lodged  in  jail  at  Morrison. 

At  the  preliminary  examination  which  occupied  two  sittings,  thirty 
witnesses  were  examined  for  the  state,  and  as  all  the  evidence  tended  to  con- 
firm the  horrible  suspicion  that  the  father  was  murdered  by  the  sons,  they 
were  remanded  without  bail  to  the  county  jail.  At  the  February  term  of 
court,  they  were  indicted  by  the  grand  jury  for  murder.  At  a  glance,  the 
boys  seemed  incapable  of  such  an  unnatural  crime.  They  were  young, 
slender,  and  intelligent.  John  was  25,  Ernest  22.  John  was  inclined  to 
consumption,  and  confinement  aggravating  the  disease,  he  gradually  declined, 
dying  in  the  jail  at  Morrison  July  19,  1893. 

During  the  long  interval  popular  excitement  had  gradually  increased, 
and  the  opening  of  court  was  awaited  with  intense  interest.  The  case  of  The 
People  against  Ernest  Swarthout  for  the  murder  of  Albert  Swarthout,  father 
of  the  defendant,  was  called  for  trial  at  two  on  Monday  afternoon,  Nov.  6, 
1893,  in  the  circuit  court  at  Morrison.  Hon.  James  Shaw,  of  Mt.  Carroll, 
presided.  Walter  Stager,  state's  attorney,  was  assisted  by  H.  C.  Ward,  of 
Sterling.  0.  F.  Woodruff  and  F.  D.  Ramsay,  of  Morrison,  appeared  for  the 
defendant.  By  the  side  of  Ernest  Swarthout  sat  his  young  wife,  a  mere  girl, 
married  just  sixty  days  before  the  murder. 

A  special  venire  of  one  hundred  men  were  summoned  from  which  to 
select  jurors,  and  by  noon  of  the  next  day  the  following  twelve  were  selected: 
Frank  Plumley  of  Fulton,  W.  A.  Stsrtzman  and  M.  F.  Fell  of  Fulton.  E.  L. 
Booth  of  Albany,  G.  Crandall  of  Erie,  Frank  Wilson  of  Newton.  John 
Hunter  of  Prophetstown,  M.  J.  Ryerson  of  Hopkins,  W.  Runk  of  Jordan, 
L.  Dawson  of  Hahnaman,  H.  Cain  of  Tampico,  and  C.  Minor  of  Hume. 
The  court  room  was  packed,  nearly  half  of  the  audience  being  ladies.  In 
the  close  of  his  opening  address  to  the  jury,  Walter  Stager,  state's  attorney, 
said  in  substance: 

"The  theory  of  our  case  is  that  Albert  Swarthout  when  he  came  home 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  119 

went  to  the  new  barn  to  put  away  his  horse,  was  murdered  there,  that  he 
was  put  on  the  cart  and  wheeled  down  to  the  sheep  shed  and  left  there  until 
he  was  taken  to  the  straw  stack,  that  the  stack  was  fired,  that  late  that  night 
or  early  next  morning  the  unburned  portions  were  pulled  from  the  stack, 
hacked  to  pieces  and  buried  in  the  slough,  that  the  cart  was  broken  tn  pieces 
and  the  bloody  portion  burned,  that  if  Ernest  did  not  do  the  killing  himself, 
he  must  have  known  of  it  as  he  was  in  the  same  barn  and  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  spot  where  the  blood  indicates  their  father  was  killed 
according  to  his  own  statement." 

No  other  trial  in  the  county,  civil  or  criminal,  was  so  hotly  contested. 
The  advocates  of  both  sides  made  long,  exhaustive  and  eloquent  pleas.  On 
Wednesday  morning,  Nov.  14,  the  judge  gave  the  jury  their  instructions, 
and  on  Thursday  morning  at  the  opening  of  court  a  large  audience  with  the 
attorneys,  the  prisoner  and  his  wife,  listened  in  breathless  silence  as  Circuit 
Clerk  Tuttle  read  the  following  verdict:  "We,  the  jury,  find  the  defendant, 
Ernest  Swarthout,  guilty  of  murder,  in  manner  and  form  as  charged  in  the 
second  count  of  the  indictment,  and  find  his  age  to  be  over  21  years,  and 
fix  his  punishment  at  fourteen  years  in  the  penitentiary." 

Albert  M.  Swarthout,  the  victim,  was  born  in  Fenton  township,  1841, 
and  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Frances  A.  Cuppernell,  of  Dixon.  An  indus- 
trious man  and  member  of  the  Methodist  church  at  Lyndon.  Tall,  muscular, 
and  of  fine  physique.  He  was  contemplating  a  second  marriage,  which  the 
sons  bitterly  opposed  on  the  ground  that  it  was  too  soon  after  the  mother's 
death  the  previous  year.  Various  rumors  for  the  inhuman  act  were  afloat, 
but  there  was  never  a  shadow  of  doubt  that  one  of  the  sons  fired  the  shot 
that  ended  the  father's  life.  Ernest  was  in  due  time  taken  to  Joliet  to  serve 
his  sentence,  but  the  gloomy  walls  did  not  long  hold  the  unhappy  prisoner, 
dying  in  1896.  Father  and  boys  sleep  side  by  side  in  the  Lyndon  cemetery. 

A   REMARKABLE    MECHANICAL   GENIUS. 

Fred  Mayfield,  who  not  long  ago  returned  after  spending  four  years  in 
the  U.  S.  navy,  has  just  completed  a  model  of  a  battleship  in  miniature.  The 
dimensions  and  armament  of  this  model  are  as  follows:  Length  two  feet, 
ten  inches;  breadth  eight  inches;  mean  draught  six  inches.  The  battery 
consists  of  one  thirteen  inch  revolving  rifle,  two  twelve  inch  revolving  turrets, 
four  orie-poundefs,  ten  six  inch  guns,  four  rapid  firing  guns  in  firing  tops. 
These  guns,  with  two  or  three  exceptions,  were  whittled  out  by  Mr.  Mayfield 
in  a  correct  and  precise  manner,  and  are  mounted  strictly  according  to  regu- 
lations. There  are  also  two  search  lights,  two  whale  boats,  two  gigs,  one 
steam  launch  and  one  sailing  launch,  also  constructed  in  like  manner.  Even 
to  the  minutest  detail  the  steam  launch,  not  over  three  and  one-half  inches 
long,  is  equipped  with  a  miniature  engine,  propeller,  a  rudder  and  steering 
device,  as  well  as  a  plush  lined  seating  capacity.  This  launch  in  itself  is 
a  wonder  to  all  who  have  seen  it  when  one  realizes  that  it  has  all  been 
whittled  out  with  a  pocket  knife,  and  WP  will  say  now  that  a  knife,  a  smnll 
saw,  wire  pliers,  a  chisel,  a  paint  brush,  comprised  his  entire  mechanical 
outfit.  The  ship  itself  is  equipped  with  everything,  in  a  miniature  way, 


120  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

to  be  found  on  a  first-class  battleship,  consisting  of  a  chart  house,  conning 
tower,  shooting  gallery,  executive  offices,  anchor  davit  and  chains,  ventilator 
and  smoke  stack,  signal  halyards  and  arms,  machinery  of  all  kinds,  ropes, 
tackles.  Mr.  Mayfield  has  been  working  at  the  model  more  or  less  for  the 
past  two  months  and  the  work  involved  in  such  an  undertaking  is  enormous. 

ITEMS. 

Hamilton  school  on  the  bluff  was  the  first  school  in  the  county,  1838, 
and  the  Congregational  church  organized  in  1837  was  the  first  of  that 
denomination  west  of  Chicago. 

Liberty  Walker,  bachelor,  was  the  first  man  who  died  in  the  settlement, 
1835,  and  he  was  buried  on  the  hill. 

Pardon  A.  Brooks  boarded  for  a  time  with  Healy,  the  artist,  in  Boston, 
and  a  copy  of  Brooks'  portrait  painted  by  Healy  hangs  in  the  home  of 
Charles  Sturtevant. 

Bluff  school  was  first  of  logs,  and  the  Deacon's  daughter  taught  before 
it  was  built  in  the  homestead. 

As  Kentucky  onoe  bore  the  uncanny  synonym  of  the  "dark  and  bloody 
ground,"  so  the  road  leading  from  Lyndon  toward  Erie  has  sometimes  been 
styled  "Dead  Man's  Lane,"  because  of  the  ghastly  occurrences  of  suicides, 
untimely  deaths,  and  other  dreadful  events  associated  with  several  of  the 
dwellings.  Denrock  has  been  the  scene  of  some  distressing  accidents. 

The  prominent  physician  of  Lyndon  is  Dr.  S.  S.  Harriman,  graduate 
of  Jefferson  Medical  School,  Philadelphia,  who  came  here  in  1890. 

A  Browning  Club  was  patronized  for  several  years,  Miss  Elsie  Gould, 
now  of  Sterling,  the  leader.  In  1891  Aurora  Leigh  was  read. 

Various  societies  are  in  operation.  W.  R.  C.  of  17  members,  with  Mrs.  S. 
E.  Chiverton  to  look  after  the  widows  and  orphans  for  the  present  year. 
The  Masons  number  about  fifty,  with  adjunct,  Eastern  Star,  Master,  Walter 
Austin.  Thirty  Woodmen.  One  hundred  Mystic  Workers,  prefect,  Mr. 
Shultz. 

The  town  shows  a  healthful  growth.  New  residences',  concrete  walks, 
and  general  evidences  of  thrift.  The  center  of  a  rich  farming  district. 

TWO    HONORED    CITIZENS. 

In  January,  1908,  Mrs.  Martha  A.  Whallon  passed  to  her  reward.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio,  1832,  and  removed  with  her  parents  to  Lyndon  in  1838. 
Mrs.  Whallon  resided  with  her  parents  at  the  old  homestead  just  north  of 
town  until  her  marriage  to  Capt.  John  Whallon  Sept.  10,  1831,  and  since 
that  time  has  lived  continuously  in  the  town  of  Lyndon. 

Before  her  marriage  she  was  one  of  the  favorite  pioneer  teachers,  she 
having  taught  in  Sterling,  Fulton,  Prophetstown,  Como,  Portland  and  Lyn- 
don, in  all  places  esteemed  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends  among  patrons  and 
pupils. 

She  passed  through  the  schools  of  our  town — then  the  best  in  the 
county — and  took  further  training  at  Knox  college,  Galesburg,  for  some  time. 
In  her  youth  she  cultivated  many  graces  of  mind  and  heart. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  121 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  \V  ballon  was  born  one  child,  a  son,  Hal,  who  sur- 
vives them.  The  father,  Capt,  Whallon,  lived  until  Oct.  21,  1903.  Since 
then  Mrs.  Whallon  and  her  son  have  lived  together  in  the  old  home. 

Mrs.  Whallon  united  with  the  Congregational  church  of  this  place  in 
her  childhood  and  has  since  remained  an  active  and  useful  member  thereof, 
always  faithful  in  attendance  upon  the  regular  Sabbath  services  and  the  mid- 
week service,  and  especially  active  in  the  Sunday  school.  Her  brothers,  Fred 
W.  Millikan  and  Rev.  S.  Frank  Millikan,  are  the  only  surviving  members  of 
Deacon  Millikan's  family. 

General  William  Clendenin,  whose  sudden  death  in  Moline  created  a 
sensation,  and  who  was  so  prominent  in  Illinois  army  circles,  was  a  Lyndon 
boy,  born  in  1845,  and  spending  his  childhood  there  until  his  father's 
removal  to  Moline  in  1859.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  140th  Illinois  infantry, 
April  30,  1864,  and  on  June  18  of  the  same  year  was  advanced  to  first  ser- 
geant, and  on  Sept.  17  became  sergeant  major  of  the  regiment.  He  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  Oct.  29,  1864.  He  served  with  the  United  States 
regulars,  being  mustered  out  of  that  service  March  23,  1866,  having  held 
the  following  offices:  Sergeant  major,  108th  Regiment,  U.  S.  Col.  troops, 
Feb.  7,  1865;  second  lieutenant,  Co.  A,  108th  U.  S.  Col.  troops,  Aug.  8,  1865; 
first  lieutenant,  Co.  A,  108th  U.  S.  Col.  troops,  Jan.  1,  1866. 

His  connection  with  the  Illinois  National  Guard  began  Aug.  24,  1877, 
rising  from  one  rank  to  another  until  at  his  resignation  in  1903  he  was 
brigadier-general.  Interment  was  made  in  the  cemetery  at  Galesburg. 

SOME  OF  OUR  EARLY  LAWYERS. 

No  man  e'er  felt  the  halter  draw, 

With  good  opinion  of  the  law. — John  Trumbull. 

A  lawyer's  dealings  should  be  just  and  fair; 
Honesty  shines  with  great  advantage  there. — Cowper. 

HUGH  WALLACE. 

Doubtless  the  first  of  our  early  lawyers.  He  came  from  Cumberland 
county,  Pa.,  in  1837,  soon  after  graduating  at  Washington  College  and  read- 
ing law  with  General  Porter  in  Lancaster.  At  first  a  farmer,  for  there  was 
little  business  in  his  profession.  Most  of  wastern  Sterling  is  built  on  the  land 
he  cultivated.  He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1846,  a  senator  in 
1852  in  the  same  body,  and  for  four  years  register  of  the  land  office  at  Dixon 
under  President  Pierce.  His  dwelling  for  many  years  was  a  low,  one-story 
sort  of  cabin,  called  from  its  curious  aspect  the  "old  fort."  It  was  not  far 
from  the  present  square  mansion  on  West  Third  street,  now  occupied  by  Mrs. 
Randolph.  This  he  built  in  1855  of  blocks  taken  from  the  river.  His  wife 
was  Mary  Gait,  sister  of  the  late  John  Gait,  a  thorough  housekeeper. 

Wallace  was  a  genial  man,  fond  of  society,  and  liked  nothing  better 
than  to  have  the'  young  folks  come  to  his  house,  and  play  the  fiddle  for  them 
to  dance.  He  had  great  faith  in  the  future  of  his  town,  and  the  writer  on  a 
visit  in  1851  remembers  his  taking  a  map  of  Illinois  and  showing  us  that 


122  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Sterling  was  directly  west  of  Chicago,  and  that  an  air  line  to  the  Missis- 
sippi must  pass  through  this  point.  He  was  right,  and  wisely  gave  the  com- 
pany land  for  the  station  and  yard,  which  at  once  moved  business  from  upper 
Sterling,  and  made  Wallacetown  the  center  of  operations,  which  it  has 
since  retained.  In  later  years  he  retired  from  practice,  and  spent  his  after- 
noons on  his  broad  piazza  overlooking  what  was  then  a  grassy  river  bottom, 
now  covered  with  railroad  tracks,  shops,  and  tenements. 

B.   C.    COBLENTZ. 

The  writer's  first  view  of  B.  C.  was  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  in  1853.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  class  graduated  that  year  from  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College.  Captain  Wilberforce  Nevin,  afterward  in  the  civil  war,  and  a  while 
editor  of  the  Philadelphia  Press,  was  also  a  member.  Coblentz  came  west 
soon  after  finishing  his  law  studies,  and  had  his  office  with  Hugh  Wallace 
in  that  small  annex  which  once  stood  east  of  the  Wallace  House.  He  was 
quite  popular,  and  in  1867  was  elected  mayor. 

His  wife  was  Miss  Murphy,  from  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  an  entertaining 
talker.  Coblentz  liked  ease,  was  a  good  liver,  somewhat  pompous,  and  in 
summer  was  the  only  man  in  town  who  sported  a  white  vest.  For  a  time  he 
had  an  office  in  the  quarters  of  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  on  the  second 
floor  of  Wallace  Hall.  Misfortune  followed  the  family  after  the  removal 
from  Sterling  to  Arkansas.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died,  and  some  of  the 
children. 

All  are  scattered  nOw  and  fled, 
Some  are  married,   some  are  dead. 

EDWIN    N.    KIRK. 

In  the  summer  of  1861  Mr.  Kirk  gave  a  large  party  at  the  pretty  villa 
which  he  had  erected  in  the  grove  in  eastern  Sterling,  now  the  property  of 
Wash  Dillon.  As  we  stood  on  the  south  piazza,  he  said  he  was  not  satisfied 
to  be  at  ease  while  soldiers  were  needed  to  uphold  the  flag  at  the  front. 
That  fall  the  34th  Illinois  infantry  was  organized  with  Kirk  as  its  colonel, 
and  the  writer  visited  the  boys  while  at  Camp  Butler,  near  Springfield.  At 
Stone  River,  Tennessee,  Dec.  31,  1862,  Kirk  had  two  horses  shot  under  him, 
was  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and  some  time  after  that  terrific  battle, 
underwent  an  operation  from  which  he  never  recovered. 

Gen.  Kirk  was  ambitious,  and  like  many  others,  felt  that  military  dis- 
tinction would  be  a  passport  to  success  in  politics  after  the  war. 

'Twas  ever  thus  from  childhood's  hour, 
I've  seen  my  fondest  hopes  decay. 

He  was  a  tall,  fine-looking  man,  and  as  Mrs.  Kirk,  who  was  short,  walked 
by  his  side  up  the  aisle  to  a  front  pew  in  the  old  Presbyterian  church  in  Rev. 
E.  Erskine's  day,  they  created  a  sensation,  especially  as  they  came  late  when 
the  services  were  in  progress. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  123 

JAMES  DINSMOOR. 

One  of  our  few  college  men  fifty  years  ago,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth, 
the  alma  mater  of  Daniel  Webster  and  Rufus  Choate.  His  son,  Jarvis,  now 
practicing  law  in  Sterling,  enjoyed  the  same  privilege.  He  was  the  only 
lawyer  who  had  an  office  in  town  and  residence  in  the  country.  For  forty 
years,  rain  or  shine,  summer  and  winter,  he  drove  in  his  buggy  from  Hazel 
Hill  farm,  five  miles  north  of  Emerson,  to  his  business  in  Sterling.  For 
tome  time  he  was  associated  with  Graves,  another  eastern  man,  and  then 
with  Walter  Stager.  Mrs.  Dinsmoor,  in  early  life  a  teacher,  loved  to  speak 
of  Emerson,  Holmes,  and  the  literary  traditions  of  her  New  England  home. 
Lowell  was  their  residence  before  removal  to  Illinois. 


MILES    S.    HENRY.  ', 

He  was  born  in  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  in  1815,  the  year  of  Waterloo  and  New 
Orleans,  was  a  schoolmate  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  began  the  practice  of 
law  in  Sterling  in  1844.  An  active  citizen,  and  he  filled  several  responsible 
positions.  He  was  in  the  banking  business  with  Lorenzo  Hapgood,  a  delegate 
to  the  Philadelphia  convention  that  nominated  Fremont  in  185B,  president 
of  the  Sterling  and  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company,  and  in  1862  was  ap- 
pointed paymaster  in  the  army.  His  second  wife  was  Mr.=.  Bushnell,  widow 
of  Major  Bushnell,  of  the  13th  Illinois. 

Henry  was  a  gentleman  of  fine  taste,  an  easy  talker,  and  very  agree- 
able. 

A  merrier  man, 

Within  the  limit  of  becoming  mirth, 
I  never  spent  an  hour's  talk  withal. 

An  excellent  reader.  At  a  social  given  by  Mrs.  McCune  in  the  parlors  of  the 
Wallace  House,  being  called  upon  for  a  reading,  Major  Henry  recited: 

Oh,  the  snow,  the  beautiful  snow, 
Filling  the  sky  and  the  earth  below. 

Watson's  poem  was  not  then  so  familiar.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  at 
Grace  Episcopal  church  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Goodhue.  He, 
Lorenzo  Hapgood,  and  Gabriel  Davis,  as  senior  members,  occupied  front 
seats. 

FREDERICK    SACKETT. 

The  most  jovial  of  our  lawyers,  always  ready  for  a  joke,  never  without 
a  cigar.  A  self-made  man,  making  no  pretension  to  culture,  with  an  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  common  law.  He  laid  the  foundation  for  what  is  now  a 
part  of  the  residence  of  W.  W.  Davis,  Bellevue  Place.  Four  friends  planned 
a  sort  of  select  quarter.  Dr.  Hudson  on  the  Ed  Bowman  place,  Kirk  where 
Dillon  is,  Ed  Allen  across  the  street.  The.-e  with  Sackett  would  have  made 
a  social  ring.  But  fate  determined  otherwise.  Death  and  misfortune 
crushed  these  fond  projects,  and  Sackett  died  homeless  and  desolate. 


124  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

JACOB  HASKELL. 

A  slender,  delicate  person.  He  used  to  take  walks  for  his  health.  The 
writer  met  him  one  morning  strolling  along  the  Morrison  road.  For  a  time, 
partner  of  Dinsmoor,  the  firm  being  Dinsmoor  and  Haskell.  Fond  of  writ- 
ing for  the  press.  He  and  \V.  W.  Davis  were  proposed  as  editors  of  a  pro- 
jected paper  during  the  Farnsworth  and  Arnold  contest  for  the  Con- 
gressional nomination.  His  sons  still  live  in  Sterling.  William  W.  was  for 
years  assistant  postmaster  with  Thomas  Diller.  Walter  N.  is  a  lawyer, 
making  patents  a  specialty,  and  is  secretary  of  the  Central  school  board. 

DAVID  M'CARTXEY. 

A  lawyer  of  the  old  school,  plain,  earnest,  rugged,  positive,  always  ready 
to  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  was  in  him.  Fulton  was  his  home  for  a 
long  time,  and  the  old  handbills  announcing  speakers,  regularly  had  "D. 
McCartney  of  Fulton."  An  explosive  style  of  speaking,  firing  his  sentences 
in  what  musicians  would  call  staccato.  When  McCartney  took  the  platform, 
the  crowd  prepared  for  something  rich  and  stirring.  He  came  to  Sterling 
in  1865  and  died  in  1888.  At  his  death,  he  was  state's  attorney,  the  predecessor 
of  Walter  Stager.  Before  the  present  law  was  enacted,  he  was  prosecutor 
for  four  counties.  Mrs.  Fannie  Worthington,  the  well  known  speaker  and 
writer,  is  a  daughter,  and  also  the  present  wife  of  C.  L.  Sheldon,  Esq. 

JOHN   G.    MANAHAN. 

He  was  in  a  law  office  when  the  rebels  fired  upon  Fort  Sumter,  and 
being  young  and  enthusiastic,  he  enlisted  with  numerous  personal  friends  in 
the  Thirteenth  Illinois,  and  followed  the  flag  to  the  close  of  the  rebellion. 
On  his  return  he  resumed  practice.  For  a  time  the  firm  was  Kilgour  and 
Manahan,  then  Manahan  and  Ward.  John  failed  gradually,  yielding  to  a 
cruel,  hereditary  malady,  consumption,  which  carried  off  his  mother  at  an 
early  age,  and  also  a  sister.  With  only  a  common  school  education  and  law 
study  in  an  office,  John  secured  an  excellent  standing  in  the  circuit  and 
higher  courts.  A  ready  writer  and  speaker,  industrious,  and  the  soul  of  honor. 
For  years  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church. 

JAMES  E.  M'PHERRAN. 

Fresh  from  college  and  law  school,  in  the  prime  of  his  young  manhood, 
James  came  directly  to  Sterling,  and  remained  here  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  to  his  death  a  few  years  ago.  He  was  like  Goldsmith's  village 
preacher : 

Remote  from  towns  he  ran  his  godly  race, 

Nor  e'er  had  changed,  nor  wished  to  change,  his  place. 

Like  Emery  A.  Storrs  of  Chicago,  Mr.  McPherran  was  not  satisfied  with 
the  dry  details  of  statute  books,  but  had  a  natural  fondness  for  literature. 
He  read  at  night  and  kept  in  touch  with  new  publications.  He  was  rightly 
considered  the  best  historian  of  the  Whiteside  bar.  For  over  twenty  years 
he  was  president  of  the  Sterling  library  board,  and  his  portrait,  presented  by 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  125 

the  family,  now  adorns  the  walls  of  the  directors'  room  in  the  new  public 
library. 

CHARLES  J.   JOHNSON. 

His  father  was  a  pioneer,  moving  to  the  state  in  1839.  Charles  studied 
law  with  Judge  McCoy  of  Fulton,  and  in  1854,  in  company  with  David 
McCartney,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Sterling  in  the  old  courthouse  on 
Broadway,  now  fallen  like  Babylon.  After  eighteen  years  of  practice  at 
Morrison,  and  a  short  stay  in  Rock  Island  and  Chicago,  he  came  to  Sterling 
in  1879,  where  he  remained  to  his  death.  Charlie,  as  he  was  commonly 
called,  made  no  pretension  to  oratory,  but  was  a  fine  office  lawyer,  with  the 
principles  and  decisions  of  the  courts  at  his  tongue's  end.  His  younger 
brother,  Caleb,  with  whom  he  was  associated,  is  still  in  practice  in  Sterling. 

JAMES  M'COY. 

Coming  here  from  his  Virginia  home,  and  beginning  the  practice  of 
law  at  Fulton  in  1840,  Judge  McCoy  was  the  Nestor  of  the  Whiteside  bar. 
He  was  a  public-spirited  man,  and  was  never  so  devoted  to  his  profession,  as 
to  forget  the  claims  of  the  community.  He  showed  a  lively  interest  in  edu- 
cation as  well  as  in  politics.  A  presidential  elector  in  1868,  a  delegate  to 
the  constitutional  convention  in  1869,  a  trustee  of  the  Illinois  Soldiers'  Col- 
lege. Fond  of  mingling  among  the  people.  Never  forgot  a  face.  The 
writer  met  him  regularly  at  the  fairs  on  the  Sanborn  grounds  at  Sterling, 
and  he  was  always  ready  to  give  the  hearty  grasp  of  friendship. 

FRANK  E.   ANDREWS. 

After  a  gradual  decline  for  months,  Mr.  Andrews  passed  away  in  the 
autumn  of  1907.  His  office  was  always  in  .Sterling,  where  he  had  grown 
up,  but  his  death  occurred  in  Rock  Falls,  where  he  had  resided  for  a  few 
years  preceding.  A  broad-shouldered  man,  his  early  decease  was  a  surprise. 
His  general  appearance  seemed  to  indicate  vigor  and  endurance.  One  of  his 
most  striking  mental  qualities  was  firmness,  resolution.  When  he  entered 
upon  a  course  of  action,  he  pushed  the  business  to  a  conclusion,  with  all  his 
energy,  regardless  of  criticism  or  opposition.  He  was  high  authority  on 
drainage  from  his  long  experience  as  a  surveyor,  and  it  was  chiefly  due 
to  his  recommendation  that  the  feeder  to  the  Hennepin  canal  was  placed  at 
Sterling. 

At  a  memorial  meeting  of  the  Whiteside  bar  in  Morrison,  appreciative 
tributes  to  his  character  were  paid  by  several  of  his  associates.  All  spoke  of 
the  habitual  purity  of  his  life.  Jarvis  Dinsmoor  said:  "In  an  acquaintance 
of  twenty-five  years,  meeting  Mr.  Andrews  in  court,  in  conference,  in  shop, 
street,  in  politics,  I  never  heard  fall  from  his  lips,  a  profane,  hasty  or  vulgar 
word.  When  I  called  to  see  him  in  his  sickness,  the  sick  man  had  reached 
the  condition  so  beautifully  portrayed  by  Whittier: 

"  'And  so  beside  the  silent  sea 

I  wait  the  muffled  oar, 
No  harm  from  him  can   come  to  me, 
On  ocean  or  on  shore.' " 


126  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

\V.  H.  Allen,  of  Erie,  the  oldest  member  of  the  bar,  dwelt  on  his  loyalty 
to  justice,  his  love  of  truth,  his  courage  in  doing  what  was  morally  right, 
undeterred  by  argument,  ridicule,  sarcasm  or  denunciation.  His  work  was 
honestly  and  fairly  done  in  a  great  profession,  and  it  is  well  that  his  breth- 
ren should  gladly  award  the  praise  due  a  career  so  fittingly  closed. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Some  of  our  first  lawyers  are  a  vanishing  memory.  They  soon  passed 
from  the  stage  by  death  or  removal.  For  example,  Brooks  Ward  and  Joe 
Ware.  Some  came  into  our  court  from  other  counties,  flashed  like  an  occa- 
sional meteor  and  then  retired.  There  was  Joe  Knox  of  Rock  Island,  a 
strong  speaker  and  there  was  Judge  Leffingwell  of  Clinton,  perhaps  the  most 
brilliant  pleader  who  ever  appeared  in  our  court.  He  had  all  the  endow- 
ments of  the  orator  in  aspect,  voice,  manner,  heightened  by  careful  study, 
and  jury  and  audience  were  soon  captivated  by  the  magnetism  of  his  address. 
A  persuasive  talker  on  the  platform,  and  his  services  were  always  in  demand 
in  political  campaigns. 

ERIE. 

To  one  who  has  been  long  in  city  pent, 

'Tis  very  sweet  to  look  into  the  fair 

And  open  face  of  heaven, — to  breathe  a  prayer 

Full  in  the  smile  of  the  blue  firmament. — Keats. 

About  twenty  miles  from  Sterling,  south  on  the  Burlington  towards 
Rock  Island  through  Sands,  Lyndon,  Denrock,  is  the  thriving  town  of  Erie. 
Leaving  the  station,  a  short  walk  brings  you  to  the  heart  of  the  place,  an 
irregular  plaza,  in  Spanish,  around  which  the  principal  business  houses  are 
built.  Various  stores  and  two  opera  houses,  Burchell's  and  Breed's,  which 
are  in  frequent  demand  for  lectures  and  plays.  Along  the  railroad  are  three 
elevators,  which  deal  in  coal,  grain  and  live  stock.  There  is  a  custom  mill, 
in  operation  for  forty  years,  with  a  capacity  of  thirty  barrels  of  flour  a 
day,  but  which  is  really  now  a  custom  mill,  grinding  grists  as  brought  by  the 
surrounding  patrons.  The  creamery,  Gilbert  Wilcox,  twelve  years  in  exist- 
ence, produces  in  the  aggregate  100,000  pounds  of  butter  a  year.  The 
receipts  of  cream  are  much  heavier  in  summer  than  in  winter.  In  summer 
ice  cream  is  made  and  readily  sold.  . 

The  longest  industrial  establishment  in  Erie  is  the  poultry  house,  carried 
on  by  the  Morrison  Produce  Company.  It  measures  150  by  42  feet,  with 
numerous  windows.  The  concern  was  started  18  or  19  years  ago.  All  kinds 
of  fowls  are  bought,  mostly  chickens,  five  wagons  run  to  scour  the  country 
for  the  bipeds,  six  to  twelve  pickers  employed,  and  the  shipments  to  Boston, 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  are  from  five  to  six  thousand  pounds  a  day.  But 
understand  the  fowls  are  not  exported  as  received  from  the  country.  They 
are  artificially  fattened.  Twice  a  day  buttermilk  or  other  rich  liquid  food 
is  forced  into  their  craws  in  order  that  the  flesh  may  be  white  and  tender 
for  the  palates  of  eastern  epicures. 

A  high  tone  in  Erie  society.     The  people  are  organized  in  various  capaci- 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  127 

ties  to  do  good.  The  Christian  church  was  started  in  1871  with  forty  mem- 
bers, the  present  property  bought  from  the  United  Brethren,  and  remodeled 
in  1902.  There  are  one  hundred  members,  a  Sunday  school  of  94,  Ladies' 
Aid  society  and  Christian  Endeavor.  The  pastor,  Rev.  G.  W,  Morton,  studied 
at  Millersville,  Pa.,  Moody's  Institute,  Chicago,  and  before  his  residence  here, 
was  engaged  in  evangelistic  work.  His  first  year  in  Erie.  A  young  man 
with  plenty  of  energy. 

As  everywhere,  the  Methodist  is  the  pioneer  church,  started  in  1839  with 
preaching  by  Rev.  Norris  Hobart.  In  the  first  class  were  John  Freek,  Mrs. 
Hunt,  A.  Brooks,  Mrs.  Early.  First  services  in  the  log  school  house.  The 
present  membership  is  120,  with  a  good  Sunday  school  of  100'  pupils.  Also 
a  Ladies'  Aid,  Epworth  League  and  Junior  Epworth.  The  pastor,  Rev.  John 
A.  Edmondson,  has  had  a  varied  career.  Originally  in  the  Tennessee  con- 
ference of  M.  E.  C.  South,  he  was  chaplain  during  the  war  of  a  state  regi- 
ment, but  resigned  when  it  was  proposed  to  turn  it  over  to  the  Confederacy, 
came  north  to  the  Colorado  conference  in  1875,  then  to  the  Central  Illinois, 
next  to  Rock  River.  This  is  his  second  year. 

The  plain  building  of  1870  gave  way  in  1901  to  a  modern  structure  with 
two  elevations  and  tower  at  the  intersection.  Of  frame,  with  stained  glass 
and  every  necessary  equipment  for  comfort  and  beauty.  At  the  dedication, 
Rev.  Fred  D.  Stone  offered  prayer  and  the  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  M. 
A.  Head.  E.  W.  Thompson  was  pastor  at  that  time. 

One  of  the  oldest  members  is  Dr.  H.  K.  Wells,  born  in  Lebanon,  N.  H., 
1824,  who  took  his  academic  course  at  McKendree  college,  and  his  medical 
al  Rush  college,  Chicago.  The  doctor  has  been  a  stanch  Wesleyan  since 
sixteen.  He  came  to  Erie  in  1865,  and  is  still  in  occasional  practice. 

On  a  side  street  stands  a  dark  frame  building  with  cupola  and  bell, 
but  the  worshipers  who  once  sat  beneath  that  roof  are  dead  or  scattered.  The 
bell  rings  no  more. 

Of  joys  departed  never  to  return, 
How  painful  the  remembrance. 

This  is  the  Baptist  church,  erected  in  1870,  with  a  membership  of  eighty 
in  happier  days.  Rev.  L.  L.  Lansing  was  the  first  pastor,  with  a  dozen  suc- 
cessors. Mrs.  Maria  Hubbard  is  one  of  the  few  remaining  of  the  early 
members.  The  Hubbard  farm  was  her  first  home  before  her  marriage  and 
removal  to  Erie,  where  she  has  lived  36  yeats.  In  1853  she  went  to  a  log 
schoolhouse  in  Erie.  Her  great-great-grandfather  was  in  the  battle  of  Lex- 
ington. 

Perhaps  the  most  active  intellectual  influence  in  Erie  is  the  Woman's 
Club.  It  was  organized  March  28,  1903.  The  motto  is  Progress,  and  the 
colors  purple  and  gold.  There  are  43  members,  comprising  the  leading 
ladies  of  the  town.  Mr?.  Burnice  Sieben  is  president,  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
Burchell,  treasurer.  A  fine  fountain  of  malleable  iron  in  the  square  is  a 
monument  of  their  zeal.  Meetings  are  held  every  two  weeks,  and  a  neat 
booklet  contains  the  program  for  each  session.  As  will  be  seen  the  order 
changes  from  time  to  time,  keeping  their  minds  in  wholesome  occupation. 


128  HISTORY   OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

For  instance  this  program  for  Dec.  3:  Music,  Quotations  from  American 
poets,  Early  Indian  history,  the  Indian  today,  Indian  music  and  literature, 
music.  For  March  3,  Plantation  Folk  Lore,  quotations  from  southern 
poets,  southern  dialect  stories.  One  day  is  set  apart  for  the  annual  reception, 
-and  one  day  to  the  discussion  of  local  needs.  In  addition  they  aim  to  have 
regular  courses  of  lectures.  In  the  season  of  1907-1908,  Hon.  Arthur  K. 
Peck,  of  Boston,  gave  an  illustrated  lecture  on  the  U.  S.  Life  Saving  Service. 
He  was  followed  in  an  entertainment  by  John  B.  Ratto.  At  one  meeting 
Mrs.  Maria  Hubbard  located  the  site  of  the  first  schoolhouse.  It  was  a  log 
building  on  Main  street,  on  the  lot  now  owned  by  Carrie  Hoffman  and  her 
sister,  Miss  Sophronia  Wright. 

"What  is  so  rare  as  a  day  in  June?"  inquired  Lowell.  What  is  handier 
than  the  phone?  Erie  has  fine  service  in  the  Crescent  Telephone  Company. 
It  was  organized  in  Rock  Island  county  1898,  by  seven  men.  On  June  14, 
1904,  the  license  of  incorporation  was  received,  capital  stock,  $12,500.  A 
steady  growth  since.  Today  the  company  has  233V2  miles  of  poles,  of 
which  177%  are  in  Rock  Island  county  and  56  miles  in  Whiteside.  They 
have  sold  also  miles  of  wire.  The  stock  of  494  shares  is  located  as  follows: 
Watertown,  38;  Port  Byron,  114;  Hillsdale,  157;  Erie,  185.  The  shares 
.sell  at  $25  each  or  share  and  telephone,  $40  each.  At  the  annual  election 
in  January,  1908,  at  Joslin,  111.,  it  was  voted  to  increase  the  capital,  to  $25,000, 
or  1,000  shares,  or  500  more  than  they  had  to  sell. 

The  company  have  four  switchboards,  one  at  Watertown,  Port  Byron, 
Hillsdale,  Erie.  The  officers  are  W.  H.  Whiteside,  Joslin,  president;  E.  L. 
Hansen,  Hillsdale,  treasurer;  and  A.  A.  Matthews,  Erie,  secretary.  Mr. 
Whiteside  has  been  at  the  head  for  several  years.  A  struggle  till  the  enter- 
prise was  on  its  feet,  but  now  it  is  a  great  success,  giving  the  best  of  service. 

Erie  was  incorporated  in  1872  and  the  board  of  trustees  for  1908  are: 
George  H.  Fadden,  president;  C.  D.  Hannon,  clerk;  and  the  usual  commit- 
tees on  streets,  finance,  fire,  health,  judiciary  and  cemetery.  Regular  meet- 
ings are  held  first  Tuesday  evening  of  the  month  at  seven  in  the  winter,  and 
7:30  in  the  summer. 

No  town,  west  or  east,  is  complete  without  a  paper.  A  city  sheet  can- 
not give  the  local  news,  and  even  your  own  county  dailies  are  unable  to 
furnish  the  little  items  that  people  enjoy.  A  town  paper  is  really  a  home 
bulletin.  The  Erie  Independent  was  established  in  1877  by  G.  W.  Guernsy, 
and  in  1885  was  purchased  by  Wm.  M.  Patrick,  of  Lyndon,  who  was  pub- 
lishing the  Lyndon  Advocate.  In  1890  the  establishment  was  bought  by 
the  present  editor  and  publisher,  C.  D.  Hannon.  He  has  given  his  best 
efforts  to  the  paper,  and  made  it  an  excellent  repository  of  home  intelligence 
with  an  advertising  patronage  creditable  to  the  merchants.  Mr.  Hannon  is 
an  affable  and  courteous  gentleman.  The  Independent  has  four  pages  and 
.six  columns  to  the  page.  One  dollar  per  year. 

THE  CEMETERY. 

All  that  tread  the  globe  are  but  a  handful 
To  the  tribes  that  slumber  in  its  bosom. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  129 

Along  the  main  street  leading  north  is  the  cemetery.  Here  is  the  tomb 
of  Andrew  J.  Osborne,  a  well  known  reformer  in  his  day,  who  ventilated 
his  views  freely  by  pen  and  voice,  1829-1901.  On  the  dark  granite  is  the 
inscription,  "His  greatest  aim  in  life  was  for  the  liberty  of  labor."  A  hand- 
some soldiers'  monument,  Orcutt  Post,  553,  with  a  volunteer  on  the  summit. 
On  each  of  the  four  sides,  Gettysburg,  Stone  River,  Shiloh,  Vickshurg.  Names 
of  soldiers  engraved  below. 

"Dedicated  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Rebellion." 

1861-1865. 

Samuel  Orcutt  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
Erie,  111. 

Ah,  never  shall  the  land  forget 

How  gushed  the  life-blood  of  the  brave, 

Gush'd  warm   with   hope  and  courage  yet, 
Upon  the  soil  they  fought  .to  save! 

A  goodly  band  of  veterans  are  enjoying  their  well-earned  retirement, 
Robert  Thompson,  34th  Illinois,  enlisted  at  Prophetstown,  mustered  out 
at  Goldsboro,  N.  G.  Started  as  private,  returned  as  captain.  H.  A.  Hatton, 
enlisted  in  the  10th  Iowa  Infantry,  saw  long  and  strenuous  service  at  Island 
No.  Ten,  Vicksburg,  Chattanooga,  Mission  Ridge,  with  Sherman  in  the  march 
to  the  sea,  and  then  north  to  the  grand  review  at  Washington,  1865,  which 
he  says  was  the  proudest  day  of  his  life.  Of  the  107  who  left  in  hi,?  com- 
pany, only  17  came  back.  L.  E.  Matthews,  75th  Illinois,  was  hit  in  knee 
at  Perryville,  and  wounded  also  at  Dallas  in  1864. 

Hiram  Deyo,  enlisted  twice,  first  in  Mechanics  Fusileers,  then  in  92nd 
Illinois,  Col.  Atkins.  He  fought  at  Chickamauga  and  Lookout  Mountain, 
marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  and  was  mustered  out  in  North  Carolina. 
Arthur  Welding,  first  in  15th  Missouri  Independent  Rangers,  1831,  next 
in  8th  Kansas  Infantry,  1882,  followed  the  flag  under  Rosecranz,  Sherman 
and  Grant,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Chattanooga  in  1864.  York  Eddy, 
75th  Illinois,  was  in  that  terrible  fight  at  Perryville.  He  is  thankful  to 
Uncle  Sam  for  $20  a  month  pension.  Joseph  M.  Stephenson,  born  in  Eng- 
land, enlisted  in  De  Witt,  Iowa,  in  26th  Iowa  Infantry,  spent  his  term 
chiefly  about  Helena,  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  hospital  at  St.  Louis, 
to  his  discharge  in  1863. 

Thanks  to  the  genius  of  Edison,  a  mild  moonlight  is  enjoyed  in  all 
our  smaller  towns  every  winter  night.  An  electric  plant  furnishes  incandes- 
cent lights  in  Erie  streets.  The  town  is  charged  $1.25  for  every  light,  or 
$66  per  month  for  the  whole  number.  It  was  established  in  1899.  There  is 
an  engine  of  eighty  horsepower.  The  price,  three  lights  for  $1.25  per 
month,  seems  reasonable,  for  household  use,  sixteen  candle  power.  E.  L. 
Muesse,  formerly  of  Wisconsin,  is  engineer.  The  service  is  generously  em- 
ployed in  stores,  shops,  hotels  and  the  newer  residences. 

The  bridge  over  Rock  river  wa.s  built  in  1892  by  the  Chicago  Bridge 
and  Iron  Works  at  a  cost  of  $21,500.  Three  spans.  A  solid  piece  of  work. 


130  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

EARLY  SETTLERS. 

Erie  comes  naturally  by  its  name,  as  two  of  the  first  settlers  came  from 
Erie  county,  New  York.  Lewis  D.  Crandall  settled  here  in  1835,  and  estab- 
lished a  ferry  over  Rock  river,  the  first  below  Dixon.  Lafayette,  also,  came 
from  the  same  county  in  New  York,  and  opened  a  farm  in  1837.  Samuel 
Carr,  Vermont,  kept  hotel  in  a  log  cabin,  1843,  when  a  stage  line  was  in 
operation.  John  Freek,  England,  came  in  1835,  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  Sunday  schools  and  preaching  services,  so  often  neglected  in  the  primitive 
•districts.  In  1840  a  postoffice  was  kept  at  Crandall's  Ferry  by  Lewis  D. 
Crandall,  and  moved  to  Erie  in  1849. 

In  the  autumn  of  1835,  Peter  Gile,  wife  and  two  children,  with  L.  D. 
Crandall,  started  from  Dixon  with  goods  on  two  canoes  lashed  together. 
Night  came  on,  and  the  frail  craft  was  overturned  in  the  raging  current. 

The  boat  was  on  a  stormy  land, 
A  stormy  sea  before  her. 

The  younger  child  was  drowned,  and  Mrs.  Gile  soon  died  from  the  effects 
of  the  exposure.  0.  Brooks  built  the  first  house  in  Erie,  and  the  first  teacher 
was  Polly  Ann  Sprague,  afterwards  Mrs.  Reuben  Hard.  The  first  marriage, 
that  of  Oliver  Olmstead  and  Electa  Hunt,  and  the  first  child  born  was 
Harriet  Coburn,  her  father,  Charles,  having  come  in  1839  from  New  York. 
An  agreeable  hour  was  spent  with  John  D.  Fenton,  who  as  a  child  came 
with  his  father,  Joseph,  to  the  country  in  1835.  He  was  born  in  1832,  and 
has  lived  in  Erie  since  1863.  All  of  his  early  associates  are  dead  and  gone. 
He  likes  to  tell  of  the  family  trip  to  the  west  by  Erie  canal,  the  lakes  and 
ox  cart  from  Milwaukee.  Mr.  Fenton  is  one  of  the  most  sprightly  men  of 
his  age  to  be  met  in  a  day's  travel.  Rises  early,  does  his  own  chores,  regular 
in  eating,  sleeping  and  all  his  habits,  and  what  is  rare,  a  systematic  reader 
of  the  dailies  and  magazines,  taking  a  variety  of  the  best  publications.  He 
talks  well,  no  slang  or  slip-shod  words.  The  thought  and  language  of  a  gentle- 
man. 

TWO    CHARACTERS. 

William  Allen,  esq.,  who  has  been  in  Erie  since  1856,  may  be  called  the 
Dean  of  the  Whiteside  bar.  A  judicial  mind  and  a  phenomenal  memory. 
A  Solomon  in  judgment,  and  a  Macaulay  in  recalling  names  and  dates. 
His  spacious  farm  house  and  barn  on  a  tract  of  300  acres,  on  the  edge  of 
town,  is  conspicuous,  and  assure  Mr.  Allen  a  comfortable  old  age. 

But  D.  B.  Henwood  is  in  age  the  G.  0.  M.  of  Erie.  A  pioneer  of  pioneers. 
His  mother  kept  tavern  in  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  in  1812 ;  he  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1824,  moved  to  Ohio  in  four-horse  wagon  in  1825,  to  Indiana  in 
1837,  to  Erie  in  1850.  He  had  a  farm  and  ferry,  and  ran  the  boat  across 
the  river  till  the  bridge  was  built.  A  genuine  Charon  that  the  Latin  poets 
speak  of.  Still  vigorous  at  84. 

The  First  National  Bank  has  a  paid-up  capital  of  $40,000.  Robert  L. 
Btirchell  is  president,  Ora  A.  Wilson,  vice-president  and  Robert  C.  Burchell, 
oashier.  Eight  directors:  Charles  McLane,  Ora  A.  Wilson,  Frank  J.  Vagt, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  131 

Henry  A.  Huntington,  G.  H.  Fadden,  R.  C.  Burchell,  R.  L.  Burchell,  W.  C. 
Durkes. 

ITEMS. 

All  the  fraternal  orders  flourish.  The  Masons  doubtless  the  oldest,  Erie 
Lodge,  No.  687,  instituted  in  1870.  Then  there  are  the  Mystic  Workers, 
Odd  Fellows,  Woodmen,  Knights  of  Pythias,  with  their  lady  society  adjuncts. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees,  a  bill  of  $543  was  allowed 
for  gravel  on  the  streets,  the  best  material  for  giving  a  solid  foundation  for 
traffic. 

A  substantial  city  hall  of  brick,  built  two  years  ago.  On  first  floor  an 
assembly  room,  in  rear,  fire  engine  and  jail,  above  council  chamber  and 
other  offices. 

Erie  had  no  railway  connection  until  the  Rockford,  Rock  Island  and 
St.  Louis  R.  R.  was  opened  in  1869,  and  since  then  the  place  has  enjoyed 
a  healthy  improvement.  One  advantage.  It  has  no  competing  towns  in 
business,  Rock  Island  and  Geneseo  on  the  south  being  too  far  away  to  attract 
trade. 

The  two  most  imposing  residences  in  Erie  are  those  of  R.  C.  Burchell, 
merchant,  and  Dr.  Larue,  physician.  They  are  both  of  the  southern  style, 
Thomas  Jefferson  at  Monticello,  or  Jackson  at  Hermitage,  with  their  tall 
columns  under  the  high  portico  in  front. 

Like  Chicago,  the  town  recalls  a  memorable  fire,  July  3,  1897,  which 
destroyed  a  whole  block,  stores,  printing  office,  heart  of  the  place,  but  the 
new  buildings  are  better.  Erie  is  progressive. 

Men  said  at  vespers,  all  is  well. 
In  one  wild  night  the  city  fell. 

A  young  men's  club  was  lately  organized  at  the  Christian  church  on 
the  plan  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  with  25  members,  with  the  general  aim  of 
personal  and  public  improvement  in  the  better  life.  ,  -. 

A  highly  respected  citizen  died  in  Jan.,  1908,  M.  H.  Seger,  whose  father 
came  from  Maine  and  settled  in  Erie  in  1854.  Mr.  Seger  was  born  in  1838. 
A  useful  man.  In  his  seventy  years,  he  had  served  Erie  in  every  position, 
justice,  assessor,  collector,  director,  supervisor. 

THE  SCHOOL. 

Erie  people  have  always  taken  much  pride  in  their  educational  affairs, 
and  the  school  was  never  more  efficient  than  today.  Gradual  additions  are 
made  to  the  library,  laboratory  and  necessary  apparatus.  A  half  hour  twice 
a  week  is  given  to  music  in  each  room.  A  catalogue  is  published  in  which 
the  general  course  of  study  is  outlined.  There  are  twelve  grades,  compris- 
ing the  primary,  intermediate,  grammar  and  high  school  divisions.  Grad- 
ing is  on  the  scale  of  one  hundred.  A  pupil  falling  below  75  must  make 
up  the  study  in  the  next  term.  There  is  a  truant  officer.  Four  years  in 
the  high  school  with  the  following  course.  For  the  Freshman,  English, 
Algebra,  Physiology,  Botany  and  Latin.  Sophomore  has  English,  Alge- 
bra, and  History,  Geography  and  Physiography,  Latin.  Junior  has  Eng- 


132  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

lish,  Geometry,  General  History,  Latin.  Senior  has  Zoology  and  English 
History,  Solid  Geometry  and  Political  Economy,  Physics,  Arithmetic.  For 
graduation  in  the  complete  high  school  course,  32  credits  are  required.  Six 
teachers  in  the  building.  Miss  Abbie  May  Hughes,  of  La  Salle,  in  the  pri- 
mary ;  Miss  Jennie  Lewis,  of  Morrison,  intermediate ;  Miss  Elizabeth  Fenton, 
of  Erie,  grammar;  Miss  Annie  Adams,  of  Erie,  instructor  in  music;  Miss 
Alvara  Proctor,  Spenser,  Mass.,  assistant  in  high  school.  She  is  a  graduate 
of  Smith  College,  Northampton,  Mass.,  and  a  thorough  scholar. 

The  principal,  Miss  Jessie  E.  Jewett,  Woodstock,  Illinois,  is  a  young 
lady  of  admirable  qualifications.  After  graduating  at  Woodstock  high  school 
and  Downer  College,  Milwaukee,  receiving  the  B.  A.  degree,  she  spent  sev- 
eral months  in  travel  abroad,  visiting  the  British  Isles,  France,  Germany, 
Holland,  Switzerland,  Italy.  A  young  woman  of  fine  presence  and  enthu- 
siasm that  cannot  fail  to  awaken  the  dullest  pupil.  The  writer  heard  a  recita- 
tion in  .English  on  the  topic  of  Burns  and  his  poetry,  and  it  was  happily 
illustrated  with  pictures  of  Ayr,  Dumfries  and  the  scenes  he  rendered  im- 
mortal. 

Kings  may  be  blest,  but  Tarn  was  glorious, 

O'er  a'  the  ills  o'  life  victorious. 

MRS.   WONSER  AT   NINETY-FOUR.  . 

It  was  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to  spend  an  hour  with  the  most  ven- 
erable woman  in  Erie,  Mrs.  Ruth  Wonser.  She  was  born  in  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  March,  1813,  and  is  therefore  in  her  95th  year.  She  came  to  Erie 
in  1848.  Her  husband  had  a  store  and  farm.  Mr.  Wonser  died  in  1893. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Churchill.  Of  ten  children,  five  are  living.  She 
makes  her  home  with  her  single  daughter,  Ruth,  who  is  devoted  in  her 
attendance  upon  her  aged  parent.  The  old  lady  shows  traces  of  her  early 
refinement  in  her  casual  phrases.  Alluding  to  her  daughter's  care,  "She  is 
entitled  to  the  highest  seat  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  and  in  allusion  to 
her  family,  "Most  of  them  are  gone  over  the  great  divide,  and  I  stay  at  my 
advanced  age.  My  eyes  are  dim,  ears  dull,  but  heart  as  young  as  ever." 

But  for  an  unfortunate  fall  28  years  ago,  breaking  her  thigh  and  ren- 
dering crutches  necessary  and  an  indoor  life,  Mrs.  Wonser  would  be  some- 
what active.  She  sits  in  her  chair,  and  reads  coarse  print  in  book  or  paper. 
In  1902  she  received  a  large  book  with  blank  leaves,  in  which  she  began  to 
make  entries  about  the  weather  and  various  events,  and  this  is  the  introduc- 
tion to 

HER  DIARY  AT  EIGHTY-NINE. 

"This  beautiful  book,  sent  by  my  dear  friends  and  children,  I  accept 
and  appreciate  with  heartfelt  thankfulness.  What  a  world  of  memories  rise 
up  in  mind  of  friends  tried  and  true,  of  loving  kindness  bestowed  in  hours 
of  severe  trial  and  heart-stricken  grief,  and  of  cheerful  counsel  in.  happier 
days.  Long  may  they  live,  and  may  health,  peace  and  plenty  be  their  store  I 

"According  to  the  family  record,  I  have  been  on  this  earth,  and  a  resi- 
dent of  the  United  States  for  89  years.  A  long  time.  Instead  of  ignorance, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  133 

I  should  be  very  learned.  Instead  of  poverty,  I  should  possess  a  competence. 
But  in  all  my  life.  I  have  tried  to  use  time  judiciously.  I  have  tried  to 
do  the  best  I  could.  What  have  I  accomplished?  Is  the  world  better  for 
my  having  been  a  resident  of  it  so  long?  Have  I  aided  anyone  to  live  a 
better  life?  Have  I  wiped  away  the  tear  of  the  mourner?  I  cannot  solve 
the  problem.  I  am  weary,  and  would  gladly  go  hence." 

This  is  a  wonderful  record.  The  writing  is  large  and  legible.  Could 
Wesley  at  85  do  better?  The  writer  pressed  the  wrinkled  hand  with  sadness 
as  he  felt  it  would  be  the  last  on  the  shores  of  time. 

This  sketch  was  written  in  December,  1907.  On  March  13,  1908,  she 
celebrated  her  95th  birthday,  and  sat  down  to  the  dinner  table  with  a  few 
relatives  and  friends,  and  seemed  to  be  as  bright  as  usual.  But  soon  after- 
wards she  began  to  fail,  and  died  early  in  April.  The  funeral  was  held  at 
her  home,  conducted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Edmonson.  Mrs.  Wonser  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church.  The  interment  was  in  the  cemetery  at  Erie. 

Her  husband,  M.  Wonser,  died  many  years  ago.  Several  children  are 
living.  C.  D.  Wonser,  the  youngest,  came  from  his  home  at  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  The  other  son,  M.  G.  AVonser  of  Tama,  la.,  was  also  present.  He  was 
here  on  his  mother's  last  birthday  and  had  returned  to  his  home,  but  came 
back  before  she  died.  Mrs.  Wonser  lived  with  her  daughter,  Ruth  Wonser. 

PORTLAND. 

From  yon  blue  heaven  above  us  bent, 
The  grand  old  gardener  and  his  wife, 
Smile  at  the  claims  of  long  descent. — Tennyson. 

How  did  Portland  get  its  name?  Not  from  the  precious  Portland  Vase 
found  in  Rome,  and  now  in  the  British  Museum?  Perhaps  from  the  Dukes 
of  Portland,  eminent  English  statesmen.  Or  the  cities  of  Portland  in  Maine 
and  Oregon.  Or  Portland  Cement,  which  means  everything  sound  and  hard. 
Or  from  the  Isle  of  Portland  in  the  English  channel,  noted  for  its  ca-tle 
and  building  stone.  Perhaps,  after  all,  a  fanciful  name. 

Portland  is  one  of  our  seven  townships,  Jordan,  Genesee,  Clyde,  Hume, 
Newton,  Montmorency,  whose  sacred  soil  has  not  been  invaded  by  the  iron 
horse.  Erie  is  the  nearest  point  by  rail.  A  mile  from  Erie  is  Rock  river, 
and  crossing  the  iron  bridge,  you  are  in  Portland.  There  is  a  bayou,  the 
land  is  low  and  swampy,  and  at  an  early  day  in  wet  times  this  particular 
place  was  impassable.  Now,  thanks  to  the  labors  of  the  commissioners,  travel 
is  a  pleasure.  The  approaches  and  the  high  embankment,  like  a  railroad,  for 
rods  is  macadamized  with  Joliet  stone.  It  is  made  to  stay. 

Four  miles  further  is  Spring  Hill.  A  clean,  cheerful-looking  hamlet 
of  about  one  hundred  people.  Dr.  .1.  T.  Magill,  who,  after  a  residence  of 
fourteen  years,  knows  the  families,  gave  the  writer  the  census  on  his  fingers. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  Bennett  Medical  college,  eclectic  in  practice,  and  in  his 
leisure  cultivates  a  fruit  farm,  shipping  what  he  is  unable  to  use.  On  a  sign 
is  "Village  Hotel,"  recalling  Miss  Mitford,  a  store  kept  by  Mr.  Perkins,  a 


134  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

separator  which  sends  the  cream  to  Erie,  a  school  in  charge  of  Miss  Erma 
Mason,  with  34  pupils  enrolled,  and  a  blacksmith  shop. 

But  this  is  none  of  your  common  shops  where  horses  are  shod  and 
shovels  are  mended.  George  Rollo,  who  has  had  the  business  for  sixteen 
years,  is  from  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  is  a  master  of  the  trade,  an  artist  in  iron. 
The  shop  is  supplied  with  machines  for  doing  every  kind  of  work,  power 
drills,  ripping  saws,  emery  wheels,  disc  sharpener,  plow  repairing,  trip  ham- 
mer, everything  necessary,  all  run  by  a  six-hoiv-e  gas  engine.  Farmers  come 
many  miles  to  have  their  plows  sharpened  and  put  in  order.  Two  men  are 
generally  employed. 

Spring  Hill  was  started  in  1853,  and  Levi  and  Horace  Fuller  opened 
a  store  and  did  an  extensive  business  until  1872.  In  1869  a  steam  saw  and 
grist  mill  was  erected,  but  continued  only  a  few  years.  A  mail  route  was 
established  from  Princeton  to  Rock  Island  in  1852,  and  the  postoffice  in 
1853,  Levi  Fuller,  postmaster.  The  village  is  situated  on  a  ridge,  seen  in 
every  direction  for  miles,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  good  country  and  productive 
farms.  Much  stock  is  raised.  At  a  late  sale  by  C.  C.  Fuller,  a  mile  west  of 
Spring  Hill,  among  the  animals  offered  at  auction,  were  nearly  a  hundred 
yearlings  and  cows. 

The  tornado  of  June  5,  1844,  was  remarkable  in  that  it  was  exclusive, 
its  ravages  confined  to  the  township.  The  storm  came  from  the  west,  cross- 
ing Rock  river  at  Crandall's  Ferry.  Houses,  barns  and  cattle  were  destroyed, 
trees  leveled  and  many  persons  injured.  Two  sons  of  J.  Smith  Rowe  were 
killed,  and  a  daughter  permanently  crippled.  Some  marvelous  escapes. 
Horace  Burke's  barn  and  house  ruined,  but  of  twelve  persons  none  were 
seriously  hourt.  Wagons  and  household  utensils  were  carried  for  miles. 
Three  of  A.  T.  Bracken's  horses  driven  through  a  sod  fence  and  not  badly 
damaged.  This  is  said  to  be  the  first  tornado  in  the  county. 

SHAROX    CHURCH. 

I  love  thy  kingdom,  Lord, 

The  house  of  thine  abode. — Dr.  Duight. 

This  stands  on  the  site  of  the  first  church  in  the  county.  Although  the 
Congregational  society  was  formed  in  Lyndon  in  1836,  no  church  was  erected, 
the  meetings  being  held  in  dwellings  or  schoolhouses.  The  Presbyterians 
organized  a  society  here  in  1839,  with  Deacon  and  Mrs.  Kemmis,  the  mother, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Getty,  Reuben  and  Horace  Hurd,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson, 
Mrs.  Norton  and  Mrs.  Durfee.  Christmas,  1841,  the  new  church  was  dedi- 
cated. It  was  an  oblong  edifice,  one  main  door  in  front,  and  three  windows 
on  each  side.  It  cost  about  $800.  Mr.  Norton  gave  ten  acres  of  land,  and 
assisted  in  erecting  a  parsonage  at  a  cost  of  $400.  This  was  afterwards 
burned,  but  another  was  soon  in  its  place.  Rev.  Daniel  Rockwell  was  the 
first  settled  pastor,  followed  by  a  succession  of  faithful  ministers,  Bliss,  a 
returned  missionary,  Martin,  Baldwin,  Kenricks,  Chambers,  Corbett.  As 
the  Presbyterians  grew  less  numerous,  and  other  denominations  increased, 
the  old  building  became  known  as  the  People's  Church,  on  account  of  its 


.HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  135 

various  membership  and  liberal  services.  As  the  early  structure  had  become 
too  small  for  the  increasing  attendance,  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  new  build- 
ing, which  was  dedicated  with  fitting  and  solemn  ceremonies,  Sunday,  July 
7,  1907.  Rev.  Mr.  Smith,  the  present  pastor,  was  in  charge  of  the  day's 
exercises. 

The  edifice  was  packed  at  an  early  hour,  and  hundreds  gathered  out- 
side and  were  enabled  to  enjoy  the  exercises  through  the  open  doors  and 
windows.  At  the  close  of  the  introductory  hymns  and  prayers,  Rev.  A.  M. 
AVhite,  D.  D.,  formerly  pastor  at  Morrison  and  ex-chaplain  at  Joliet,  delivered 
the  dedication  sermon.  It  was  a  noble  and  impressive  discourse.  As  he 
spoke  of  the  friends  of  other  days  who  had  worshiped  on  this  spot,  eyes 
grew  dim  and  strong  men  were  stirred  with  emotion.  Only  three  were  pres- 
ent who  had  witnessed  the  opening  of  Sharon  church  in  1841:  Henry 
Kempster,  J.  P.  Fuller,  Richard  Thompson. 

The  handsome  new  church  which  is  modern  throughout,  was  erected 
under  the  supervison  of  John  C.  Meyer  &  Sons  of  Spring  Hill.  The  main 
auditorium  is  48x30  and  twenty  feet  to  the  eaves,  height  of  ceiling  center, 
forty  feet.  There  is  also  an  annex  18x30  which  will  be  used  as  a  Sunday 
school  room  and  league  room.  This  annex  can  be  made  all  into  one  room, 
as  there  are  sliding  doors.  The  cathedral  windows  of  chipped  glass  give  the 
building  a  soft  light.  The  hard  pine  ceiling  is  set  in  panels,  the  floors  and 
woodwork  also  are  of  hard  pine.  The  white  walls  are  hard  finish.  The  10x16 
rostrum  for  the  minister  and  choir  is  in  the  south  and  opposite  to  the  front 
entrance.  The  seats  are  the  patent  folding  opera  chairs,  mahogany  finish. 
The  hardware  and  gas  fixtures  are  copper  finished.  At  night  two  gas  lights 
will  illuminate  the  annex  and  four  the  main  auditorium.  The  basement, 
with  cement  floor,  is  divided  into  two  rooms,  one  for  the  furnace,  the  other 
for  the  kitchen,  conveniently  fitted  with  culinary  supplies.  The  entrance, 
8x8,  leads  into  either  the  audience  room  or  annex  through  double  doors. 
The  solid  foundation  is  made  of  concrete.  The  arrangement  is  very  neat, 
the  whole  edifice  well  planned  and  finished. 

There  was  a  debt  of  $900,  but  before  the  exercises  were  concluded,  sub- 
scriptions canceled  every  obligation. 

A  cement  walk  has  been  laid  in  front  of  the  church  and  extended  in 
front  of  the  cemetery.  The  handsome  iron  fence  completes  the  surround- 
ings of  one  of  the  prettiest  country  cemeteries  and  church  in  this  part  of 
the  state. 

The  board  of  trustees  consists  of  E.  H.  Kempster,  president,  Daniel 
Young,  treasurer,  Frei  Crosier,  Dave  Urick,  Ralph  Smedley,  Clark  Fuller. 
The  new  church  is  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Spring  Hill. 

EARLY  SETTLERS. 

From  1834  to  1841,  over  one  hundred  pioneers  made  their  home  in 
the  township.  Some  grew  old  and  died  on  the  land  they  had  tilled,  others 
for  various  reasons,  moved  to  other  counties  or  other  states.  Singular  to  say, 
about  one-half  came  from  New  York,  others  were  divided  among  Vermont, 
Connecticut,  Massachusetts.  For  instance,  from  New  York  emigrated  Levi 


136  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Fuller  in  1834,  Simeon  Fuller  in  1835,  Bacchus  Besse  in  1835,  Simeon 
Chaffee  in  1835,  John  Smith  Rowe,  in  1835,  Robert  Getty,  in  1835. 
Alphonso  Brooks  in  1836,  John  Smith  Logan  in  1836,  James  Rowe, 
1836,  Jesse  Slawson,  1836,  Amos  Young,  1836,  Walter  Young,  1838, 
Daniel  F.  Cole,  1837,  Hiram  McKenzie,  1837.  Several  from  foreign 
countries.  Christian  Benson,  born  in  Gotteriburg,  Sweden,  after  working  as 
a  pilot  around  New  York  came  in  1835,  and  had  a  terrible  experience  of 
freezing  in  a  November  slough.  Louis  Arnett,  Alsace,  France,  made  his 
claim  in  1837.  Jacob  Arnett,  Elstein,  France,  arrived  in  1836,  worked 
as  a  ditcher,  went  to  California,  and  returned  with  wallets  of  gold.  James 
Graham  from  Ireland,  settled  in  1837.  John  Kempster,  Berkshire,  Eng- 
land, came  in  1837,  and  died  in  1869.  Martin  Reis,  Ahrang,  Prussia,  and 
Philip  Rapp  from  France.  Another  Graham,  William,  from  Ireland.  Rob- 
ert Thompson,  Ireland,  carpenter,  1837,  introduced  blooded  stock. 

Massachusetts  sent  Horace  Burke,  John  Baxter,  Guy  Ray,  Hiram  Har- 
mon, D.  Porter  Brewer,  William  Maynard.  From  Connecticut  came  Levi 
Fuller,  Alden  Tuller,  Chauncey  Reynolds,  Asa  Maynard.  A  good  many 
from  Vermont.  Daniel  Blaisdell,  Job  Dodge,  Smith  Hurd,  Hiram  Under- 
bill, W.  S.  Crane,  A.  T.  Wiggins,  Benjamin  Dow,  Arbela  Adams.  Nathaniel 
Norton,  Maine,  came  in  1837,  and  started  the  first  nursery.  Two  trees  from 
his  stock  were  in  good  bearing  in  1877  on  the  farm  of  Frank  Gushing  in 
Portland.  He  aided  generously  in  the  building  of  Sharon  church  in  1841, 
and  removed  to  Chicago  in  1843. 

THE  SEELYS. 

Nearly  every  spot  has  its  prevailing  name.  Quincy  has  the  Adamses, 
Virginia,  the  Lees,  Delaware,  the  Bayards.  So  Portland  has  the  Seelys. 
Blooded  stock.  John  Robert  Seeley,  Cambridge,  England,  gave  the  world 
"Ecce  Homo"  in  1869,  which  roused  the  theologians.  J.  H.  Seelye  was  presi- 
dent of  Amherst  and  member  of  congress.  Difference  in  spelling,  but  a  rose 
smells  sweet  by  any  name.  Jeduthan  Seely  came  to  Portland  in  1836  with 
his  son  Ebnezer,  but  died  of  medical  bleeding  like  Washington,  the  same 
autumn.  Norman  B.  and  Alexander  J.,  his  sons,  had  preceded  him  in  1834. 
Norman  built  the  first  house  in  Portland,  and  walked  to  Rook  Island,  forty 
miles,  every  Monday  morning,  to  work  "on  a  government  job.  Alexander  was 
a  blacksmith,  but  killing  an  Indian  in  a  quarrel,  to  escape  the  vengeance 
of  the  savages,  he  fled  to  Texas,  and  fought  in  the  war  with  Mexico. 

Col.  Ebenezer  Seely,  the  best  known  of  the  family,  made  his  claim  in 
the  fall  of  1834.  He  and  his  wife  opened  their  cabin  to  every  stranger.  The 
latch  string  was  always  out.  A  man  of  large  frame,  face  with  a  smile  that 
never  came  off.  At  the  old  settlers'  meeting  till  his  death,  he  was  easily  the 
big  gun.  The  writer  often  saw  him  in  Sterling  in  later  years  at  the  hotel 
of  his  son,  Sol.  Mrs.  Seely  died  in  1874  at  72. 

ITEMS. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  April  6,  1852,  and  in  1854  it  was  voted 
to  pay  a  bounty  of  one  dollar  for  every  wolf  killed,  increased  in  1859  to  two. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  137 

The  first  traveled  road  was  the  stage  route  from  Dixon  to  Rock  Island, 
laid  out  in  1837. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  1836  by  Miss  Eliza  Hall  in  a  log  house 
owned  by  Nornaan  B.  Seely.  Twelve  pupils.  The  first  schoolhouse  was  of 
logs,  and  erected  in  1837. 

A  mastodon's  tusk  was  found  at  the  village  of  Portland  in  1846  by 
David  B.  Seely.  It  weighed  32  pounds,  was  found  in  sand  and  gravel  27 
feet  below  the  surface,  and  sent  to  Barnum  in  New  York. 

In  the  cemetery  adjoining  the  sohoolhouse  on  section  fourteen,  is  a 
splendid  soldiers'  monument,  erected  by  the  citizens  in  honor  of  the  fallen 
heroes  of  the  township. 

At  the  election  in  Portland  for  president  in  1836,  when  Martin  Van 
Buren  received  170  electoral  votes  to  Harrison's  73,  and  Daniel  Webster's 
14,  twenty  votes  were  cast,  and  Sol  Seely  was  put  on  a  pony  to  bear  the  re- 
turns through  November  blasts  over  28  miles  of  an  Indian  trail  to  Dixon. 

Fever  and  ague  was  bad  in  the  hot  summer  of  1839,  and  Cobb  ran  a  boat 
on  Rock  river,  furnishing  ague  medicine  and  other  supplies. 

George  Hamilton  put  up  the  first  frame  house  in  1837,  and  it  remained 
for  many  years. 

A  good  crop  of  winter  wheat  was  raised  in  1841,  and  as  the  price  in 
Chicago  was  one  dollar  a  bushel,  the  settlers  hauled  the  grain  there,  the 
trip  taking  eight  days  with  horses,  two  weeks  with  oxen. 

An  aid  society  composed  of  many  of  the  active  ladies  of  the  township 
meets  regularly  at  the  homes  of  the  members. 

VOICES    FROM    THE    DEAD OLD    NEWSPAPERS. 

Hark   from   the  tombs,   a  doleful   sound! 

Mine  ears  attend  the  cry. 
Ye  living  men,  come  view  the  ground, 

Where  ye  must  shortly  lie. — Watts. 

Looking  over  these  yellow,  faded  journals  of  ye  olden  time  is  like  walk- 
ing through  a  cemetery.  The  people  and  events  oome  before  the  mind's  eye 
as  vividly  as  though  you  were  gazing  at  a  panorama. 

How   life-like  thro'  the  mist  of  years, 
Each   well-remembered   face   appears. 

Before  us  is  the  'Sterling  Times,  Dec.  12,  1854,  Charles  Boynton,  editor. 
Six  narrow  columns.  R.  L.  Wilson  figures  largely,  and  he  was  large,  as  clerk 
of  court,  insurance  agent,  land  agent,  dealer  in  real  estate.  Few  advertise- 
ments. A.  S.  Hudson  was  doctor,  M.  S.  Henry,  Stillman  &  Sackett  were  the 
lawyers.  Mrs.  D.  R.  Beck  had  a  choice  selection  of  millinery,  and  Hall  & 
Blakesley  a  large  assortment  of  heating  and  cooking  stoves.  But  the  iron 
horse  was  not  yet.  Sterling  was  literally  stage-struck.  In  black  type  we 
read  these  head  lines: 

Rail  Road   Open   to   Dixon! 

On  and  after  Monday,  Dec.  4,  1854,  trains  on  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union 


138  HISTORY    OF    AVHITESIDE    COUNTY 

will  run  as  follows:  Passenger  train  leaves  Dixon  at  six,  a.  m.,  and  arrive* 
at  Dixon  at  eight.  So  Sterling  people  were  obliged  to  take  stage  to  Dixon  foi 
Chicago,  or  if  the  walking  was  good,  go  on  foot. 

This  is  the  Sterling  Republican,  Oct.  25,  1858,  William  Caffrey,  editor. 
A  campaign  year.  For  president,  John  C.  Fremont.  For  vice  president, 
Wm.  L.  Dayton.  For  governor,  W.  H.  Bissell.  For  congress,  John  F.  Farns- 
worth.  For  legislature,  John  V.  Eustace.  A  mass  meeting,  Oct.  30,  and 
Hon.  John  P.  Hale,  senator  from  New  Hampshire,  was  to  be  present  without 
fail.  He  was,  for  the  writer  heard  him.  Also  Judge  Trumbull,  Joe  Knox, 
Sam  Galloway,  Farnsworth,  Bross. 

C.  B.  Smith  and  Miss  M.  E.  Gilman  will  open  a  school  in  basement  of 
Presbyterian  church.  Miss  Palmer,  pianist,  will  have  charge  of  musical  de- 
partment. 

Two  familiar  medical  names  have  cards,  Dr.  Julius  P.  Anthony,  who  is 
supplied  with  a  full  set  of  amputating  instruments,  and  Dr.  M.  M.  Royer, 
who  speaks  the  English  and  German  languages.  B.  G.  Wheeler  &  Co.  started 
a  bank,  which  after  a  time  closed  doors.  George  Hagey  had  received  an  ex- 
cellent assortment  of  gold  and  silver  watches.  James  Potts  of  New  York  has 
a  rich  supply  of  ready-made  clothing.  Sawyer  &  Gilbert  had  received  three 
cargoes  of  Saginaw  lumber.  By  1857,  Anthony  &  Royer  had  formed  a  part- 
nership in  the  drug  business.  R.  B.  Colcord  in  Genesee  was  advertising  tomb 
stones.  D.  McCartney  at  Fulton  would  attend  to  all  legal  matters  entrusted 
to  his  care. 

By  1860  the  paper  had  become  Republican  and  Gazette,  and  the  adver- 
tisements were  more  numerous :  James  Gait,,  real  estate  and  collector,.  Penn- 
sylvania House,  Central  House,  W.  M.  Kilgour,  Edward  N.  Kirk,  B.  C. 
Coblenz,  Henry  &  Price,  lawyers.  Gait  &  Crawford  had  hardware,  Wells  and 
Emmons  furniture,  W.  A.  Sanborn  coal  yard.  Among  the  dry  goods  mer- 
chants were,  J.  L.  Crawford  &  Co.,  and  Patterson  &  Witmer.  J.  W.  Sheaffer 
guaranteed  good  log  pumps,  M.  A.  Bunn  was  ready  to  extract  teeth,  A.  P. 
Smith  to  teach  piano,  Clark  Powell  to  furnish  trees,  Hinsdale  and  Johnson 
drugs,  Dr.  J.  C.  Teats  to  take  your  picture,  Nelson  Maxson  had  wagons,  H. 
Brink  had  brick  and  lime,  Terrell  &  Harper  groceries.  Only  two  societies, 
Masons  and  Odd  Fellows.  Hapgood  was  mayor.  The  National  ticket  was 
Lincoln  and  Hamlin,  and  Arnold  for  Congress. 

To  show  the  ravages  of  fifty  years,  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  of  all 
the  persons  whose  names  appear  in  these  wrinkled  sheets,  only  two  remain,, 
so  far  as  known,  upon  the  earth  in  the  spring  of  1908.  The  venerable 
Thomas  A.  Gait,  at  eighty  is  still  looking  after  numerous  business  interests^ 
on  both  sides  of  the  river.  Isaac  N.  Bressler,  who  as  city  sexton,  kept  on 
hand,  coffins  and  shrouds,  yet  wonderful  to  relate,  after  starving  in  three 
rebel  prisons,  holds  the  fort  on  the  identical  spot  where  he  did  business  two- 
generations  ago.  If  you  would  see  the  names  of  the  Sterling  men  and 
women  of  1860,  you  must  read  them  on  the  marble  and  granite  in  River- 
side cemetery. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  139 


USTICK. 

Good  name  in  man  and  woman,  dear  my  lord, 
Is  the  immediate  jewel  of  their  souls. — Othello. 

The  reader  has  no  need  to  puzzle  his  brain  about  the  name  of  this  town- 
ship. It  comes  honestly  from  Henry  Ustick,  who  emigrated  from  Western 
Pennsylvania  in  1845,  and  lived  on  his  farm  till  he  died  in  1855.  But  he 
belonged  to  a  later  set.  Wooster  Y.  Ives,  Connecticut,  came  in  1837.  He  was 
a  Nimrod,  and  as  game  was  abundant,  deer  and  wild  fowl,  found  much  pleas- 
ure in  the  hunt.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Fulton.  In  1839  William  H. 
Knight,  Maine,  farmer,  hotel-keeper,  ferry  owner,  grocer.  Lewis  and  Allen 
Graves,  Jesse  Johnson  and  Henry  Bond  in  1838.  John  Hollinshead,  New 
Jersey,  1840,  was  buried  on  his  farm.  His  wife  belonged  to  the  Rush  family 
of  Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  being  a  signer  of  the  Declaration.  From 
1840  to  1843  we  have  the  Bakers,  John  McKenzie,  William  Watt,  James  Logan, 
John  Maheny  from  Ireland,  Warren  Bond,  who  became  one  of  the  prosperous 
stock  raisers  of  the  county.  Oliver  Baker  cultivated  his  large  farm  till  1867, 
when  he  moved  to  Morrison  to  engage  in  the  stock  business,  leaving  two  sons 
to  manage  operations  at  the  homestead. 

THE  OATMAN  MASSACRE. 

This  is  the  most  dreadful  event  connected  with  this  quiet  settlement. 
Roys  Oatman,  who  came  in  1842,  sold  his  farm  in  1849,  and  started  with 
his  wife  and  seven  children  in  wagon  for  California,  taking  the  Santa  Fe 
route.  All  went  well  until  they  reached  the  junction  of  the  Gila  and  Colo- 
rado rivers,  Arizona,  when  the  party  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Oatman  and  four  children  murdered.  Lorenzo  was  left  for  dead,  but 
recovered,  Olive  and  Mar.y  Ann  were  taken  captives.  Ann  died  two  years 
afterwards,  and  Olive,  after  five  years  of  search,  was  restored  to  her  friends. 
Mrs.  Oatman  was  a  sister  of  A.  M.  Abbott,  Ustick  pioneer,  and  aunt  of  the 
present  Hon.  A.  N.  Abbott,  of  that  township. 

THE   CREAMERY. 

The  main  industrial  concern  of  Ustick  is  the  creamery,  situated  on  a  hill- 
side. A  peculiar  feature  is  an  unfailing  spring,  over  which  the  building  stands. 
It  is  four  feet  deep,  and  requires  a  ten-inch  tile  to  carry  away  the  water.  In 
the  height  of  the  season,  20,000  pounds  of  milk  and  cream  are  received  daily, 
700  to  800  pounds  of  butter  churned  per  day,  packed  in  tubs  holding  80 
pounds.  The  buttermilk  is  free  to  farmers,  who  generally  deliver  the  milk 
to  the  factory.  Operations  go  on  all  the  year,  no  postponement  on  account 
of  weather.  William  Kane,  manager,  has  been  here  nine  years.  His  house 
adjoins. 

SOME  LATER  SETTLERS. 

In  a  drive  through  the  township  the  writer  met  several  excellent  people 
who  belong  to  recent  years.  At  Ustick  Corners  was  John  Hoak,  who  was 
entirely  blind,  and  yet  was  able  to  serve  customers  with  goods  in  his  little 


140  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

grocery.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cobb  from  Vermont,  who  came  in  1857.  Near  their 
farm  is  Cobb  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bion  Bull,  both  still  vigorous  after  years 
of  struggle  in  improving  their  farm,  talk  of  retiring  to  town.  William  Aitken, 
from  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  1873,  cherishes  a  warm  feeling  for  the  land  of 
Burns,  was  back  four  years  ago,  and  showed  a  portfolio  of  Scottish  cities  and 
scenery. 

ABOUT    THE   CHURCHES. 

The  Presbyterian  church  at  Spring  Valley  was  organized  in  1860,  by 
Rev.  A.  H.  Lackey,  with  a  membership  of  22  persons,  comprising  the  Millers, 
Ritchies,  Watts,  McKies  and  others.  The  building  was  completed  in  1866  at 
a  cost  of  $2,200.  It  stands  so  high  that  it  is  sometimes  called  the  church  on 
the  hill.  The  services  have  been  irregular,  as  the  ancient  followers  of  the 
Calvinistic  faith  are  few.  Jefferson  Burch  of  Fulton  is  now  in  charge.  Preach- 
ing every  Sunday  at  ten,  and  Sunday  school  afterwards.  He  is  a  Methodist, 
but  supplies  the  pulpit,  as  no  Presbyterian  minister  is  available. 

A  Methodist  church  was  started  here  in  1855,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Falkenburgh, 
pastor  at  Unionville,  and  a  building  was  erected  in  1869,  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  It 
was  on  the  Thomson  circuit  of  the  Rock  river  conference.  But  its  glory  is  gone, 
the  members  departed.  The  United  Evangelical  church  is  now  most  popular. 
Rev.  R.  S.  Welsh,  pastor,  has  issued  a  booklet  announcing  his  appointments 
at  various  places,  Malvern,  Clyde,  Greenwood,  Fair  Haven,  Ideal.  His  portrait 
is  at  the  head,  showing  a  face  of  energy  and  determination.  Below,  pious 
sentences  for  the  thoughtful :  "Be  not  afraid  to  pray ;  to  pray  is  right.  Pray 
if  thou  canst,  with  hope ;  but  ever  pray." 

AN  ORGAN  STORY. 

In  the  cemetery  adjoining  you  may  read  on  the  tombs  such  names  as 
McKee,  Peterkin,  Melville,  McCullagh,  Patterson,  McFadden,  Aitken,  Olson, 
Cassell,  Rayner.  There  seem  to  be  no  relatives  left  to  keep  the  coarse  grass 
from  growing  over  the  graves.  About  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago,  some  good 
women  of  the  church  collected  money  for  an  organ  and  placed  in  the  edifice 
to  be  used  in  the  services.  But  the  innovation  was  displeasing  to  certain  elders 
who  believed  no  machine  music  should  take  the  place  of  psalms  and  hymns, 
and  one  night  the  unlucky  organ  disappeared  and  was  found  buried  in  a 
ravine.  In  time,  however,  better  counsels  prevailed,  and  the  ladies  were  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  the  instrument  in  the  regular  worship. 

The  Mennonites  have  a  brick  church.  John  Nice,  bishop,  and  John 
McCulloh,  minister.  Henry  Nice  assists.  Services  every  Sunday  and  Sunday 
school  after  the  sermon. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  township  is  Cottonwood  church,  built  by  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood.  It  is  a  neat  frame  edifice,  painted  white,  and 
was  erected  in  1871,  at  a  cost  of  $1,700.  It  is  on  the  Fulton  circuit,  and 
there  is  preaching  every  Sunday  afternoon  to  a  small  membership.  Here 
also  is  the  Cottonwood  school. 

In  the  South  Ustick  cemetery  we  noticed  the  names  of  Goff,  Baker,  Cottle, 
Bull,  Daniels,  Webb,  Lockhart,  Stephen  Hoxsie,  85,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  141 

84.  Samuel  C.  Dumbauld,  1810-1906.  Horace  L.  Abbott,  1863,  Co  F,  93rd 
111.  Infantry.  H.  Thompson,  Co.  E,  46th  111.  Infantry.  Many  handsome 
monuments  of  gray  and  red  granite,  and  the  grounds  in  fine  order. 

TJSTICK  SOLDIERS   IN    THE   REBELLION. 

Ah,  never  shall  the  land  forget 

How  gushed  the  life-blood  of  the  brave, 

Gushed  warm  with  hope  and  courage  yet, 
Upon  the  soil  they  fought  to  save. — Bryant. 

Miss  Mary  E.  Hoak  has  kindly  furnished  much  valuable  information  in 
regard  to  the  boys  in  blue,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  forty  enlisted  from  the 
township.  The  following  died  during  the  service: 

John  T.  Allen,  Co.  D,  62nd  111.  Infantry,  1864. 

Almund  Baker,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  1862,  from  wounds  received  at  Perryville. 

Philip  0.  Bettys,  Co.  C,  8th  111.  Cavalry,  killed  at  Culpepper,  Va.,  1863. 

Robert  Bradley,  Co.  A,  34th  111.,  killed  at  Shiloh,  1862. 

Allen  Bond,  Co.  K,  156th  111.,  Nashville,  1865. 

Nara  S.  Baker,  Co.  B,  127th  111.,  Chattanooga,  1865. 

George  Baxter,  Co.  B,  34th  111.,  died  of  wounds. 

Jay  Canfield,  Co.  C,  8th  111.,  Cavalry,  Alexandria,  1862. 

James  Canfield,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  Nashville,  1862. 

James  Collins,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  died  at  home,  1865. 

James  Craine,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  died  of  wounds. 

Samuel  E.  Crawford,  Co.  I,  46th  111.,  Memphis,  1863. 

Charles  W.  Freeman,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  wounds,  1863. 

John  F.  Frank,  Co.  E,  46th  111.,  Corinth,  1862. 

Jonathan  Eads,  Co.  E,  46th  111.,  Henderson,  1862. 

Delos  Goff,  Co.  B,  127th  111.,  Chickasaw,  1863. 

Ezra  Gordon,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  Chattanooga,  1863. 

Henry  Creighton,  Co.  E,  46th  111.,  Corinth,  1862. 

Robert  Hall,  Capt.  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  killed  at  Cupp's  plantation,  Ga.,  1864. 

Dwight  Harlow,  Co.  F,  15th  111.,  died  at  home. 

Oscar  Hoxsie,  Co.  D,  46th  111.,  Shiloh,  1862. 

William  Hampton,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  killed  at  Lovejoy  station,  Ga.,  1864. 

Robert  Imlay,  Co.  E,  46th  111.,  killed  at  Jackson  Cross  Roads,  1864  . 

James  S.  Martin,  Co.  E,  46th  111.,  Hamburg,  1862. 

Alonzo  Johnson,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  Murfreesboro,  1863. 

Austin  Martin,  Co.  C,  8th  Cavalry,  Frederick,  1862. 

Samuel  L.  Martindale,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  Nashville,  1863. 

George  W.  Oliver,  Co.  H,  75th  111.,  wounds. 

John  Potter,  Co.  C,  8th  Cavalry,  Alexandria,  1862. 

Willard  Skinner,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  died  in  prison,  Danville,  Ga.,  1864. 

Peter  Savage,  Co.  G,  13th  111.,  died  in  Andersonville,  1864. 

D.  B.  Ustick,  Co.  H,  75th  111.,  Perryville,  1862. 

Irving  Williams,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  Perryville,-  1862. 

Ephraim  Weldon,  Co.  E,  46th  111.,  Kenesaw,  1864. 


142  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Freeman  Wilber,  Co.  E,  46th  111.,  Shiloh,  1862. 

Charlas  A.  Webb,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  Nashville,  1863. 

James  M.  Wyeth,  Co.  I,  75th  111.,  died,  1863. 

Since  the  war  the  following  have  died :  James  Collins,  John  Kier,  Edward 
Lothrop,  George  B.  Martin  George  McKenzie,  Henry  Plank,  Peter  Ready,  Wil- 
liam Taylor,  Byron  Weldon,  William  Reed. 

TAXES   IN   USTICK. 

The  tax  books  for  the  town  of  Ustick  show  a  total  tax  for  the  year  1907, 
exclusive  of  railroads  and  telegraph  lines,  of  $8,606.49,  with  a  total  assessed 
valuation,  as  fixed  by  the  state  board  of  equalization,  of  $252,325.  The  taxes, 
as  they  appear  on  the  collector's  books,  are  divided  as  follows: 

State  tax    $1,284.76 

County  tax 1,918.32 

Town  tax 339.61 

Road  and  bridge  tax 2,557.95 

School  tax  2,403.85 

Dog  tax   122.00 


Total    .- $8,608.49 

As  two  creeks,  Spring  and  Otter,  traverse  the  township,  substantial  bridges 
are  necessary.  A  contract  was  lately  awarded  for  the  construction  of  a  steel 
bridge  over  Otter  creek,  about  thirty  rods  south  of  the  Spring  Valley  school- 
house.  The  bridge  will  be  the  first  of  the  kind  ever  built  in  that  town.  It 
will  be  a  steel  span  100  feet  long  resting  on  concrete  abutments.  The  drive- 
way will  be  sixteen  feet  wide  and  will  be  made  of  concrete  six  inches  in  thick- 
ness. The  supervisors'  committee  comprised  J.  C.  Snyder  of  Fulton,  Thomas 
McLaughlin  of  Fenton  and  Frank  Moulton  of  Union  Grove.  The  commis- 
sioners of  highways  were  Nelson  Edlund,  Grier  Miller  and  John  McCulloh. 
Will  J.  Kane,  town  clerk  of  Ustick,  was  the  secretary  of  the  meeting.  The 
contract  price  was  $3,995. 

SCHOOLS. 

Miss  Armenia  Ingham,  in  1841,  taught  the  first  school  in  Ustick,  in 
Amos  Short's  cabin.  The  first  schoolhouse,  a  stone  building,  was  built  in 
1844,  on  a  corner  of  Jesse  Johnson's- farm.  There  are  now  eight  school  dis- 
tricts: Hollinshead,  Cottonwood,  Goff,  Crouch,  Gridley,  Robertson,  Cobb, 
Spring  Valley,  with  enrollment  of  pupils  ranging  from  16  to  36.  There  are 
three  Sunday  schools  held  in  connection  with  the  churches.  The  Mennonites 
built  their  church  in  1871,  having  previously  held  meetings  in  the  South 
Clyde  or  Aldritt  schoolhouse,  and  later  in  the  West  Clyde  school  building. 
The  Robertson  school  building  and  grounds  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  in 
the  township. 

A  PIONEER  FARM. 

In  the  southern  part  of  Ustick  is  the  residence  of  Hon.  A.  N.  Abbott,  son 
of  A.  M.  Abbott,  who  came  from  Vermont  in  1847.  A  beautiful  tract  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  143 

400  acres,  the  only  estate  between  Morrison  and  Fulton  remaining  in  the 
hands  of  the  original  owners,  tenants  cultivating  the  soil  as  in  many  of  the 
townships.  Really  in  possession  of  the  fourth  generation,  as  the  grandfather 
purchased  the  land  at  $1.25  per  acre.  Mr.  Abbott  still  uses  the  ancestral  cot- 
tage with  a  few  improvements.  He  is  doubtless  the  only  farmer  in  the  county 
who  possesses  an  agricultural  training,  having  finished  his  technical  course  at 
Champaign  in  1885.  Mrs.  Abbott  is  an  earnest  and  refined  woman  who  is  in 
sympathy  with  all  the  best  movements  of  the  times.  The  state  has  placed 
an  experimental  station  on  this  farm,  and  in  another  chapter,  Soil  Fertility, 
Mr.  Abbott  speaks  of  the  operations. 

ITEMS. 

Of  the  secret  orders,  the  most  active  is  the  Mystic  Workers.  The  lodge 
has  75  members,  and  constantly  increasing.  Like  the  Round  Grove  society, 
the  Fair  Haven  lodge  owns  its  hall.  Oyster  suppers  during  the  winter.  Dr. 
J.  A.  Wright  is  prefect,  and  Mrs.  Lillie  Greenawalt  secretary. 

In  the  death  of  Robert  Hunter  at  Morrison,  1907,  Ustick  lost  an  early 
citizen.  He  was  born  in  Fifeshire,  Scotland,  coming  to  America  in  1851, 
and  opening  a  farm  in  the  township.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Betsey  Currie 
of  Clinton,  Iowa.  The  Masons  had  charge  of  the  funeral,  and  burial  was 
made  at  Cottonwood.  He  was  78  years  old. 

There  is  an  N.  G.  Club,  a  society  of  ladies  from  Ustick  and  Union  Grove, 
organized  for  social  and  intellectual  benefits. 

A  mournful  fact.  Miss  Hoak  adds  this  item  to  her  soldier  article.  Of 
the  140  heroes  Ustick  sent  to  the  war,  49  were  killed  in  battle,  some  died  of 
wounds  or  disease  since,  and  not  one  remains  within  her  borders  except  those 
who  are  sleeping  in  the  cemeteries. 

Among  the  later  citizens  are  Ulrich  Steiner,  the  Entwistles,  in  1871, 
and  Jonas  Edlund,  1870,  stone  mason,  who  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Presby- 
terian church. 

BOTANY  OF  WHITESIDE. 

BY.   PROF.    S.   A.    MAXWELL. 

A  violet  by  a  mossy  stone, 

Half  hidden  from  the  eye, 
Fair  as  a  star  when  only  one, 

Is  shining  in  the  sky. — Wordsworth. 

Several  years  ago  the  writer  of  this  chapter  conceived  the  idea  of  com- 
piling a  flora  of  Whiteside  county.  His  own  list  of  native  and  naturalized 
plants  embraced  several  hundred  species,  and  to  these  were  added  many  other 
species  determined  by  Mr.  H.  F.  Baldwin,  who  for  many  years  was  a  resident 
of  Prophetstown.  The  writer  is  also  under  obligations  to  Mr.  James  B.  Gait 
of  Unionville,  to  Mr.  Herman  Long,  formerly  of  Rock  Falls,  and  to  Miss 
Myra  Jennings  of  that  city. 

The  number  of  species  of  native  plants  is  diminishing  year  by  year, 
a  fact  clue  to  the  effects  of  pasturage  and  tillage.  In  this  way  it  is  probable 


144  HISTOKY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

that  two-thirds  of  the  species  that  fifty  years  ago  adorned  the  prairies  or 
nestled  in  the  woodland  shades  have  disappeared.  A  few  of  the  old  time 
species  still  linger  in  rural  cemeteries  and  along  the  right-of-way  of  the  rail- 
roads ;  but  elsewhere  are  rarely  found.  Among  these  the  most  noticeable  are  the 
blue  spider-wort,  the  red-root;  or  Jersey  tea,  the  purple  cone-flower,  and  the 
dogsbane.  The  great  blue  lobelia  and  the  closed  gentian  are  yet  frequently 
found  along  the  smaller  water  courses,  while  the  cardinal  flower  or  red  lobelia, 
the  lady's-slipper  and  the  fringed  gentian  are  exceedingly  rare  and  possibly  ex- 
tinct. Two  other  species  belonging  to  the  leguminosae,  once  very  common, 
especially  in  sandy  prairies,  were  goat's-rue,  locally  called  shoestring,  and  the 
lead-plant,  often  miscalled  shoestring  by  the  early  settlers.  Both  of  these  had 
very  tough  roots  and  where  numerous  were  serious  obstacles  to  the  work  of 
breaking  the  prairie  sod.  The  goat's-rue  had  a  large  blossom,  just  like  a 
sweet  pea,  the  petals  being  white,  rose,  and  purple.  The  blossoms  of  the  lead- 
plant  were  blue  and  were  arranged  in  a  slender,  pointed  spike. 

The  papaw  grows  probably  in  but  one  place  in  the  county,  near  the  foot 
of  the  bluff  about  one-half  mile  north  of  the  Fulton  cemetery.  The  delicate 
harebell  is  also  found  growing  close  by  among  the  rock  ledges.  In  the  Cat- 
tail slough  in  Fulton,  is  also  found  another  rare  plant,  the  large  water-lily, 
sometimes  called  the  water  chinquapin. 

Perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  plant  of  the  county  is  the  Indian  pipe, 
a  low,  parasitic  herb  destitute  of  green  tissue,  the  stem  and  scale-like  bracts 
which  it  has  in  place  of  leaves  being  white.  It  is  now  quite  rare,  but  was 
formerly  common,  especially  in  the  woods  in  the  towns  of  Garden  Plain  and 
Newton. 

Wild  vines  are  not  very  numerous.  The  most  common  are  two  species 
of  wild  grape,  the  Virginia  creeper,  the  bittersweet,  the  wild  cucumber,  matri- 
mony vine,  hop  vine  and  the  wild  morning  glory. 

Among  poisonous  plants  the  most  frequently  seen  are  the  three-leafed 
ivy,  nightshade,  water  hemlock,  water  parsnip,  nettle,  wild  parsnip,  and  the 
jimpson  or  Jamestown  weed. 

Of  plants  wholly  edible  are  water-cress  and  pepper-grass,  found  in  a  few 
places,  and  purslane  and  tongue-grass,  all  too  common. 

There  are  more  than  one  hundred  species  of  native  and  naturalized 
plants  in  the  county  that  have  a  recognized  medicinal  value,  some  of  the  more 
common  being  the  following:  May-apple,  blood-root,  nightshade,  boneset,  dan- 
delion, lobelia,  stramonium,  yellow-dock,  and  pennyroyal.  Less  common 
species  are  hepatica,  two  kinds  of  snake-root,  wild  saraaparilla,  ginseng,  gen- 
tian, horehound,  peppermint,  veronica,  and  sweet-flag. 

Of  trees,  the  largest  types  are  the  sycamore,  the  white  elm  and  the  cotton- 
wood.  More  useful  varieties  are  the  burr  oak,  white  oak.  red  oak,  red  elm, 
hickory,  black  walnut,  hard  maple,  and  the  different  varieties  of  a.sh. 

The  hackberry,  once  perhaps  the  commonest  of  trees  of  the  "Big  Woods" 
of  Rock  river,  'is  now  quite  scarce.  It  did  not  grow  in  the  groves  of  the 
north  part  of  the  county.  The  berries  of  this  tree,  like  those  of  the  juniper, 
dry  upon  the  twigs  and  furnish  an  abundance  of  food  for  many  species  of 
birds  that  are  winter  residents  here.  The  red  cedar,  a  species  of  juniper,  is  the 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  145 

only  evergreen  found  native  in  the  county  and  is  scarcely  to  be  met  with  out- 
side of  the  towns  of  Ustick  and  Garden  Plain. 

FENTON. 

This    modest  stone,   what   few   vain    marbles    can, 

May  truly  say,  Here  lies  an  honest  man. 

Calmly  he  looked  on  either  life,  and  here 

Saw  nothing  to  regret,  or  there  to  fear. — Alexander  Pope. 

The  poet  wrote  this  of  his  esteemed  friend,  Elijah  Fenton,  who  assisted 
in  the  translation  of  the  Odyssey,  and  died  in  1730,  but  he  could  with  perfect 
truth  have  applied  it  to  Joseph  Fenton,  after  whom  the  township  is  named. 
Mr.  Fenton  came  with  his  wife  and  four  children  from  Burlington  county, 
New  Jersey,  in  October,  1835.  He  first  lived  in  a  cabin,  before  erecting  a 
log  house.  Fish  were  plenty,  and  deer  were  constantly  seen  dashing  over 
the  prairie.  The  Winnebago  Indians  were  there,  and  continued  to  haunt  the 
land  for  years.  Although  harmless,  they  were  not  agreeable  callers  to  the 
women.  Alfred,  their  son,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  township, 
May  13,  1837.  Except  wild  game,  substantial  food  was  scarce  in  the  way  of 
potatoes,  corn  meal,  flour,  all  of  which  had  to  be  obtained  from  Rock  Island 
or  Henderson  Grove.  In  time,  of  course,  they  raised  their  own  vegetables. 
Mr.  Fenton's  wife  was  Elizabeth  Durrell,  of  Burlington.  They  had  nine 
children.  He  was  a  domestic  man  and  a  kind  neighbor.  He  died  in  1874  at 
eighty.  His  son,  John  D.,  74,  is  living  at  Erie. 

FENTON  CENTER. 

This  is  the  metropolis  of  the  township.  Not  very  ancient,  as  it  was  plat- 
ted in  1872  by  James  Usom,  who  owned  the  land,  when  the  Mendota  branch 
of  the  Burlington  railroad  came  through.  He  deeded  ten  acres  for  depot, 
tracks  and  water  tank  to  the  company.  The  highest  situation  in  the  whole 
country  about.  It  is  like  Mount  Zion.  A  battery  here  could  command  the 
township  with  its  guns.  A  little  singular,  too,  as  the  land  below  is  so  level. 
As  you  approach  the  place  from  Denrock  on  the  road,  which  runs  parallel 
with  Rock  creek  and  the  ditch,  there  are  deep  chasms  into  which  a  vicious 
horse  might  easily  plunge  a  carriage. 

A  lively  village  with  three  general  stores,  Wright,  Forth  and  Likes,  a 
town  hall,  school  taught  by  Miss  Mamie  McLaughlin,  her  third  year,  thirty 
pupils.  The  creamery  is  operated  by  J.  Wright  and  son.  The  cream  is 
brought  in  ten  gallon  cans,  and  the  average  is  thirty  cans  a  week.  Butter 
is  made  in  the  summer.  The  cream  is  shipped  to  Clinton  and  Chicago.  They 
have  been  in  the  business  twenty  years.  Mr.  Wright  came  here  32  years  ago 
from  Vermont,  and  is  a  typical  New  Englander,  pi  lin,  frank,  shrewd,  in- 
telligent, hospitable.  House,  store,  and  small  hotel  all  in  the  same  building. 
Mrs.  Wright  and  daughter  are  scientific  housekeepers.  Travelers  are  enter- 
tained'in  royal  style  with  a  generous  table  of  substantial  food  and  beds  that 
recall  the  dreams  of  childhood. 

A  U.  B.  church.  Liberal,  meet?  the  religious  wants  of  the  citizens.     The 


146  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

membership  is  75,  Sunday  school  of  100  boys  and  girls,  and  the  various  other 
societies,  Y.  P.  Union,  C.  Endeavor,  Ladies'"  Aid,  and  the  prayer  meeting. 
The  minister  in  charge  is  a  lady,  Miss  Mary  Murrel,  who  twice  served  as 
missionary  in  Africa,  and  is  here  for  the  second  time.  She  has  made  diligent 
preparation  for  her  work  by  studies  at  colleges  in  Indiana  and  Iowa.  The 
church  is  a  neat  building.  The  majority  of  the  people  are  farmers  who  are 
enjoying  comfort  in  their  cosy  homes  after  the  struggles  of  other  days. 
Morris  Blaisdell  came  in  1854  from  New  York,  and  \V.  S.  James  from  Jack- 
sonville in  1865. 

THREE   FENTON   VETERANS. 

Hail,  Columbia,  happy  land! 

Hail,  ye  heroes,  heaven-born  band! — Hopkinson. 

We  found  Michael  N.  Crohan,  lively  as  a  cricket.  He  came  from  Ireland, 
Connaught,  Eoscommon,  to  this  country  in  1850 ;  and  enlisted  at  Morrison  in 
1861,  in  the  8th  Illinois  cavalry.  During  its  service  in  the  east,  it  was  called 
Abraham  Lincoln's  regiment,  only  boys  who  could  handle  Mosby.  When 
the  reunion  was  held  in  Chicago,  Mosby  used  to  attend.  Although  Mr. 
Crohan  is  seventy,  his  eye  is  bright,  manner  animated,  action  vigorous  as  a 
fellow  of  forty.  He  is  ready  to  shoulder  the  musket  again. 

Another  member  of  the  8th  Illinois  cavalry  is  Elwood  Elliott,  who  en- 
listed at  Morrison.  He  was  also  in  the  second  N.  Y.  infantry.  His  service 
altogether  extended  over  three  years  and  six  months,  passing  through  the 
Battles  of  the  Wilderness,  and  other  fierce  engagements  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  Farnsworth  was  his  first  colonel,  then  Gamble.  Mr.  Elliott  belongs 
to  Albany  Post. 

Thomas  Neary  was  living  in  Montmorency  when  the  war  began,  and  en- 
listed at  Sterling.  His  first  service  was  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  but  after- 
wards transferred  to  the  south.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Houston. 

SOME    FENTON    PIONEERS. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  early  emigrants  was  James  M.  Pratt, 
from  Erie  county,  New  York,  who  reached  Lyndon  at  fifteen  in  1837.  His 
father,  John  C.,  had  made  his  claim  in  1835.  James  moved  to  his  farm  in 
Fenton  in  1854.  His  wife  was  Miss  Lucinda  Emery.  They  had  twelve  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Pratt  was  a  man  of  high  character  and  business  ability,  and  was 
often  called  to  positions  of  responsibility,  as  supervisor,  highway  commis- 
sioner, president  of  agricultural  society. 

Martin  M.  Potter  was  another  New  Yorker,  who  came  to  Whiteside  in 
1837,  and  settled  in  Fenton  in  1851.  An  enthusiastic  promoter  of  the  old 
settlers  meetings. 

Solon  Stevens  saw  his  one  hundred  dollars  of  1851  grow  into  a  fertile 
farm  of  340  acres.  Joseph  James  was  born  in  England,  came  to  America  in 
1830,  in  1836  to  Whiteside,  and  helped  to  put  up  the  first  cabin  in  Erie  town- 
ship. There  were  numerous  members  of  the  Thompson  family.  Reutfen  was 
from  Vermont,  and  settled  in  Whiteside  in  1841.  married  twice,  and  had  a 
number  of  children.  His  son,  Reuben  M.  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  after  pros- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  147 

f 

pecting,  finally  fixed  his  abode  in  Fenton  in  1841.  He  became  the  largest 
landholder  in  the  county,  owning  1,863  acres  of  land,  and  engaged  extensively 
in  the  raising  of  stook. 

From  Virginia,  the  mother  of  presidents,  came  Edward  J.  Ewers  in  1843, 
who  did  so  much  for  the  school  interests  of  the  township. 

West  of  Fenton  Center  is  a  small  cemetery.  On  the  tombs  are  such 
names  as  Sprinkle,  Montague,  Shepherd,  Baker,  Burns,  Ewers,  Likes,  Miller, 
Crocker.  The  graves  of  some  soldiers.  Jacob  P.  Miller  1840-1905.  No 
regiment  given.  W.  R.  Moore,  Co.  F,  52  Illinois  infantry.  It  is  a  pity  that 
in  some  of  the  cemeteries  the  graves  have  only  the  name  of  the  soldier  on 
the  stone,  no  description.  A  flag  is  placed  on  the  mound  by  friends  on 
Memorial  Day,  but  when  friends  disappear,  there  will  be  no  record  to  tell 
of  the  forgotten  patriot  who  sleeps  below. 

CEMETERY    IN    THE    FIELDS. 

Further  west  on  the  borders  of  Fenton  and  Garden  Plain  is  another 
graveyard  about  which  it  is  hard  to  gather  definite  information.  It  reminds 
one  of  a  famous  church  in  London  where  Charles  Second's  favorite,  Nell 
Gwynn,  is  buried,  called  St.  Martin's  in  the  Fields.  This  cemetery  lies  north 
of  the  road  leading  west  from  Fenton,  and  can  be  reached  only  by  passing 
through  a  neighboring  barnyard.  The  writer  was  told  that  a  man  in  Erie 
was  able  to  give  particulars,  and  on  addressing  him  received  the  following 
reply : 

Erie,  Jan.  29,  1908. 

In  answer  to  the  letter,  I  hardly  know  what  to  tell.  If  you  were  here, 
1  could  speak  better  than  write.  That  graveyard  has  always  gone  by  the 
name  of  Orien  Root  graveyard,  and  as  the  land  changed  hands,  it  went  by  the 
name  of  the  people  who  owned  the  land.  It  is  located  in  the  center  of  my 
farm.  The  part  that  is  not  sold  off  in  lots  belong?  to  me.  Where  the  dead 
are  buried,  each  person  has  a  deed  of  the  lot.  JAMES  SMACK. 

My  previous  informant  said  it  was  known  as  the  Jim  Smack  cemetery, 
confirming  the  allusion  in  Mr.  Smack's  letter.  The  old  enclosure  is  in  good 
order,  trim  and  clean  and  several  soldiers  are  lying  on  their  "night  encamp- 
ment -on  the  hill." 

ITEMS. 

Much  of  the  low,  swampy  ground  originally  has  been  so  much  improved 
by  careful  ditching  that  the  land  is  now  well  drained  and  productive. 

The  Dixon  and  Rock  Island  road,  through  the  southern  part  of  the 
township,  was  the  main  route  of  travel  for  years,  and  the  Brink  &  Walker 
line  of  stages  was  the  speediest  and  most  luxurious  method  of  transportation 
from  Chicago  to  all  points  west. 

In  the  fall  of  1848  the  first  school  was  taught  by  Miss  Arminta  Lathe  in 
a  log  house,  owned  by  James  M.  Pratt.  The  first  public  schoolhouse  was 
built  in  district  number  one,  in  1857. 


148  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 


AUTHORS  OF  WHITESIDE. 

But  how  the  subject  theme  may  gang, 

Let  time  and  chance  determine, 
Perhaps  it  may  turn  out  a  sang, 

Perhaps  turn  out  a  sermon.— Burns. 

Although  our  county  has  had  no  Bancroft  in  history,  no  Longfellow  in 
poetry,  no  Hawthorne  in  story,  no  Gray  in  science,  no  Edison  in  invention, 
yet  several  of  our  citizens,  native  or  resident,  have  shown  literary  skill  in 
achievements  that  will  be  pleasantly  remembered. 

There  are  few  immortals.  Only  one  Dante  and  Shakespeare.  Much 
literature  is  local  or  temporary.  N.  P.  Willis,  a  household  name  a  generation 
ago,  is  rarely  mentioned.  Of  the  hundreds  of  references  in  Hallam's  Middle 
Ages,  nearly  all  forgotten.  Said  the  Latin  poet,  "many  brave  men  lived  before 
Agamemnon,  but  they  had  no  Homer  to  embalm  their  deeds."  Let  us  cherish 
the  memory  of  our  own  worthies. 

ROBERT  L.   WILSON. 

He  had  collected  much  material  for  a  history  of  Whiteside,  but  when 
Charles  Bent  issued  his  prospectus  for  a  similar  work,  Col.  Wilson  and  Mr. 
Bent  pooled  their  issues,  and  the  history  published  at  Morrison  in  1877  by 
Charles  Bent  is  generally  known  as  Bent  and  Wilson's. 

Robert  L.  Wilson  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pa.,  in  1805,  and 
his  father  removing  to  Ohio,  the  boy  worked  his  way  through  Franklin  Col- 
lege. He  taught  school  in  Kentucky,  studied  law,  removed  to  Illinois  in 
1833,  and  in  1836  was  elected  to  the  legislature  from  Sangamon,  being  one 
of  the  "Long  Nine"  who  secured  the  removal  of  the  capital  from  Vandalia. 
In  1840  he  removed  to  Sterling,  which  was  his  residence  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  was  circuit  clerk  for  twenty  years.  As  he  and  Lincoln  were 
old  friends,  the  president,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  appointed  him 
paymaster.  In  1875  he  gratified  a  long  cherished  desire  by  a  tour  of  Europe, 
going  as  far  as  Rome.  He  died  in  1880. 

Personally,  Col.  Wilson  was  one  of  the  most  genial  of  men.  He  was 
never  too  busy  for  a  chat  with  friend  or  stranger.  Although  most  of  his 
life  was  spent  in  politics  and  business,  he  retained  the  freshness  of  youth, 
and  his  love  for  the  studies  of  his  earlier  years.  He  once  told  the  writer  of 
working  in  the  garden  till  ten  in  the  morning,  and  then  taking  a  bath,  and 
reviewing  his  Greek  testament.  Fond  of  travel,  and  no  American  tourist  ever 
traversed  the  classic  cities  and  scenes  of  the  Old  World  with  a  keener  apprecia- 
tion. A  noble  citizen,  whose  large  nature  enjoyed  the  good,  the  true,  and  the 
beautiful  in  the  world  about  him. 

CHARLES   BENT. 

Pew  men  at  sixty-four  have  had  a  more  strenuous  or  varied  career. 
Printer,  soldier,  journalist,  legislator,  official,  his  life  exhibits  a  gratifying 
record  of  continual  activity.  While  best  known  in  this  county  by  his  asso- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITE8IDE    COUNTY  149 

ciation  with  the  Sentinel,  whose  character  and  circulation  owe  so  much  to 
his  application ;  he  has  held  several  responsible  positions  abroad  in  the  state. 
His  History  of  Whiteside  County,  published  in  1877,  will  always  he  the 
standard  for  its  complete  account  of  the  early  settlement,  as  the  data  were 
obtained  from  the  lips  of  the  pioneers  who  soon  afterwards  passed  away. 

REV.   MEADE   C.   WILLIAMS,  D.  D. 

He  succeeded  Rev.  Ebenezer  Erskine  in  the  pastorate  of  the  Sterling  Pres- 
byterian church,  1865,  and  remained  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to  Prince- 
ton, then  to  Toledo,  and  finally  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  died  in  1908.  Like 
the  well  known  Henry  Van  Dyke  of  his  own  church,  Dr.  Williams  found 
his  diversion  in  literature.  Historical  research  had  a  special  attraction.  For 
many  years  he  had  a  cottage  at  Mackinac,  where  he  spent  his  summers,  and 
his  observations  in  that  romantic  region  resulted  in  "Early  Mackinac,"  which 
is  an  agreeable  narrative  of  the  various  points  of  interest  to  visitors  as  they 
wander  over  the  island. 

In  a  letter  received  from  him  in  October,  1905,  he  spoke  of  reading  a  pa- 
per before  the  Missouri  Historical  Society  on  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  whose 
Indian  explorations  were  first  undertaken  at  Mackinac.  For  years  he  was  in 
correspondence  with  the  Michigan  Pioneer  Society,  and  furnished  them  an 
article  on  "The  Early  Fur  Trade  in  America."  On  returning  from  a  trip  to 
Boston,  he  wrote  an  account  of  a  visit  to  the  school-house  attended  by  a  young 
girl  with  whose  ways  we  are  all  familiar: 

Mary  had  a  little  lamb, 

Whose  fleece  was  white  as  snow, 
And  every  place  that  Mary  went, 

The  lamb  was  sure  to  go. 

This  Mary  was  not  a  myth,  but  a  genuine  maiden,  whose  performances 
are  well  attested.  The  little  poem  has  been  credited  to  Sarah  J.  Hale,  but 
Dr.  Williams  was  thoroughly  persuaded  of  its  authorship  by  a  student  who 
was  a  chance  visitor  at  the  school.  As  one  proof  he  adduced  the  fact  that 
the  piece  is  not  given  among  her  published  poems.  The  writer  addressed 
Rev.  E.  E.  Hale  on  the  subject,  but  he  replied  that  he  had  no  positive  knowl- 
edge that  Mrs.  Hale  was  the  author.  Dr.  Williams  made  two  voyages  to 
Europe,  and  contributed  letters  to  the  Herald  and  Presbyter,  Cincinnati,  with 
which  he  had  editorial  connection. 

JESSE    LYNCH   WILLIAMS. 

While  in  Sterling,  Dr.  Williams  lived  on  East  Third  street,  in  an  old 
brown  frame  house,  now  owned  by  Frank  Bowman,  esq.  Here  his  son, 
Jesse  Lynch,  was  born  in  1871,  and  after  due.  preparation,  was  graduated  at 
Princeton,  and  inheriting  the  tastes  of  his  father,  soon  took  up  literature  as  a 
profession.  His  first  effort  was  "Princeton  Stories"  in  1895,  but  his  first  de- 
cided hit  was  made  with  the  leading  tale  in  a  volume  of  newspaper  yarns, 
entitled  "The  Stolen  Story."  This  appeared  in  1899,  and  has  been  made  the 
basis  of  a  play.  The  plot  he  has  developed  into  a  novel,  The  Day  Dreamer, 


150  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

being  the  full  narrative  of  the  Stolen  Story.  This  was  published  by  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons.  Mr.  Williams  is  married,  and  lives  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey. 
His  mother,  widow  of  the  doctor,  resides  at  the  former  home,  Delmar  avenue, 
St.  Louis.  While  in  Chicago,  a  few  years  ago,  the  writer  recalls  seeing  on  the 
bill  boards  the  flashy  pictures  illustrating  the  Stolen  Story,  which  was  then 
having  a  successful  run  at  one  of  the  theaters. 

MARTHA   A.    JOHN. 

Her  parents  were  substantial  people  of  Pennsylvania,  and  belonged  to  the 
Society  of  Quakers  or  Friends  as  they  are  now  called.  The  early  home  was 
in  Shamokin,  Northumberland  county.  Her  father,  Elida  John,  was  a  sur- 
veyor, and  a  prominent  man  in  the  community,  a  strong  advocate  for  temper- 
ance, and  every  good  cause.  Her  mother,  Sarah  H.  Hughes,  came  from 
Chester  county,  Pa.,  her  ancestors  owning  a  farm  on  which  Kennett,  Bayard 
Taylor's  town,  was  afterward  built.  Martha  was  one  of  ten  children,  and 
came  to  Whiteside  as  early  as  1856  to  take  a  position  as  teacher  in  the  family 
of  Joseph  Wilson,  proprietor  of  the  well  known  mills. 

An  intelligent  family,  all  of  the  children  showing  mental  power  in  some 
form  of  activity.  Martha  was  meditative,  and  put  the  musings  of  her  leisure 
hours  into  verse.  In  1902  she  had  a  booklet  printed  entitled  "A  Souvenir: 
Incidents,  Experiences,  and  Reflections,  by  Martha  A  John."  We  select  a 
few  stanzas  to  give  an  idea  of  the  chaste  spirit  of  the  collection.  The  little 
volume  opens  with  tributes  to  her  father  and  mother,  with  their  likenesses 
above.  This  is  one  of  the  stanzas  To  Mother. 

True  and  thoughtful  friends,  the  very  nearest, 

We  cherish  tenderly, 
Yet  mother,  oh,  our  mother  dearest, 

None  can  be  like  thee! 

INVALID    LIFE. 

In  from  the  fields  and  from  lowlands  fair, 
In  from  the  fragrance  of  summery  air, 
We  sat  one  day  in  a  restful  chair, 
By  an  invalid's  side. 

'    A  COMET." 

Stay  friends !  do  not  sleep  so  early 

This  calm  and  starry  night — 
Cast  aside  the  spell  of  slumber, 

And  catch  a  wondrous  sight ! 
There's  a  stranger  in  the  heavens, 

With  his  luminous  train 
Following  a  northward  pathway 

Where  constellations  reign ! 

Martha  never  married,  and  resides  with  her  brother,  Chalkly,  in  Jordan. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  151 

; 

A  BIRD  IN   WINTER. 

'T\vas  a  jay  at  noon  that  caught  our  view, 

Lazily  afloat  in  air; 

Its  life  seemed  linked  with  the  misty  blue; 
Our  interests  awoke,  afresh,  anew, 

As  we  traced  its  pathway  there. 

MAY. 

Earth's  canopy  is  robed  in  blue, 
Celestial  grandeur  pressing  through ! 
No  hint  of  cloud  is  on  the  sky, 
And  only  sunlight  sparkles  by. 

RURAL  BLESSINGS. 

Far  out  in  the  country,  in  a  quiet  dell 
A  family  of  children  were  wont  to  dwell ; 
They  knew  most  of  the  birds  of  ev'ry  name, 
That  each  new  year  with  the  sweet  spring-time  came. 

In  these  verses,  we  are  reminded  sometimes  of  Wordsworth,  sometimes 
of  Whittier. 

WILLIAM    ROSSER    COBBE. 

When  Chalkly  John  purchased  the  Sterling  Gazette  in  1880,  he  sum- 
moned to  his  aid  his  nephew  to  take  charge  of  the  editorial  department. 
Cobbe  was  a  stranger  in  Sterling,  but  had  already  resided  four  years  in  the 
county,  two  as  teacher  at  Jordan  Center  school,  and  two  as  editor  of  the  Fulton 
Journal.  Peculiar  in  appearance,  eccentric  in  manner.  Tall,  broad  shoul- 
ders, inclined  to  stoop,  a  leisurely  gait,  sometimes  ready  to  greet,  sometimes 
passing  without  recognition,  much  abstracted,  wearing  a  large  soft  hat  often 
pulled  over  his  eyes. 

Cobbe  was  a  soldier  of  fortune,  a  sort  of  wandering  genius  who  reminds 
one  of  Oliver  Goldsmith,  Coleridge,  and  that  restless  class  of  English  authors 
who  lacked  steady  aim,  who  seldom  had  a  permanent  home,  and  who  drifted 
on  life's  tempestuous  sea.  In  his  "Doctor  Judas"  he  traces  much  of  his  early 
career.  Very  precocious  in  thought.  At  six  he  began  to  inquire  about  the 
beginning  of  God,  and  at  seven,  he  enjoyed  Paradise  Lost  and  Pilgrim's 
Progress.  Overcoming  his  skepticism  at  seventeen,  he  prepared  for  the  min- 
istry, had  a  circuit  in  Virginia,  but  resigned  to  accept  a  chaplaincy  in  the 
navy,  from  which  he  retired  for  service  in  the  internal  revenue  department. 

Inheriting  a  sensitive  temperament,  and  engaging  in  continued  mental 
activity,  Cobbe's  nervous  system  gradually  gave  way,  and  to  secure  relief,  he 
contracted  the  opium  habit,  which  he  overcame  only  after  a  terrific  struggle. 
His  long  bondage  to  the  fiend  that  enslaved  him,  and  his  final  triumph,  he 
describes  with  a  graphic  pen  in  Doctor  Judas,  a  book  of  320  pages,  published 
by  S.  C.  Griggs  and  Company,  Chicago,  1895. 

—Break  the  vile  bondage ;  cry 
I'm  free,  I'm  free.     Alas,  you  cannot. 


152  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

There  are  twenty-five  chapters,  each  devoted  to  a  separate  phase  of  the 
dreadful  disease,  loss  of  memory,  disorders  of  the  body,  sleeplessness,  fearful 
imaginings,  general  irresponsibility. 

Doubtless  the  reader  has  already  been  reminded  of  a  famous  book  on  this 
subject,  "Confessions  of  an  English  Opium  Eater,"  by  Thomas  De  Quincey. 
They  appeared  as  separate  articles  in  the  London  Magazine,  1821,  and  at 
once  aroused  intense  interest  by  their  morbid  revelations  and  brilliant  style. 
Cobbe  devotes  a  chapter  in  Doctor  Judas  to  a  review  of  the  Confessions,  and 
while  admitting  the  elegance  of  the  narrative,  believes  that  De  Quincey's  con- 
clusions are  erroneous,  when  he  asserts  there  is  no  desire  to  increase  the  quan- 
tity in  using  the  drug,  that  hideous  dreams  are  not  the  necessary  effect  of 
opium,  and  that  it  really  tends  to  prolong  life. 

W.  R.  Cobbe  was  a  southern  man,  born  in  Elizabeth  City,  North  Caro- 
lina, 1846.  His  father  was  a  slave  holder,  but  loyal  to  the  Union,  during  the 
war,  as  were  all  of  the  family.  In  1869  at  Elizabeth,  he  married  Laura  E. 
John,  daughter  of  Palemon  John,  Republican  editor  and  politician.  She  is 
a  niece  of  Chalkly,  Hugh  L.  and  George  D.  John,  of  this  city.  In  the  fall 
of  1888,  Cobbe  left  Sterling  and  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  news- 
paper and  literary  work  for  several  years.  Finally  he  found  his  way  to  New 
York,  leading  a  sort  of  Bohemian  career,  until  his  sudden  death  in  a  hallway 
in  Park  Row  on  the  morning  of  January  first,  1907. 

After  life's  fitful  fever,  he  sleeps  well. 
Mrs.  Cobbe  continues  to  reside  in  Chicago. 

MIRA  COBBE. 

She  is  one  of  two  surviving  daughters,  and  grew  up  in  Sterling.  The 
famliy  attended  Grace  Episcopal  church.  Every  summer  a  picnic  was  given 
the  children,  and  at  one  of  these  festivals  held  on  a  private  lawn,  the  writer 
recalls  a  picture.  In  the  center  of  an  admiring  group  of  girls  and  boys  stood 
Mira  relating  some  marvelous  narrative  to  which  the  youngsters  were  listening 
with  open  mouths  and  ears.  She  was  then  in  short  dresses,  but  already  dis- 
played the  art  of  an  Italian  improvisatore.  Soon  after  the  removal  of  the 
family  to  Chicago,  Mira  turned  her  talent  to  account,  and  for  a  long  time  has 
been  contributing  to  various  weeklies,  articles  and  stories  under  the  signature 
of  Constance  Beatrice  Willard. 

L.    L.  EMMONS. 

In  the  New  Year's  Greeting  of  the  Sterling  Evening  Gazette  for  1908, 
there  appeared  what  is  unusual  in  an  issue  of  this  kind,  a  page  of  music.  It 
was  an  original  song,  words  and  air  by  L.  L.  Emmons,  of  Rock  Falls.  He  is 
a  native  of  that  place,  born  in  1853,  and  has  always  resided  there,  except  four 
years  in  Morrison  when  publishing  the  Record.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmons 
take  a  deep  interest  in  intellectual  things,  are  fond  of  music,  and  so  this  har- 
monious outburst  is  simply  the  result  of  careful  and  continued  culture  in 
the  household. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  153 


ROCK  RIVER  OF  GOLD. 

0,  beautiful  River,  Rock  River  of  gold, 

I  love  your  sweet  mem'ries,  sweet  mem'ries  of  old, 

Your  waters  I've  waded  in  childish  delight, 

I've  searched  the  old  bayous  for  pond  lilies  white. 

Chorus. 

Unbidden  fancies  often  go, 
To  the  bayous  where  pond  lilies  blow. 
My  heart  is  with  thee,  oh  beautiful  Rock, 
0,  glimmering,  shimmering  Rock ! 
Oh,  beautiful  River,  Rock  River  of  gold, 
I  love  your  sweet  mem'ries,  sweet  mem'ries  of  t)ld. 

My  fancies  revert  to  the  old  swimming  hole, 
To  the  spots  where  I  sat  with  my  old  fishing  pole, 
Yes,  those  are  the  times  that  will  never  grow  old, 
Those  days  'long  Rock  River,  Rock  River  of  gold. 

Chorus. 

Oh,  happy  the  hours  when  I  played  on  your  banks, 
And  made  your  isles  echo  in  light  childish  pranks. 
Ah,  those  are  the  mem'ries  that  never  grow  old, 
Sweet  dreams  of  Rock  River,  Rock  River  of  gold. 

Chorus. 

w.  w  DAVIS. 

While  teaching  in  Dixon  in  1864,  he  prepared  the  material  for  a  treatise 
on  "Composition  Writing,"  which  was  published  by  George  Sherwood,  Chi- 
cago. It  was  a  small,  unpretending  book,  bound  in  cloth,  only  fifty-two 
pages.  It  was  not  a  text-book  for  pupils,  but  a  guide  for  teachers  in  elementary 
schools  that  they  might  excite  more  interest  in  the  neglected  exercise  of  orig- 
inal composition.  It  is  now  out  of  print,  and  never  had  an  extensive  sale, 
or  Mr.  Davis  would  today  be  an  operator  on  Wall  street  with  J.  P.  Morgan. 
After  graduating  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  in  1856,  Mr.  Davis  oame  to  Sterling, 
which,  except  a  few  years'  absence,  has  been  his  home  ever  since. 

True  ease  in  writing  comes  from  art,  not  chance, 
As  those  move  easiest  who  have  learned  to  dance. 

From  those  educators  who  believe  in  this  couplet  of  Pope,  the  author  received 
many  kind  words.  Dr.  Richard  Edwards,  then  in  the  Normal  at  Blooming- 
ton,  wrote:  "Your  plan  of  making  the  child's  written  exercise  an  expression 
of  his  own  thought,  and  not  a  rehash  of  stolen  platitudes,  must  commend  itself 
to  every  philosophical  educator."  Prof.  John  S.  Hart  of  the  New  Jersey 
Normal  at  Trenton,  said :  "For  teaching  young  beginners  in  common  schools 
the  first  steps  in  the  art  of  composition,  this  book  has  no  superior,  if,  indeed, 
it  has  an  equal."  Newton  Bateman,  also,  expressed  high  commendation. 


154  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Except  <an  occasional  appearance  on  the  platform  with  such  lectures  as 
"How  to  Live  One  Hundred  Years,"  "A  Sunday  Morning  with  Spurgeon," 
Mr.  Davis'  literary  activity  has  been  confined  to  newspaper  work.  During  a 
tour  abroad  he  wrote  a  series  of  letters  to  the  Sterling  Standard,  and  has  fur- 
nished for  a  year  a  weekly  sketch  to  the  Gazette  of  "Men  and  Women  I've 
Met,"  reminiscences  of  a  lifetime.  He  is  a  regular  contributor  to  the  New 
Era,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  the  Lutheran  Observer,  Philadelphia.  Many  of  his 
articles  appear  with  simply  the  initials,  W.  W.  D. 

Dickens,  Thackeray,  Emerson,  and  others,  who  are  best  known  in  prose, 
occasionally  dropped  into  poetry,  and  Mr.  Davis  in  an  evil  hour  was  tempted 
to  follow7  their  illustrious  example: 

CHINA  ASTERS. 

(On  seeing  a  bouquet  at  church.) 

I  often  think  in  early  spring, 

When  buds  put  forth  apace, 
That  tulips  are  the  sweetest  thing, 

Of  all  the  floral  race. 

In  leafy  June  when  earth  is  bright, 

With  every  plant  that  grows, 
'Tis  then  I  say  wyith  feelings  strong, 

There's  nothing  like  the  rose. 

And  so  the  lovely  tribe  bloom  on, 

In  summer's  heat  the  faster, 
Until  my  captive  heart  exclaims, 

Give  me  the  China  aster! 

EVA  EMERY  DYE. 

Perhaps  none  of  our  Whiteside  authors  have  written  so  much  or  so  suc- 
cessfully as  this  gifted  woman.  She  was  born  at  Prophetstown,  which  was 
her  home  until  her  graduation  at  Oberlin.  Her  early  contributions  to  th& 
local  papers  gave  promise  of  1hat  native  ability  which  have  given  her  mature 
works  so  flattering  a  reception.  As  her  later  years  have  been  spent  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  the  stirring  episodes  in  the  history  of  that  romantic  region  nat- 
urally appealed  to  her  imagination,  and  in  several  tales  she  has  so  vividly 
recalled  the  olden  time  that  the  heroes  and  their  adventures  live  again  before 
us  in  all  their  freshness  and  charm. 

Of  one  of  her  first  books,  McLoughlin  and  Old  Oregon,  the  New  York 
World  said  that  while  the  narratives  of  Bonneville  and  Irving  are  classics^ 
it  is  only  justice  to  Mrs.  Dye  to  remark  that  her  volume  is  worthy  a  place 
beside  her  illustrious  predecessors.  This  was  in  1901.  Then  followed  The 
True  Story  and  Clark,  1902.  In  the  Western  Series  of  Readers  for  schools, 
published  by  a  San  Francisco  firm,  volume  seven  is  by  Mrs.  Dye,  and  is 
entitled  Stories  of  Oregon.  She  selects  such  topics  as  will  be  of  fascinating; 
interest  to  the  child,  as  The  Way  to  India,  John  Jacob  Astor,  The  Days  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  155 

Gold,  Jo  Lane  and  the  Indians,  Story  of  the  Missionaries,  The  Coming  of  the 
Railroad. 

Her  Latest  book,  published  in  Chicago,  is  McDonald  of  Oregon,  a  Tale 
qf  Two  Shores,  gives  numerous  incidents  in  the  early  settlement  of  Wash- 
ington and  Oregon  by  the  Americans,  the  decline  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  com- 
pany, and  the  beginning  of  those  frontier  points  that  have  since  become  empo- 
riums of  commerce.  While  as  entertaining  as  Robinson  Crusoe,  it  is  the 
reliable  narrative  of  an  explorer  who  paved  the  way  for  the  present  prosperity. 
Prof.  Maxwell  pronounces  this  story  with  its  artistic  blending  of  history  and 
romance,  Mrs.  Dye's  greatest  literary  triumph. 

But  that  I  am  forbid 

To  tell  the  secrets  of  my  prison  house 
I  could  a  tale  unfold. 

REV.   AMOS  H.   MILLER. 

In  1892  a  bulky  work  was  published  in  Chicago,  entitled  "Military  His- 
tory and  Reminiscenes  of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try in  the  Civil  War  in  the  United  States,  1861-1865."  Prepared  by  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Regiment,  1891.  Publication  committee:  H.  T.  Noble,  S.  C. 
Plummer,  H.  D.  Dement,  C.  E.  Bolles.  Historians:  A.  B.  Munn,  A.  H. 
Miller,  W.  0.  Newton.  At  the  reunion  in  Dixon,  1889,  the  plan  of  the  book 
was  approved,  and  Mr.  Miller  was  asked  to  write  the  regimental  history,  which 
forms  so  large  a  part  of  the  volume  of  672  pages. 

Mr.  Miller  was  well  qualified  for  his  task  as  he  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
Sterling,  and  served  four  years  in  the  war,  winning  the  highest  respect  for 
his  character  as  a  soldier  and  a  man.  He  was  born  at  Strasburg,  Pa.,  1840, 
and  came  to  Sterling  with  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Miller  in  1847. 
He  studied  at  Mt.  Morris,  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston,  and  at  the 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  He  continued  in  the  Methodist  ministry  to  his 
death  a  few  years  ago  at  Arlington  Heights,  Chicago.  He  was  twice  pastor 
of  the  Rock  Falls  church,  and  his  funeral  was  held  there,  the  Grand  Army 
having  charge,  and  Rev.  W.  W.  Diehl  conducting  the  services. 

Amos,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  had  a  nature  like  the  favorite  disciple 
or  the  prophet,  "a  man  greatly  beloved." 

None  knew  him  but  to  love  him, 
None  named  him  but  to  praise. 

A  sound  preacher,  a  faithful  pastor,  a  warm  friend.  We  may  speak  of  him 
as  some  one  said  of  Dr.  James  Hamilton  of  London :  "I  like  him  as  a 
preacher,  better  as  a  writer,  and  best  of  all  as  a  man."  He  was  married  in 
1874  to  Miss  Margaret  Keene,  of  Mt.  Morris,  who  survives  him.  His  aged 
mother,  nearly  ninety,  is  still  living  in  Sterling. 

Servant  of  God,  well  done ! 

Thy  glorious  warfare's  past; 
The  battle's  fought,  the  race  is  won, 

And  thou  art  crowned  at  last. 


156  HISTORY   OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

JAMES   D.   ANDREWS. 

None  of  our  lawyers  has  risen  so  rapidly.  His  father,  Robert  C.  An- 
drews, came  from  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  in  1838.  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Sterling,  and  James,  the  youngest  of  seven  children,  celebrated  Washington's 
birthday  by  appearing  Feb.  22,  1856.  After  teaching  awhile  in  Montmor- 
ency,  he  attended  law  school  in  the  east,  returned  to  Sterling,  and  was  for 
a  short  time  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  the  late  Frank  E.  Andrews. 
Believing  New  York  city  would  afford  a  wider  field  for  achievement,  he 
removed  to  the  metropolis,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  a  special  legal  enterprise. 

He  is  president  and  manager  of  Codex  Publishing  Company,  organized 
for  publishing  law  books  covering  all  points  of  American  law.  It  will  be 
issued  in  twenty  volumes.  Various  book  companies  in  the  United  States  will 
assist,  and  the  first  edition  is  to  consist  of  20,000  copies.  It  will  involve  an 
expenditure  of  $250,000,  the  largest  amount  ever  invested  in  a  similar  work. 
He  has  already  issued  Andrews'  Version  of  American  Law,  in  four  volumes. 
Mr.  Andrews  is  considered  among  the  best  authorities  on  American  law.  Only 
fifty-one,  and  in  his  prime.  He,  doubtless,  lives  according  to  Coke: 

Six  hours  in  sleep,  in  law's  grave  study,  six, 
Four  spend  in  prayer,  the  rest  on  nature  fix. 

His  mother,  Mrs.  Andrews,  will  be  gratefully  remembered  by  our  older  citi- 
zens for  her  earnest  efforts  in  sending  supplies  to  the  soldiers  during  the  war. 

JEROME   H.   RAYMOND. 

For  several  years  University  Extension  lectures  were  popular  in  Sterling, 
and  regularly  every  winter  a  course  of  six  or  twelve  lectures  were  given  in 
one  of  the  churches.  The  speakers  were  from  the  University  of  Chicago,  and 
among  them  were  Moulton,  Judson  and  Sparks.  In  1902  the  course  was  on 
"European  Capitals  and  their  Social  Significance,"  and  given  by  Jerome  H. 
Raymond,  Ph.  D.,  associate  professor  of  sociology.  They  were  illustrated  by 
charming  stereopticon  views  of  the  great  cities,  and  very  instructive.  As 
Jerome  played  in  our  streets  in  his  childhood,  people  were  naturally  glad  to 
greet  the  traveler  on  a  university  rostrum. 

-p 

WALTER  STAGER,    ESQ. 

In  1878  a  bulky  pamphlet  appeared  from  the  press  of  Callaghan  ancl 
Company,  Chicago,  entitled  "The  Road  and  Bridge  Law  of  Illinois,"  by  Wal- 
ter Stager,  member  of  the  Sterling  bar.  It  presented  in  a  concise  form  the 
various  rules  and  decisions  on  this  subject,  scattered  through  a  series  of  legal 
reports.  From  time  to  time  he  presents  in  the  local  press  dissertations  on 
judicial  questions  not  generally  understood.  His  latest  effort  was  a  carefully 
prepared  paper  before  the  Searchlight  Club  on  the  evening  of  Jan.  13,  1908, 
on  "Evasion  of  Assessment  of  Moneys  and  Credits  other  than  those  of  Banks 
and  Bankers — the  Cause  and  Remedy." 

Mr.  Stager  is  now  one  of  the  veterans  of  the  Whiteside  bar,  having  begun 
practice  forty  years  ago,  when  a  mere  youth.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  157 

emigrating  to  Illinois  in  1855.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  law  department  of 
Michigan  University,  after  a  four  years'  course  of  study  at  that  famous  insti- 
tution. For  twenty-four  years,  1880  to  1904,  he  discharged  the  responsible 
duties  of  state's  attorney  with  eminent  ability,  two  of  the  most  exciting  trag- 
edies in  the  history  of  the  county,  the  Kauffman  murder  and  the  Swartout 
murder,  engaging  his  skillful  prosecution  and  examination.  The  firm  is  now 
Stager  and  Stager,  his  son  John  being  associated  in  the  business  of  the  office. 

REV.    MARTIN    POST. 

In  1897  appeared  "The  Riverton  Minister,"  written  by  Rev.  Martin  Post, 
of  Atlanta,  Georgia.  In  his  preface,  the  author  says,  This  book  contains  a 
narrative  drawn  from  life.  Clothed  somewhat  in  the  garb  of  fiction,  it  is, 
so  far  as  relates  to  the  character  and  life  work  of  the  Riverton  minister,  a  fact. 
There  are  354  pages,  and  the  sprightly  yet  earnest  narrative  presents  a  picture 
of  a  consecrated  life  among  the  lowly  and  suffering.  On  a  memorial  window 
of  the  church  in  which  he  preached  is  the  inscription : 

Rev.  John  Goldwin,  D.  D. 

He  walked  with  God,  and  he  was  not ;  for 

God  took  him. 

But  Mr.  Post's  active  career  belongs  to  Whiteside.  He  preached  in  the 
Congregational  church,  Sterling,  first  from  1866  to  1872,  then  after  an 
absence  in  California,  from  1884  to  1894.  He  was  faithful  and  devoted  in 
all  the  requirements  of  his  sacred  office,  a  comforting  pastor  at  the  bedside  of 
the  sick  and  suffering,  and  a  thorough  student  of  the  Scriptures.  His  ser- 
mons were  carefully  prepared  and  impressively  delivered.  Always  a  hopeful 
demeanor,  although  for  years  oppressed  by  domestic  sorrow.  He  is  now  in 
charge  of  Joy  Prairie  Congregational  church,  west  of  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
he  and  his  estimable  wife,  formerly  Miss  Carrie  Corey,  enjoying  the  regard 
of  a  generous  people. 

MISS  ALICE  DINSMOOK. 

A  graduate  of  Vassar,  and  a  teacher  for  several  years  in  a  private  academy 
in  Brooklyn,  Miss  Dinsmoor  from  a  child  displayed  unusual  aptness  in 
thought  and  composition.  Her  early  essays  at  the  village  school  in  Emerson 
were  far  beyond  those  of  the  average  scholar.  Her  tastes  incline  to  science 
and  art,  and  articles  on  her  specialties  have  appeared  in  magazines  of  the 
best  class.  She  has  frequently  contributed  to  the  Scientific  American,  occa- 
sionally to  the  Craftsman.  Her  last  sketch,  "Where  Bulwer  spun  his  Ro- 
mances," the  result  of  a  garden  party  visit  to  Knebworth  Hall,  the  historic 
home  of  the  novelist  and  dramatist,  was  an  elegantly  illustrated  feature  of 
November  "Town  and  Country,"  New  York,  in  1907. 

Miss  Dinsmoor  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  James  Dinsmoor,  esq.,  of  Ster- 
ling, a  pioneer  lawyer  of  Whiteside,  and  for  forty  years  a  member  of  the 
Sterling  bar.  His  son,  Jarvis,  continues  the  practice  of  the  profession.  Both 
graduates  of  Dartmouth,  the  college  of  Webster  and  Choate.  Miss  Dinsmoor, 
for  a  congenial  change  of  occupation,  has  left  the  professor's  chair,  and  under 


158  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  open  sky  of  New  Jersey  is  cultivating  the  acquaintance  of  fruits  and  flow- 
ers. Perhaps  in  time  the  world  may  be  delighted  with  another  "Our  Village," 
after  the  manner  of  Miss  Mitford,  or  Charles  Dudley  Warner's  "My  Summer 
in  a  Garden,"  or  "Ten  Acres  Enough,"  which  really  inspired  this  horticultural 
diversion  of  the  young  lady. 

REV.   W.    C.   SEIDEL,  D.  D. 

His  father,  Gottlieb  Seidel,  came  from  Germany,  and  had  a  numerous 
family  of  sons  and  daughters.  All  grew  up  to  positions  of  usefulness.  Wil- 
liam was  one  of  the  older  children,  and  deciding  to  secure  an  education  for 
the  ministry,  he  worked  his  way  through  academy,  college  and  seminary, 
graduating  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.  He  has  served  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  in  various  missions  and  regular  organizations 
in  Kansas,  Illinois,  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.  The  church  and  edifice  at 
Minneapolis,  Kansas,  is  a  monument  of  his  perseverance.  He  preached  at 
Carlisle,  Pa.  He  is  now  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  devoting  his  energies  to 
the  establishment  of  the  infant  St.  Paul's. 

Dr.  Seidel  is  fond  of  research,  and  an  earnest  student  of  the  doctrines 
and  cardinal  principles  of  his  denomination.  His  sermons  display  deep 
thought  and  earnest  preparation.  Many  years  ago  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
extending  his  ministry  by  the  circulation  of  tracts,  either  by  letter  or  personal 
distribution.  To  express  his  views  on  certain  topics  and  texts,  he  has  written 
various  tracts  on  his  favorite  themes  of  Christian  practice.  The  following 
is  a  partial  list:  "The  Blessed  Hope;"  "Christ,  the  Bread  of  Life;"  "The 
Hidden  Life  of  the  Believer;"  "The  Divinity  of  Christ;"  "Christ,  the  Refuge 
of  Burdened  Souls;"  "Christ,  our  Passover;"  "God's  Remedy  for  Sin;"  "The 
Believer's  Separation  unto  God."  Dr.  Seidel  has  also  written  numerous  arti- 
cles for  the  journals  of  his  denomination,  and  has  several  lectures  on  Scriptural 
and  other  subjects,  which  he  has  delivered  on  various  occasions. 

ALFRED   BAYLISS. 

For  twenty  years,  1874  to  1894.  he  was  a  resident  of  Sterling.  For  two 
years,  editor  of  the  Sterling  Standard,  the  rest  of  the  time  principal  of  the 
Second  Ward  School.  He  was  corporal  in  the  Eleventh  Michigan  Cavalry 
from  1883  to  1865,  a  graduate  of  Hillsdale  College,  Michigan,  in  1870,  and 
in  1898  elected  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  Illinois,  a  position 
he  held  for  two  terms,  or  eight  years.  Mr.  Bayliss  was  untiring  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  responsible  duties  of  his  office.  The  consolidation  of  country 
schools  was  a  favorite  scheme  he  agitated  from  the  start,  and  which  he  urged 
with  all  his  influence.  A  prominent  educator  said :  "Bayliss  is  the  first  since 
Bateman  who  had  a  policy,  and  knew  what  he  was  trying  to  do." 

Besides  the  regular  official  reports  of  his  position,  Mr.  Bayliss  was  prompt 
to  issue  carefully  prepared  circulars  on  Arbor  Day  and  Memorial  Day,  with 
programs  and  literary  selections  for  the  proper  observance  of  these  anniver- 
saries, and  the  education  of  the  children  in  all  the  duties  of  good  citizenship. 
He  never  failed  to  respond  to  calls  for  lectures  in  connection  with  hi.s  work, 
and  was  in  frequent  attendance  upon  institutes  in  various  parts  of  the  state. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  159 

Before  us  now  is  a  pamphlet  of  35  pages,  "The  Library  in  Relation  to  the 
School,"  an  address  delivered  at  the  Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association, 
Dixon,  April  28,  1899,' by  Alfred  Bayliss. 

CLARA  KEEN   BAYLISS. 

Mrs.  Bayliss  has  always  been  a  student.  Graduating  at  Hillsdale  in  1871, 
and  afterwards  taking  a  correspondence  course  at  the  University  of  Chicago. 
She  has  constantly  aimed  by  travel  and  application  to  keep  her  mind  fresh 
and  scholarly.  An  industrious  author.  Her  first  science  book,  "Brook  and 
Bayou,"  has  been  followed  by  two  on  the  romantic  people  in  the  southwest, 
"Lolami,  the  Little  Cliff  Dweller"  and  "Lolami  in  Tusayan."  Articles  from 
her  pen  have  appeared  in  the  Chicago,  New  York  and  Los  Angeles  papers, 
in  various  magazines,  and  in  school  journals.  She  makes  occasional  addresses, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1907  appeared  before  the  Woman's  Club  of  Sterling. 

Mrs.  Bayliss  takes  a  hearty  interest  in  all  movements  of  public  importance. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  National  Folk  Lore  Society,  of  the  Committee  of 
One  Hundred  on  National  Health,  Daughters  of  American  Revolution,  Illi- 
nois Mothers'  Congress,  and  other  educational  associations.  She  has  improved 
every  opportunity  of  travel,  visiting  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts,  exploring 
the  seat  of  the  cliff  dwellers  in  New  Mexico,  attended  the  dedication  of  the 
Illinois  monument  at  Vicksburg,  and  was  one  of  the  only  two  ladies  present 
when  Lincoln's  casket  was  finally  transferred  to  its  cement  bed  in  Ihe  monu- 
ment. Mrs.  Bayliss  is  still  busily  engaged  in  literary  and  scientific  research. 
Her  latest  book,  "Two  Little  Algonkin  Lads,"  is  a  fascinating  story  of  prim- 
itive Indian  life. 

MRS.    EMILY    J.    C.    HENRY. 

Although  residing  latterly  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  the  years  of  her 
active  womanhood  were  passed  in  Sterling,  her  home  most  of  her  life.  She 
is  not  a  professional  poet.  It  is  only  when  inspired  by  some  grand  occasion 
or  moved  by  some  powerful  emotion,  that  Mrs.  Henry  bursts  into  song.  A 
year  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  Major  Bushnell,  in  battle,  1863,  a  touch- 
ing anniversary  poem,  a  simple  In  Memoriam,  appeared  in  the  Chicago  Trib- 
une. We  extract  some  stanzas  from  seven  in  the  entire  piece : 

Oh,  pale  white  flowers,  one  year  ago  today 
Upon  a  coffined  form  in  fragrant  bloom  ye  lay. 
I  cannot  bear  the  faint  perfume  ye  shed, 
Since  soft  it  floated  o'er  my  precious  dead. 

Oh,  manly  form  that  bore  an  angel's  grace, 
And  crowned  its  glory  with  an  angel's  face, 
I  see  thee  lying  there  with  bated  breath, 

Thy  grand  life  yielded  to  the  conqueror,  Death ! 

******* 

Peace,  murmuring  heart,  thy  Father  knoweth  best! 
His  hand  alone  can  lead  to  perfect  rest. 
Beyond  the  valley  dark  and  shadow  deep, 
He  giveth  my  beloved,  peaceful  sleep. 


160  HISTORY   OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

In  1903  a  granite  boulder  was  dedicated  in  Sterling  on  the  spot  where 
Lincoln  spoke  in  the  summer  of  1856.  Hitt  delivered  the  address,  and  by 
request,  Mrs.  Henry  wrote  a  spirited  poem  of  which  we  present  some  stanzas : 

Once  again  our  feet  are  standing 

On  the  spot  where  Lincoln  trod; 
Hallowed  is  the  ground  beneath  us, 

Sanctified,  this  sacred  sod. 

On  this  spot,  we  saw  him,  heard  him, 

Saw  his  strong,  pathetic  face; 
Watched  his  tall,  gaunt  figure  swaying, 

Without  symmetry  or  grace. 

Listened  to  his  noble  utterance; 

-    And  our  hearts  were  strangely  stirred 

As  he  seemed  to  grow  transfigured 

With  each  lofty  thought  or  word. 
******* 

Where  he  stood,  we  place  this  boulder; 

Steadfast,  rugged — such  was  he; 
Carve  these  names  in  type  immortal — 

Lincoln,  Union,  Liberty! 

Mrs.  Emily  J.  C.  Henry  was  born  in  Randolph,  Vermont.  Her  father 
was  Capt.  John  Edson,  an  officer  in  the  War  of  1812.  Her  mother,  Emily 
Clement,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Conn.  Mrs.  Edson's  father  was  for  many 
years  a  professor  of  Yale  College,  and  a  close  friend  of  President  Dwight, 
for  whom  he  named  his  eldest  son.  While  a  child  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
with  the  parents,  removed  to  Andover,  New  Hampshire,  where,  under  the 
shadow  of  Kearsarge  mountains,  she  was  reared. 

She  attended  school  at  Randolph  (Vt.)  Academy,  and  also  at  Concord, 
N.  H.,  where  she  finished  her  education.  Later,  she,  with  the  family  moved 
to  Burlington,  Vt.  Emily  Edson  was  married  in  1849  to  Douglas  R.  Bush- 
nell  and  came  to  Sterling,  111.,  in  1854.  Mr.  Bushnell  was  by  profession  a 
civil  engineer.  He  surveyed  the  route  now  called  the  Northwestern  R.  R. 
from  Chicago  to  Clinton,  Iowa,  and  was  prominently  connected  with  the 
construction  of  other  roads  in  Illinois  and  Iowa.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  in 
1861  and  was  at  once  elected  Captain  of  Co.  B,  13th  111.  Infantry.  Among 
Capt.  Bushnell's  first  duties  in  the  army  was  the  construction  of  a  fort  at  Rolla, 
Mo.,  and  during  the  while  time  of  his  service  his  engineering  abilities  were 
required.  After  participating  in  many  hard  fought  battles  and  enduring  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg  (where  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major)  and  passed 
through  the  fierce  contests  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  on 
the  day  following,  which  (Nov.  27,  1863)  while  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy  at 
Ringgold,  Ga.,  he  was  shot  through  the  temple  and  killed  instantly.  Mrs. 
Bushnell  was  appointed  postmistress  of  Sterling  in  1885  by  President  Lincoln, 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  161 

and  at  the  end  of  her  first  term  was  reappointed  by  President  Grant.  She 
claims  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  woman  made  P.  M.  by  presidential 
appointment,  in  the  United  States.  Near  the  close  of  Mrs.  BushnelPs  second 
term,  she  resigned  her  office  to  become  the  wife  of  Major  Miles  S.  Henry,  a 
leading  lawyer  of  Sterling.  Mrs.  Henry  is  now  a  resident  of  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

CHARLES   FARWELL   EDSON. 

Over  thirty  years  ago  a  lively  lad  played  on  the  streets  of  Sterling,  who 
was  a  general  favorite  on  account  of  his  bright  face  and  sunny  disposition. 
His  father,  E.  W.  Edson,  was  a  merchant,  his  mother,  a  sister  of  John  V. 
Farwell,  of  Chicago.  They  moved  to  California,  where  Mr.  Edson  died, 
and  the  movements  of  the  family  since  were  known  only  to  the  relatives. 
Meantime  Charlie  grew  up,  cultivated  his  native  gifts,  and  is  now  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  the  musical  and  artistic  circles  of  the  Pacific  coast.  He  has 
reduced  the  study  of  music  to  a  rational  basis,  believing  that  to  sing  well 
one  must  have  health,  and  just  as  a  healthy  mind  depends  on  a  healthy 
body,  so  a  first-rate  voice  must  have  a  right  physical  foundation.  He  has 
made  a  specialty  of  refined  entertainment,  and  so  versatile  that  every  taste 
and  every  audience  can  be  gratified.  If  desired,  he  presents  an  evening  pro- 
gram of  Shakespearean  songs,  or  one  of  American  songs,  or  ballads,  German 
Lieder,  operatic  numbers,  interspersing  all  with  so  much  witty  interpretation 
that  it  becomes  an  occasion  of  inspiring  recreation.  He  has  in  addition  a 
fine  stage  presence,  poetic  feeling,  and  dramatic  power.  The  press  wherever 
he  has  appeared  unite  in  praise  of  the  high  character  of  his  entertainments. 

His  home  is  in  Los  Angeles.  The  Graphic  of  that  city  speaks  of  his 
studio  on  Twentieth  street  as  rich  in  attractive  souvenirs  of  the  chase,  of 
things  and  people  musical,  and  also  as  a  voice  work-shop.  It  is  a  delightful 
rendezvous  for  lovers  of  the  artistic.  There  is  a  well  stookad  musical  library, 
a  few  hundred  of  the  best  books,  a  piano,  and  every  evidence  of  the  genial 
lover  of  harmony.  Mr.  Edson  received  his  preliminary  education  at  Lake 
Forest  academy,  where  he  was  leader  of  the  college  glee  club.  Later  he 
studied  singing  at  the  Chicago  Musical  college,  under  eminent  teachers,  and 
piano  under  Seeboeck. 

WILL   H.    PAYNE. 

One  of  the  most  deserving  of  our  Whiteside  authors.  Born  in  Newton 
township,  1865,  with  only  a  common  school  education,  he  has  managed  to 
attain  by  his  own  determination,  a  very  creditable  position  in  the  world  of 
letters.  Besides  much  miscellaneous  writing  for  dailies  and  weeklies,  he  has 
issued  several  stories,  which  have  given  him  more  than  a  local  reputation. 
They  form  quite  a  list:  Jerry,  the  Dreamer;  Money  Captain;  Story  of  Eva; 
When  Love  Speaks;  On  Fortune's  Road.  A  while  in  Chicago,  now  in  Michi- 
gan. Mr.  Payne  is  a  sort  of  Bohemian,  pursuing  no  settled  course  of  literary 
endeavor,  but  engaging  in  whatever  appeals  most  directly  at  the  time.  Since 
1897,  financial  editor  of  the  Economist. 

E.  w.  PAYNE. 
As  county  clerk,  his  term  expiring  in  1894,  Mr.  Payne's  face  was  famil- 


162  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

iar  to  many  of  those  who  had  business  in  Morrison,  or  who  met  him  in  his 
trips  to  the  townships.  He  emigrated  at  an  early  age  from  New  Hampshire 
to  Illinois,  enlisted  in  the  34th  Illinois  regiment,  and  at  Goldsboro,  N.  C., 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  an  arm.  In  1902,  with  the  assistance  of  some  of 
his  brother  soldiers,  Sergeant  Enderton,  Col.  Peter  Ege,  and  others,  he  issued 
Ms  "History  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Sept.  7,  1861-July  12,  1865,  by  Edwin  W.  Payne,  Sergeant  Company  A." 
Its  various  sketches,  letters,  and  tables,  make  the  book  an  invaluable  record  of 
four  years  of  gallant  service. 

MRS.   FANNIE    MACARTNEY   WORTHINGTOX. 

Few  of  our  literary  people  have  the  double  accomplishment  of  writing 
and  speaking.  Addison,  Irving,  Hawthorne,  were  at  home  with  the  pen, 
but  never  attempted  the  platform.  Sheridan,  Burke,  Alex.  Hamilton,  Wen- 
dell Phillips,  were  ready  to  write  an  essay  or 'deliver  an  address.  There  are 
plenty  of  writers  in  America,  and  plenty  of  speakers,  especially  in  politics, 
but  few  who  have  both  qualifications.  Mrs.  Worthington  belongs  to  the  elect. 
Her  mind  moved  rapidly,  spontaneously,  and  pen  and  voice  seem  equally  at 
her  control. 

Mrs.  Worthington  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  David  McCartney,  for 
many  years  state's  attorney  of  Whiteside  county.  Her  mother  was  Elizabeth 
Agge,  born  in  Salem,  Mass.  Fannie  inherited  from  her  father  much  of  that 
originality  of  thought  and  aptness  of  illustration  which  appear  in  her  public 
speech.  In  her  girlhood  she  became  a  student  with  her  father  of  law  and 
politics,  and  made  so  good  use  of  her  opportunities  that  in  1888  she  was 
invited  by  the  State  Central  Republican  committee  to  enter  the  campaign  as  a 
r.egular  speaker.  Ever  since  she  has  been  conspicuous  on  the  platform  of  the 
party  in  the  various  campaigns.  She  has  had  the  confidence  and  counsel  of  such 
leaders  as  Govs.  Fifer  and  Tanner,  Senators  Cullom,  Farwell,  and  Hop- 
kins. She  has  enjoyed  the  regard  of  statesmen  of  other  states.  Mark  Hanna, 
in  the  exciting  money  campaign  of  1900,  pronounced  her  one  of  the  best  in- 
formed persons  he  knew  on  the  tariff,  and  especially  on  finance.  In  that 
struggle,  she  made  40  speeches  in  60  days,  often  outdoors. 

In  another  sphere,  Mrs.  Worthington  has  been  postmaster  of  the  Illinois 
Senate,  bill  clerk  and  librarian  of  the  same,  as  well  as  serving  as  private 
secretary  to  state  and  U.  S.  senators.  She  was  the  only  woman  ever  a  member 
of  a  State  Republican  convention"  in  Illinois,  holding  that  position  from 
Whiteside  in  1898. 

Her  platform  addresses  are  not  confined  to  politics,  but,  on  all  moral 
and  social  questions,  temperance,  woman's  aims,  municipal  purity,  she  speaks 
with  a  vigor  and  eloquence  that  always  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  her  audi- 
ence. Occasionally  she  occupies  the  pulpit  of  the  Congregational  church,  to 
which  she  belongs. 

As  is  natural,  her  mind  seeks  permanent  influence  in  literature.  She 
has  written  stories,  sketches,  poems.  Her  songs  and  opera  librettos  and  lyrics 
are  popular  on  the  stage. 

Mrs.  Fannie  is  the  widow  of  Charles  M.  Worthington,  pioneer  of  Ster- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  163 

ling,  long  editor  of  the  Gazette,  the  leading  paper  of  the  city.  She  is  a 
bright,  attractive  woman,  of  graceful  bearing,  brilliant  conversational  powers, 
winning  personality,  in  the  prime  of  her  powers  at  fifty  with  a  fair  prospect 
of  another  half  century  of  intellectual  activity. 

GROVK   WRIGHT. 

Although  Mr.  Wright  never  wrote  a  book  or  pamphlet,  his  fugitive  contri- 
butions to  magazines  and  newspapers  would  fill  a  volume.  He  wrote  easily, 
smoothly,  and  instructively,  on  a  variety  of  subjects.  Electricity  was  a  hobby 
and  he  had  correspondence  with  Joseph  Henry  and  Tesla,  and  on  other  topics 
with  Charles  Downing,  C.  L.  Youmans,  and  David  Starr  Jordan.  He  was  a 
man  of  wide  information,  and  liked  to  take  his  pen  and  discuss  any  subject 
that  appealed  to  his  fancy.  He  had  decided  views,  and  was  ready  to  defend 
them.  He  died  in  April,  1908. 

In  a  letter  received  from  him  in  1907,  he  says:  "I  suppose  you  know 
that  some  of  my  poems  are  to  be  published  in  a  book  called  'Anthology  of 
Illinois  Poets.'  It  has  been  over  three  years  in  preparation,  and  contains  400 
poems,  with  portraits  of  the  authors.  The  price  for  the  cheap  edition  is 
$5,  and  for  the  finest,  $25."  A  specimen  of  Mr.  Wright's  verse  i?  found  in 
an  account  of  the  picnic  at  the  Brick  School.  This  is  the  first  stanza : 

This  is  the  lot,  and  this  is  the  spot, 

Assigned   to   education ; 
And  here  was  laid  without  parade, 

The   old  brick  school   foundation. 

SOIL  FERTILITY. 

BY    HON.    A.    X.    ABBOTT,    DIRECTOR    SOIL    INVESTIGATION    IN    THIRTEENTH    CON- 
GRESSIONAL   DISTRICT,    AND    MEMBER   OF    LEGISLATIVE    COMMITTEE. 

The  most  important  problem  that  confronts  the  nations  of  the  earth  is 
Soil  Fertility.  Besides  this  the  great  social,  political,  religious,  temperance 
and  educational  questions  stand  aside.  It  makes  the  difference  between  the 
populous  plain  and  the  uninhabited  desert.  The  dec'ine  of  past  nations  ha^ 
been  identical  with  the  exhaustion  of  the  soil.  Westward  from  India  the  Star 
of  Empire  has  taken  its  way,  leaving  in  its  wake  an  impoverished  soil  and 
bankrupt  nations.  The  once  fertile  and  populous  valleys  and  plains  of 
western  Asia  are  now  desert  wastes.  From  Palestine  along  the  shores  of  south- 
ern Europe  to  our  own  New  England  and  southern  states  the  soil  robber  has 
plied  his  reckless  trade.  Even  the  rich  soils  of  the  Mississippi  valley  are  be- 
ginning to  decline  in  fertility.  History  has  repeated  itself  over  and  over 
again,  and  these  soils  will  certainly  meet  the  same  fate  as  tho-e  of  Europe, 
unless  an  improved  agricultural  system,  looking  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
soil  fertility  shall  generally  be  adopted  by  the  tillers  of  the  land. 

It  may  well  be  a  matter  of  congratulation  to  us  as  citizens  of  Illi- 
nois, that  this  state  through  its  Experiment  Station  and  State  Farmers 
Institute  leads  all  of  the  re.st  of  the  states  of  the  Union  in  investigation 


164  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  experiment,  in  an  attempt  to  work  out  for  the  first  time  in  history,  a  sys- 
tem of  profitable  agriculture  in  which  the  fertility  of  the  soil  shall  be  per- 
manently maintained. 

In  working  out  this  system  it  is  first  necessary  that  there  be  an  accurate 
soil  survey  made  of  the  state.  This  survey  is  well  under  way,  rather  more 
than  one-third  of  the  state  has  been  so  surveyed  at  the  present  time,  and  the 
field  work  is  still  going  on  as  rapidly  as  state  funds  will  permit.  This  work 
is  carried  on  by  counties.  Whiteside  county  has  already  been  surveyed.  In 
doing  this  work  the  surveyors  travel  on  -foot  and  cover  the  territory  thor- 
oughly. They  carry  with  them  a  map  of  the  township  in  which  they  are 
working,  ruled  off  into  squares  representing  40  acre  lots,  as  they  proceed  with 
their  work  they  take  frequent  borings  with  an  augur.  First  the  character 
of  the  surface  soil  for  7  in.  is  noted  and  then  the  sub  soil  is  examined  to  the 
depth  of.  40  inches.  The  variations  of  soil  which  they  find  are  represented 
on  their  maps  by  rubbing  on  different  colored  pencils,  no  tract  as  small  as 
a  ten  acre  piece  escapes  them,  and  their  maps  will  show  any  variations  as 
small  as  an  acre.  Thus  a  sandy  knoll  or  a  pond  hole  will  be  accurately  lo- 
cated. After  a  county  has  been  mapped  and  the  various  types  of  soil  lo- 
cated (there  were  16  types  of  soil  in  this  county)  several  samples  of  soil  are 
taken  from  each  type,  both  from  the  surface  and  sub  soil;  these  samples  are 
analyzed,  chemically,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  elements  of  plant 
food  in  which  they  are  deficient,  and  which  elements  are  present  in  abundant 
supply. 

It  is  the  intention  to  have  these  colored  maps  with  the  result  of  the  analy- 
sis of  the  various  types  of  soil  published,  so  that  the  farmer  may  know  just 
what  is  necessary  for  him  to  increase  the  productiveness  of  his  fields.  As  a 
farther  check  upon  this  work  there  have  been  established  about  25  experimental 
fields  upon  the  principal  types  of  soil  of  the  state.  These  fields  vary  from  ten 
to  forty  acres  in  size,  and  are  divided  into  fifth  acre  plots  generally.  These 
plots  receive  various  chemical  treatments  to  demonstrate  what  treatment  is 
beneficial  as  well  as  to  demonstrate  what  treatment  produces  no  increase  in 
the  crop. 

Plant  tissue  is  composed  of  ten  primary  elements,  all  of  which  are  abso- 
lutely essential  to  growth.  These  elements  are  carbon,  oxygen,  hydrogen, 
potassium,  phosphorous,  nitrogen,  calcium,  magnesium,  sulphur  and  iron. 
All  of  these  elements  must  be  present,  if  any  one  is  lacking  although  the 
least,  the  plant  will  not  thrive. 

Hot  house  experiments  in  which  seed  is  planted  in  sand,  which  has  been 
subjected  to  great  heat  and  also  treated  chemically  in  order  to  remove  every 
vestige  of  plant  food,  show  that  if  any  six  of  these  elements  are  added  to  a 
sample  of  soil  which  has  been  so  treated,  that  the  plant  will  not  thrive,  but  if 
the  seventh  is  added  that  the  plant  will  proceed  to  grow  in  the  normal,  natural 
way. 

The  four  elements,  iron,  magnesium,  calcium  and  sulphur,  while  abso- 
lutely essential  to  plant  life,  yet  are  required  in  such  minute  quantities,  that 
practically  all  soils  are  inexhaustible  as  far  as  these  elements  are  concerned. 

The  elements  carbon,  oxygen  and  hydrogen  are  obtained  from  the  air 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  165 

and  water,  never  failing  sources  of  supply  so  that  we  may  give  these  elements 
110  concern. 

This  leaves  the  three  elements,  potassium,  phosphorus  and  nitrogen  to 
be  considered,  and  herein  lies  the  problem  of  soil  fertility.  These  three  sub- 
stances are  required  by  all  growing  plants  in  quite  large  amounts,  and  are 
the  three  elements  which  limit  crop  production,  all  of  the  others  being  present 
and  obtainable  from  never  failing  sources.  Practically  every  soil  is  deficient 
to  some  extent  in  one  or  more  of  these  three  elements.  These  are  called. the 
big  three  in  soil  fertility  and  limit  crop  production.  Since  these  three  ele- 
ments are  so  important  we  will  take  them  up  briefly  in  detail. 

Potassium  is  a  mineral  element  which  enters  quite  largely  into  the  straw 
and  stalks  of  all  cultivated  crops.  The  average  corn  belt  soil  of  Illinois  con- 
tains enough  of  this  element  in  the  first  seven  inches  of  the  surface  soil  to 
produce  a  one  hundred  bushel  crop  of  corn  annually  for  centuries.  The  peaty 
swamp  soil,  however,  is  very  deficient  in  potassium.  An  application  of  200 
pounds  of  potassium  sulphate  on  the  peaty  swamp  soil  of  Kankakee  county, 
produced  an  increase  of  66  bushels  of  corn  per  acre.  Potassium  is  a  mineral 
imported  from  Germany,  where  it  exists  in  inexhaustible  supply  and  costs 
laid  down  here,  about  $45  per  tone  as  K2SO*.  It  is  used  quite  extensively  on 
the  peaty  swamp  soils  in  the  southeastern  part  of  this  county.  Phosphorus 
is  an  element  deficient  in  the  most  of  Illinois  soils.  In  contrast  to  potassium, 
phosphorus  enters  largely  into  the  seed  and  grain.  When  the  grain  is  said 
from  the  farm  the  phosphorus  content  is  rapidly  reduced.  It  is  also  re- 
moved from  the  farm  in  the  blood,  bones  and  hair  of  the  animals  sold.  Every 
bushel  of  corn  requires  about  a  fourth  of  a  pound  of  phosphorus,  and  when 
removed  it  can  only  be  restored  by  a  direct  application  of  the  element,  in 
the  form  of  bone  meal  or  as  rock  phosphate.  The  old  theory  of  maintaining 
fertility  by  rotation  of  crops  and  raising  clover,  is  exploded.  There  is  no 
system  of  crop  rotation  which  will  of  itself  maintain  the  fertility  of  the 
soil.  Phosphorus  is  the  limiting  element  in  the  most  of  our  soils  and  so  far 
as  known  exists  in  quite  limited  quantities  in  natural  deposits.  If  the  average 
Illinois  soil  becomes  barren,  it  probably  will  be  on  account  of  the  exhaustion  of 
the  phosphorus  in  the  soil.  Unlike  potassium,  .also,  in  the  average  surface 
soil  of  the  state,  there  is  only  enough  phosphorus  for  70  one  hundred  bu-hels 
corn  crops.  The  most  of  the  Whiteside  county  farm  lands  are  already  declin- 
ing in  fertility  on  account  of  the  lack  of  this  element  in  available  form. 
Nitrogen  is  the  most  abundant  element  of  plant  food,  yet  the  hardest  to  retain 
in  available  form,  as  it  is  volatile  and  goes  away  in  the  air,  and  it  also  leaches 
away  rapidly  in  the  water.  Commercial  nitrogen  in  its  cheapest  form,  as 
dried  blood  costs  15  cents  a  pound,  yet  the  pressure  of  nitrogen  in  the  air  is 
about  12  pounds  to  the  square  inch,  which  at  commercial  prices  would  bring 
$11,000,000  to  the  acre. 

Unfortunately  with  one  exception  the  nitrogen  of  the  air  is  not  available 
for  our  cultivated  crops.  Nitrogen  everywhere,  but  not  one  particle  of  the 
atmospheric  nitrogen  for  the  corn,  the  oats  and  the  wheat.  To  the  legumes 
alone,  such  as  the  clover,  cow  peas,  alfalfa  and  vetch  is  the  atmospheric  nitro- 
gen available.  The  fairy  tale  of  the  leguminous  plants  with  their  accompany- 


166  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

ing  bacteria,  is  more  wonderful  than  the  tales  of  the  Arabian  Nights.  This 
genii  of  the  soil  is  more  powerful  than  the  genii  of  the  lamp.  It  builds 
school  houses,  churches  and  cities,  constructs  and  operates  railroads,  it  mar- 
shalls  together  more  glittering,  sparkling  gems  than  the  mind  of  the  Arabian 
genii  could  comprehend.  In  a  word  this  wonderful  bacteria  make  the  soil 
productive  or  barren,  according  as  to  whether  it  is  present  or  absent. 

This  bacteria  is  a  microscopic  organism,  which  grows  on  the  roots  of 
clover  and  allied  plants,  forming  nodules  which  contain  millions  of  these 
organisms.  These  bacteria,  have  the  power  to  appropriate  the  nitrogen  of 
the  air  and  secrete  it  in  the  soil  where  it  becomes  available  as  plant  food 
for  all  crops.  It  is  not  good  economy  for  the  average  farmer  to  buy  nitrogen 
when  by  practicing  a  wise  system  of  rotation  it  will  be  stored  in  the  soil  by 
the  clover  crop. 

In  southern  Illinois  clover  will  not  grow  successfully  and  it  was  only 
recently  that  the  reason  was  discovered,  as  the  soil  there  is  acid  and  the 
clover  bacteria  cannot  live  in  acid  soil.  The  application  of  lime  neutralizes 
this  acid  condition,  permitting  the  clover  bacteria  to  live  and  clover  then  grows 
luxuriantly,  where  otherwise  it  would  not  thrive  at  all. 

All  soils  become  acid  from  long  cultivation.  From  what  has  preceded, 
it  is  apparent  that  the  different  soils  of  the  state  require  different  kinds  of 
treatment.  In  the  field  work  of  the  Experiment  Station  some  striking  results 
have  been  obtained,  a  few  of  which  may  prove  interesting. 

The  Green  Valley  field  in  Tazewell  county  is  on  sandy  soil,  and  is  very 
deficient  in  nitrogen ;  where  potassium  was  applied  the  yield  of  corn  was  20 
bushels  per  acre.  Where  phosphorus  was  applied  it  was  25  bushels,  but 
where  nitrogen  was  applied  by  legumes  it  was  increased  to  65  bushels  per 
acre. 

On  the  Bloomington  field  in  McLane  county,  on  the  best  type  of  corn 
soil  in  the  state,  where  no  treatment  was  given  the  yield  of  corn  was  60  bush- 
els per  acre.  Nitrogen  gave  a  yield  of  60  bushels,  potassium  gave  56,  while 
phosphorous  gave  a  yield  of  73  bushels  of  corn  per  acre. 

On  the  Odin  wheat  field,  in  Egypt,  where  the  plot  had  no  treatment,  it 
yielded  at  the  rate  of  7  bushels  of  wheat  per  acre,  where  nitrogen  was  ap- 
plied the  yield  was  9  bushels,  but  where  phosphorus  and  nitrogen  was  applied 
the  yield  was  23  bushels. 

At  the  Momence  field  in  Kankakee  county,  situated  on  peaty  swamp  soil, 
where  no  treatment  was  given  the -land,  the  yield  was  7  bushels  of  corn  to 
the  acre,  where  nitrogen  was  applied  the  yield  was  4  bushels,  where  phosphor- 
ous was  applied  the  yield  was  5  bushels,  but  where  potassium  was  applied 
the  yield  was  73  bushels,  indicating  that  potassium  here  is  the  limiting  ele- 
ment. 

The  general  plan  followed  by  the  state  in  the  experiment  fields  is  as  fol- 
lows: The  land  is  laid  off  in  one-fifth  acre  plots,  2  rods  wide  and  16  rods  long, 
with  a  border  strip  8  feet  wide  between  the  plots,  so  that  the  application  of 
fertilizers  may  not  affect  adjoining  plots. 

The  rotation  to  be  followed,  on  the  recently  established  experiment  field 
in  Union  Grove  township  consists  of  two  years  of  corn,  one  of  o:its  and  one  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  167 

clover.    In  addition  the  different  plots  receive  local  applications  as  indicated 
in  the  following  plan: 

L — lime,  Le — legume,  Mur — manure,  P — phosphorous,  K — potassium, 
N — nitrogen.  The  plots  marked  0  are  check  plots  and  receive  no  other  treat- 
ment except  that  of  the  general  rotation.  The  plots  marked  Le  have  cow  peas 
or  clover  sown  in  the  corn  at  the  time  of  the  last  cultivation. 


0    No  treatment 
L.  Le 
L.  Mur 
L.  Le.  Mur 

0 

L.  P 
L.  Le.  P 
L.  Mur.  P 
L.  Le.  Mur.  P. 

O 


L.  P.  K 
L.  Le.  P.  K 
L.  Mur.  P.  K 
L.  Le.  Mur.  P.  K 

O 
Le 

Le.  P 
Le.  P.  K 
Le.  N.  P.  K 

0 


The  ideal  or  standard  fertile  soil  as  adopted  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
soils,  would  consist  of  a  soil  in  which  the  first  7  inches  of  the  surface,  per 
acre  contains, 

5600  pounds  of  nitrogen, 

2000  pounds  of  phosphorus 

6600  pounds  of  potassium 

An  analysis  of  the  rolling  land,  common  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county,  and  the  type  of  soil  upon  which  the  Union  Grove  field  is  situated 
shows  that  in  the  first  7  inches  per  acre  there  are, 

2170  pounds  of  nitrogen, 

960  pounds  of  phosphorus, 
35640  pounds  of  potassium, 

indicating  a  soil  very  deficient  in  nitrogen  and  phosphorus,  but  wonderfully 
rich  in  potassium.  The  deficiency  in  nitrogen  should  be  supplied  from  the 
air,  through  the  growing  of  legumes,  and  the  phosphorus  by  direct  applica- 
tion in  the  form  of  ground  rock  phosphate  or  bone  meal.  All  acid  and  com- 
plete fertilizers  should  be  avoided. 

The  importance  of  the  study  of  soil  fertility  is  hard  to  estimate.  We 
claim  to  be  patriotic,  and  indeed  during  the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion,  the 
loyal  people  of  WhiteMde  county  rallied  to  the  standard  of  patriotism  and 
freely  gave  of  their  life's  blood,  that  the  nation  of  the  people,  by  the  people 
and  for  the  people  might  not  perish  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  All  of  this 
sacrifice  that  future  generations  might  inherit  an  unimpaired  government. 

An  impaired  government  is  a  condition  to  be  truly  deplored,  but  an  im- 
poverished soil  is  a  greater  calamity,  for  it  means  life  and  living  itself.  An 
impaired  government  can  be  righted,  far  easier  than  an  impoverished  soil 
can  be  restored.  We  but  hold  the  land  for  a  short  time  in  trust,  and  have 
no  more  right  to  bequeath  to  coming  generations  an  impoverished  soil  than 
we  have  an  impaired  government. 

Battlefields  and  great  crises  are  not  necessary  to  develop  patriotism.  Love 


168  HISTOKY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

of  country  can  certainly  be  instilled  by  proper  study  of  our  flocks  and  fields, 
our  rocks  and  rills,  our  woods  and  templed  hills. 

For  years  the  soil  has  responded  so  generously  to  the  tillage  of  the 
farmer,  that  he  has  given  but  little  heed  to  the  future  supply  of  plant  food. 
He  has  ever  removed  more  from  the  soil  than  he  has  returned.  He  has 
drawn  large  drafts  from  the  bank  of  soil  fertility  and  failed  to  keep  his 
credit  good. 

The  great  problem  of  the  age  is  to  work  out  a  system  of  agriculture 
which  shall  be  both  profitable  and  permanent.  If  this  be  done  it  will  be  the 
first  time  in  all  history.  If  it  be  not  done — history  will  surely  repeat  itself  in 
Illinois. 

FULTON. 

In  the  shade  of  thy  palms, 

By  the  shores  of  .thy  sea, 
On  the  hills  of  thy  beauty, 

My  heart  is  with  thee. — Whittier. 

Several  of  the  towns  in  Whiteside  have  pretty  situations,  but  only  two 
have  the  majestic  Mississippi,  with  its  broad  and  sparkling  flood  pouring  to 
the  gulf. 

For  men  may  come,  and  men  may  go, 
But  I  go  on  forever. 

Like  Albany,  Fulton  has  the  hills  back  from  the  river,  on  which  are  numer- 
ous residences.  A  glorious  outlook  up  and  down  the  stream,  with  Lyons  and 
Clinton  on  the  distant  shore.  Time  works  wonderful  changes.  Trade  seeks 
new  channels.  Certain  lines  of  business  disappear.  Fulton,  like  Albany, 
had  her  time  of  excitement  and  traffic.  Once  a  great  center  of  lumber  manu- 
facture, now  not  a  mill  or  a  board.  Rafts  were  floated  down  the  river,  and 
the  hum  of  the  saws  made  music  night  and  day.  It  is  one  of  Wendell  Phillips' 
Lost  Arts.  Various  manufactures  were  in  successful  operation.  Grain  and 
produce  were  shipped.  Fulton  was  a  terminus,  a  center  of  activity,  and  one 
industry  attracted  another  until  the  young  city  was  a  hive  of  commercial 
operation.  As  one  rambles  along  the  river  bank  today,  it  is  difficult  to  believe 
that  this  quiet  spot  was  once  a  scene  of  so  much  early  rush. 

THE  DEMENT   HOUSE. 

As  you  walk  along  the  main  street,  the  first  object  to  catch  the  eye  is 
the  tall,  square  block,  known  as  the  Dement  building.  It  is  built  of  stone, 
another  Coliseum.  That  in  Rome  represents  imperial  power,  this  in  Fulton 
is  a  sad  relic  of  disappointed  hopes.  For  fifty  years  the  familiar  landmark 
of  the  town.  Charles  Dement,  brother  of  John  in  Dixon,  owning  considerable 
property  and  conceiving  the  idea  that  Fulton  was  to  be  one  of  the  prosperous 
cities  of  the  west,  decided  to  erect  a  hotel  that  would  not  only  afford  generous 
accommodation  for  the  throng  of  travelers,  but  be  an  exhibition  of  public 
spirit,  and  an  ornament  to  the  town.  It  was  erected  in  1855.  The  building 
is  nearly  100 'feet  square,  with  five  stories  including  basement.  No  cost  was 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  169 

spared  in  its  construction  and  equipment.  The  finest  of  furniture.  It  was 
kept  in  style,  but  only  a  short  time  sufficed  to  show  that  the  enterprise  was 
in  advance  of  the  place  and  the  times,  and  it  was  closed.  One  social  event 
occurred  in  the  hostelry  in  1858  which  has  not  been  recorded.  The  White- 
side  County  Teachers'  Institute  had  a  week's  session  that  autumn,  and  the 
citizens  invited  them  to  a  banquet  which  was  served  in  the  dining  room.  Per- 
haps the  last  time,  the  voice  of  revelry  echoed  in  those  now  desolate  walls. 
There  were  toasts  and  speeches.  Among  the  actors  was  Jas.  H.  Blodgett, 
afterwards  captain  in  the  Civil  War. 

AS  A  COLLEGE. 

As  it  seemed  too  good  a  building  to  stand  idle,  various  schools  have  been 
organized,  flourished  awhile,  and  then  declined.  Col.  D.  S.  Covert  opened 
a  military  academy  in  1861,  and  conducted  it  for  five  years  with  success.  The 
art  of  war  was  in  demand,  and  young  men  sought  proper  drill.  The  govern- 
ment furnished  muskets  and  accoutrements,  and  a  band  discoursed  music  at 
dress  parade.  In  1866  the  Illinois  Soldiers'  College  was  organized  to  enable 
disabled  soldiers  of  Illinois  regiments  to  continue  their  education.  Col.  Le- 
ander  H.  Potter  was  president,  and  remained  in  charge  until  1873,  when  he 
resigned,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders,  the  name  was  changed  to 
Northern  Illinois  College.  Under  this  name,  Rev.  W.  D.  F.  Lummis  became 
president  with  a  faculty  for  different  branches.  In  the  fall  of  1875,  Mr. 
Lummis  resigned,  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Hubbard  was  placed  at  the  head,  remaining 
until  1875  when  he,  too,  following  the  example  of  his  illustrious  predecessors, 
gave  up  command.  Next  came  Prof. .Allen  A.  Griffith,  formerly  of  Batavia 
Institution,  author  of  an  Elocution,  and  for  many  years  well  known  as  a  reader 
or  reciter  throughout  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  While  in  charge,  Mr. 
Griffith  occasionally  appeared  at  institutes  to  give  readings  and  advertise  his 
school.  On  one  occasion  at  a  teachers'  gathering  at  Emerson.  After  Griffith 
gave  up  control,  other  changes  succeeded,  until  in  1879  A.  M.  Hansen,  A.  M., 
LL.D.,  the  present  head  assumed  management  of  the  concern.  According  to 
the  catalog  before  us,  1906-1907,  he  is  assisted  by  a  strong  faculty  for  the 
various  departments.  L.  B.  Beers,  science  and  mathematics;  C.  R.  Hansen, 
literature  and  commercial  law;  D.  L.  Hamilton,  commercial  course;  J.  D. 
Rishell,  ancient  languages;  F.  H.  Long,  mechanical  drawing  and  common 
branches;  Mrs.  Hansen,  oil  painting;  Adolph  Wiese,  music.  A  gymnasium, 
regular  drill,  literary  societies.  Expenses  moderate,  board  and  tuition  for  the 
school  year  being  $300.  Among  the  students  enrolled  at  the  college  in  the 
various  years  of  its  existence  are  some  who  rose  to  position.  Major  General 
McArthur,  John  Stowell,  professor  in  Leland  Stanford  University,  J.  L.  Sulli- 
van, assistant  superintendent  C.  &  N.  W.  Railway,  Oscar  L.  Triggs,  late  pro- 
fessor in  University  of  Chicago.  The  buildings  are  surrounded  by  a  spacious 
campus,  giving  the  boys  plenty  of  playgound. 

THE  CEMETERIES. 

The  grave  is  heaven's  golden  gate, 

And  rich  and  poor  around  it  wait. — Blake. 


170  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

As  you  walk  north  from  the  college,  the  street  begins  to  climb  the  hill, 
and  soon  reaches  the  Catholic  cemetery.  Numerous  handsome  tombs,  the 
names  telling  the  nationality.  Eagan,  O'Neill,  Keegan,  Doyle,  Riordan,  Flan- 
igan,  Collins,  Foley,  Ryan.  On  Mary  Hurley's  stone  the  lines: 

We  have  lost  our  darling  mother, 
She  has  bid  us  all  adieu. 

Here  and  there  a  soldier's  grave.  McLaughlin,  Co.  C,  3rd  N.  Y.,  died  1880, 
age,  33 ;  Hugh  Burt,  1906  at  63.  Hansen  in  1890  at  49.  Andrew  Eagan  in 
1891  at  49,  Co.  A,  4th  U.  S.  Artillery.  Around  the  graves  are  numerous  ever- 
greens, chiefly  Norway  spruce. 

Several  rods  southeast  in  a  grove  of  oak  is  the  Protestant  cemetery.  Here 
we  read  the  names  of  the  men  and  women  who  moved  about  Fulton  and  our 
county  a  generation  ago,  and  with  whom  we  often  held  sweet  converse.  James 
McCoy,  1811-1891.  Elizabeth  McCoy,  1819-1892,  surviving  her  husband  just 
a  year.  Judge  McCoy,  Virginia,  was  a  resident  of  Fulton  from  1839,  and 
filled  many  offices  of  trust,  Judge,  presidential  elector,  delegate  to  the  con- 
stitutional convention  of  1869.  A  genial  man,  always  receiving  his  friends 
with  a  smile.  Jesse  Johnson,  1876,  aged  78,  a  native  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  who 
came  in  1838,  living  on  his  farm  five  miles  east,  and  in  1853  making  his 
home  in  Fulton.  Several  children.  Two  of  his  sons  well  known  lawyers, 
Charles  J.,  deceased,  and  Caleb  C.,  member  of  the  Sterling  bar.  Some  Hol- 
land names,  Dirk  Buis,  Deweerot,  vroow  van  Jan  Deweerot.  Several  old  citi- 
zens. Lyman  Blake,  1809-1893.  Orrin  Cowles,  1808-1887.  Elisha  Roberts, 
1813-1898.  A.  M.  Dutcher,  1879,  aged  71.  John  Phelps,  1853,  aged  72. 
Bradstreet  Robinson,  1812-1889.  On  the  tomb  of  John  Kolk : 

So  fades  the  lovely  blooming  flower, 
Frail,  smiling  solace  of  an  hour. 

Another  familiar  name.  Henry  C.  Fellows,  1813-1899.  He  was  from  New 
York,  coming  in  1837,  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  Fulton,  filled, 
responsible  positions,  deputy  sheriff,  justice  of  the  peace,  supervisor,  alderman. 
A  man  of  noble  public  spirit.  A  special  plot  is  devoted  to  the  heroes  of  the 
wax,  who  lie  in  rows  side  by  side.  Wm.  Cole,  Co.  H,  8th  N.  Y.  H.  A.  George 
Baxter,  Co.  A,  34th  111.  Martin  Ohler,  39th  Ohio  Inf.  Franklin  Marcellus, 
1862,  wounded  at  Perryville.  Wm.  Radigan,  Co.  B,  51st  N.  Y.  Inf.  W.  W. 
Erhardt,  Co.  E,  46th  111.  Alva  Henson,  Co.  I,  75th  111.  R.  B.  Myers,  Co. 
F,  93rd  111.  Inf.  A  retired  spot,  completely  hidden  in  summer  by  the  over 
arching  trees.  The  association  was  formed  in  1874  by  Charles  N.  Wheeler, 
Wm.  J.  McCoy,  Wm.  C.  Snyder,  John  M.  Fay,  and  F.  E.  Marcellus.  There 
was  an  old  graveyard,  but  the  association  added  five  acres,  and  improved  the 
grounds. 

SOME  OLD   STEAMBOATS. 

The  railroads  have  spoiled  the  romance  of  the  river.  They  cross  it,  and 
even  run  parallel  tracks  on  each  side,  so  that  "Othello's  occupation's  gone." 
The  stately  steamers  moving  in  majesty  with  the  current,  the  excitement  at 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  171 

the  landing,  the  coming  of  passengers,  the  unloading  of  freight,  the  racing 
of  rival  boats,  the  social  diversions  and  acquaintances  of  a  long  trip,  the  lively 
dining  table,  the  music  and  hop  at  night,  are  gone  forever. 

During  the  season  the  Diamond  Jo  line  run  four  boats,  St.  Paul,  Dubuque, 
Sidney,  Quincy,  between  St.  Paul  and  St.  Louis.  The  round  trip  takes  a 
week,  and  one  of  the  boats  calls  every  other  day.  Bennett,  American  Express 
agent  at  Lyons,  formerly  on  the  river,  received  as  a  present  an  album  with 
photographs  of  thirty  river  steamers  that  belong  to  the  glorious  past.  Among 
them  are  the  Henderson,  the  Alex  Mitchell,  Belle  of  LaCross,  Clinton,  War 
Eagle,  Natchez,  Robert  E.  Lee,  Sucker  State,  Phil  Sheridan,  Minneapolis, 
Gardie  Eastman,  Everett,  Silver  Wave,  J.  W.  Van  Sant,  Pilot,  Verne  Swain, 
Jo  Long,  Jennie  Gilehrist,  the  ill-fated  steamer  which  went  down  at  Daven- 
port in  1882,  Keokuk,  Gem  City,  Quincy,  and  many  others. 

One  card  in  particular  is  of  interest.  It  is  that  of  the  Henderson,  which 
is  shown  at  the  levee  in  Bellevue,  with  a  company  of  soldiers  drawn  up  on 
deck  ready  to  leave  for  the  front  in  1861. 

And  the  raft  boats  will  soon  be  a  memory.  Only  three  on  the  river  in 
1908.  They  are  the  North  Star,  the  Lizzie  Gardner  and  the  Hershey.  Last 
year  there  were  five  boats  going  over  the  LeClaire  rapids.  Ten  or  twelve 
years  ago  there  were  over  sixty  raft  boats  on  the  upper  river  and  at  one  time 
the  number  in  commission  was  over  ninety.  The  white  pine  industry  for 
this  section  has  faded  and  the  fleet  of  raft  boats  with  the  hundreds  of  pilots 
have  gone  never  to  return  to  these  waters. 

THE  ARTESIAN   WELL. 

The  present  well  was  begun  in  December,  1890,  and  completed  in  six 
weeks.  The  contract  called  for  $2.15  a  foot,  the  well  to  be  drilled  to  the  depth 
of  1,200  feet  and  $200  additional  for  a  guaranteed  flow  of  twenty-six  pounds 
pressure.  The  provisions  at  that  time  were  that  the  well  should  be  eight  inches 
in  diameter  and  cased  down  to  solid  rock.  The  flow  pipe,  which  is  six  inches 
in  diameter,  was  carried  down  235  feet  and  securely  calked.  A  flow  was 
obtained  at  a  depth  of  480  feet. 

The  well  was  drilled  to  a  depth  of  1,214  feet  and  when  completed  and 
accepted  it  had  a  flow  of  300  gallons  a  minute  and  had  sufficient  force  to 
raise  water  to  the  height  of  nearly  sixty  feet.  As  an  increased  supply  is 
needed,  at  a  late  meeting  of  the  city  council,  it  was  voted  to  enter  into  a  con- 
tract with  J.  D.  Shaw,  of  Clinton  for  a  ten-inch  well  with  an  eight-inch  flow 
pipe  to  the  depth  of  1,200  feet  for  $2.25  a  foot  and  if  the  flow  pipe  was  car- 
ried below  a  depth  of  225  feet  he  was  to  receive  $1.40  a  foot  for  additional 
depth. 

This  committee  also  reported  the  bid  of  the  Smedley  Steam  Pump  com- 
pany of  Dubuque  for  a  steam  pump,  $075,  be  accepted.  This  report  was 
received  and  it  was  voted  to  purchase  the  pump. 

A  special  election  will  be  called  to  vote  upon  a  proposition  to  bond  the 
city  so  as  to  raise  money  to  pay  for  a  well  and  pump  and  for  extensive  addi- 
tions to  the  pumphouse. 

According  to  Mr.  Shaw's  bid  the  well  will  cost  the  city  at  least  $2,700. 


172  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Fulton  has  the  facilities  afforded  by  three  great  railroads:  Chicago  and 
Northwestern,  which  crosses  the  Mississippi  at  Clinton,  six  miles  below,  the 
Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul,  striking  the  river  at  Savanna  above  and  running  to 
Rock  Island,  and  the  Burlington,  which,  with  its  numerous  branches  connect 
in  every  direction.  The  Burlington  station  is  on  the  river  bank,  the  Mil- 
waukee at  its  intersection  with  the  Northwestern  in  the  extreme  east  of  the 
city,  and  the  Northwestern  not  far  from  the  lower  section  of  the  city.  All 
through  trains  on  the  Northwestern  do  not  stop,  and  it  is  necessary  to  board 
them  at  Clinton. 

THE   CHURCHES. 

Time  has  dealt  severely  with  some  of  the  societies  that  had  once  a  fair 
membership.  The  old  families  have  died  out,  and  no  others  were  ready  to 
take  their  places.  Christ  Episcopal  church,  started  in  1869  by  Orrin  Cowles, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  A.  Griswold,  W.  H.  Pratt,  A.  J.  Webster,  F.  L.  Norton, 
E.  Wyatt,  Mrs.  Sayre,  continued  but  a  few  years  when  it  was  given  up. 

The  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  1855  with  Rev.  and  Mrs.  A.  H. 
Starkweather,  A.  McFadden,  J.  Peterson,  Mrs.  Meeker,  James  and  Maria 
Booth,  Mrs.  Webb.  A  brick  church  was  started  in  1856,  and  worship  was 
held  in  the  basement.  As  the  people  were  in  debt,  Rev.  A.  A.  Sawin  was 
invited  to  fill  the  pulpit  and  also  to  solicit  funds  to  complete  the  building. 
His  labors  were  successful,  and  in  1860  Dr.  Evarts  of  Chicago  assisted  in  the 
dedication.  Among  the  ministers  were  Storrs,  Roney,  Burnham,  Evarte.  But 
the  membership,  always  feeble,  gradually  declined,  and  ceased  to  have  pastoral 
supply.  The  edifice,  the  result  of  so  much  struggle  and  devotion,  is  now  the 
headquarters  of  the  Mystic  Workers. 

The  early  history  of  the  Presbyterian  church  is  united  with  that  of  the 
Congregational,  as  members  of  both  societies  were  in  the  same  organization. 
The  First  Congregational  church  was  organized  in  1854  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
D.  Reed,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  H.  Rice,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bradstreet  Robinson,  Mrs. 
Sayre,  Mrs.  Woodward,  and  Mrs.  Bassett.  In  1856  Rev.  Josiah  Leonard 
became  pastor,  continuing  twelve  years.  The  church  was  erected  during  his 
ministry  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  In  June,  1862,  the  society  adopted  the  title  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church  at  Fulton.  The  First  had  been  organized  in 
1856  by  Rev.  W.  C.  Mason,  with  a  membership  of  thirteen.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
D.  Miller,  Mrs.  McCoy,  Mrs.  Sayre,  Mrs.  Curtiss,  and  others.  Their  church 
was  dedicated  in  1864,  and  cost  $16,000.  In  1868,  these  two  churches  were 
united.  It  was  then  that  Rev.  A.  Keigwin  of  the  First,  and  Rev.  Josiah 
Leonard  of  the  Second,  withdrew  from  their  charges,  and  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Fulton,  and  in  1868  voted  to 
occupy  the  edifice  of  the  First  Presbyterian,  the  building  owned  by  the  Sec- 
ond, having  been  sold  to  the  Methodist.  Additions  to  the  structure  were  made 
in  the  form  of  a  bell  tower  and  spire.  The  last  minister  to  occupy  the  pulpit 
was  Rev.  Gary  F.  Moore,  who  after  a  ministry  of  several  years,  resigned  to 
accept  a  call  in  Kentucky.  The  oldest  member  associated  with  the  society 
is  W.  P.  Culbertson,  born  in  1819,  who  came  to  Fulton  in  1855.  A  venerable 
gentleman  with  faculties  in  good  preservation,  and  who  enjoys  his  daily 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  173 

promenade  on  the  streets.    The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  181,  with 
90  in  the  Sunday  school.    The  ladies  have  a  missionary  society  and  a  thimble 

society. 

At  a  congregation  meeting  of  the  Presbyterian  society  of  Fulton,  held 
in  the  church  auditorium  Thursday,  April,  1908,  Rev.  W.  C.  Crofts  of  Mor- 
rison presided  as  moderator.  By  a  unanimous  vote  a  call  was  extended  to 
A.  R.  Zeimer,  of  the  McCormick  theological  seminary  of  Chicago,  to  accept 
the  pastorate  of  the  Fulton  Presbyterian  church.  The  trustees  selected  were 
Oscar  Summers,  J.  M.  Fay,  Jr.,  Samuel  J.  McCullaugh,  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Green 
and  Mrs.  Almet  Chapman. 

The  installation  of  Rev.  A.  H.  Zeimer  took  place  in  May;  The  church 
was  handsomely  trimmed  with  flowers,  and  there  was  special  music  for  the 
occasion  and  a  solo  by  Mr.  Townley. 

The  Rev.  Smiley  of  Geneseo,  the  moderator  of  the  Presbytery,  presided ; 
the  Rev.  McAuley  of  Lyons,  Iowa,  offered  the  opening  prayer;  Rev.  C.  G. 
Richards  of  Sterling  read  the  Scriptural  lesson ;  Rev.  J.  W.  Stuart  of  Garden 
Plain  delivered  the  sermon,  followed  by  the  ordination  and  installing  service ; 
charge  to  the  pastor  by  Rev.  Crofts  and  to  the  congregation  by  Rev.  Richards. 

The  sermon  founded  on  Ephesians  3:5  was  an  eloquent  plea  for  Chris- 
tianity and  membership  in  the  church  and  the  need  and  effect  of  the  church 
in  the  world.  The  charges  to  pastor  and  people  were  exceedingly  timely. 

The  new  pastor,  Rev.  A.  H.  Zeimer,  a  recent  graduate  of  the  McCormick 
Theological  seminary,  comes  to  the  church,  his  first  pastorate,  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances.  Of  fine  pulpit  presence  and  address,  in  his  few  Sun- 
days here  has  pleased  and  attracted  the  church  and  congregation,  and  seems 
well  fitted  for  his  profession  and  to  carry  forward  the  work  of  the  late  pastor. 

Before  1840  services  were  held  in  Fulton  by  the  early  circuit  riders. 
School  houses  or  log  cabins  furnished  a  meeting  place.  From  1842  to  1852, 
Union  Grove  circuit  included  all  the  Methodist  appointments  in  the  county. 
In  1856  the  Fulton  circuit  was  established  with  Rev.  M.  Hanna  as  resident 
pastor.  He  was  followed  by  a  long  line  of  ministers,  who  remained  two  years 
or  sometimes  only  one :  Among  them  W.  H.  Smith,  M.  H.  Plumb,  Schoon- 
maker,  David  Bales,  Davis,  Griffin,  Larash,  Snyder.  The  new  church  was 
built  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  M.  M.  Bales,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $6,000,  and 
dedicated  in  fall  of  1888  during  ministry  of  Cass  Davis.  The  parsonage  by 
the  church  has  been  recently  refitted  by  the  ladies,  and  the  whole  property  is 
now  in  excellent  condition.  The  Sunday  school  has  an  enrollment  of  140 
with  nine  teachers.  There  are  fifty  members  in  the  Epworth  League,  and  50 
in  the  Junior.  Three  societies  managed  by  the  women :  Ladies'  Aid,  Dorcas 
Sewing  Circle,  Young  Ladies'  Guild,  with  fifteen  in  each  of  the  first  two,  and 
thirty  in  the  last.  Also,  a  Woman's  Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 
An  enthusiastic  choir  of  twenty  men  and  women,  sopranos,  altos,  tenors, 
bassos.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Wilmer  Jaggins,  is  in  his  first  year,  and 
new  in  Illinois,  having  spent  17  years  of  his  ministry  in  the  Wilmington  Con- 
ference, embracing  part  of  Maryland  and  Virginia. 

A  small  frame  church  is  occupied  by  the  Christian  society,  one  of  the 
later  organizations,  but  the  membership  although  earnest,  about  fifty  with  a 


174'  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Sunday  school  of  forty,  is  hardly  able  to  support  a  regular  pastor.  The  last 
was  Eev.  G.  W.  Hughes. 

Fronting  to  the  south,  standing  on  a  hill,  is  the  brick  church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception.  The  first  building  was  erected  in  1862,  the  present 
has  1906  on  the  corner  stone.  There  are  seventy  or  more  members.  The 
parsonage  is  near.  Father  J.  L.  Maloney  has  been  in  charge  for  fourteen 
years.  Originally  from  Ireland,  but  educated  at  the  Jesuits  College  in  Chicago. 

The  largest  church  building  in  Fulton  and  the  largest  congregation  is 
the  Dutch  Reformed.  There  are  300  members,  six  elders  and  six  deacons. 
Sometimes  a  thousand  present  at  the  morning  services.  Preaching  in  Dutch, 
both  morning  and  evening  because  the  members  prefer  the  tongue  of  the 
fatherland.  About  300  members  in  both  Christian  Endeavors.  William  Wol- 
vius,  the  pastor,  is  much  attached  to  his  people,  and  as  most  live  in  the  country, 
he  devotes  a  part  of  each  week  to  pastoral  visitation.  He  was  born  in  Hol- 
land, but  educated  in  this  country.  The  Dutch  Reformed,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, is  Roosevelt's  denomination.  It  is  not  strong,  although  dating  from 
1628  in  United  States,  having  only  600  ministers.  A  large  parsonage. 

Further  south  on  the  extreme  edge  of  Fulton  is  a  branch  of  the  same 
denomination,  calling  themselves  Christian  Reformed.  It  is  younger  than 
the  other,  and  one  essential  point  of  difference  is  opposition  to  secret  orders. 
There  are  83  families,  with  a  Sunday  school  of  100.  In  the  young  people's 
societies  are  fifty,  a  Ladies'  Aid  of  sixteen,  and  a  catachetical  class  of  eighty. 
Rev.  E.  J.  Krohne  is  in  his  fifth  year,  educated  in  Michigan,  and  preaches  in 
Dutch.  A  linguist,  at  home  in  English,  German,  and  Dutch.  These  Hol- 
landers are  generally  farmers,  a  substantial  class  of  citizens,  too  much  inclined 
perhaps  to  keep  up  their  native  traditions  in  America,  as  is  shown  by  their 
favor  to  Dutch  in  the  pulpit. 

FIRST  NEWSPAPER  IN  WHITESIDE. 

A.  W.  Bastian,  editor  of  Fulton  Journal,  has  kindly  loaned  the  writer  for 
examination  a  copy  of  the  Whiteside  Investigator.  It  is  the  second  number, 
and  bears  date  March  4,  1854.  Published  weekly  in  the  second  story  of 
Phelps  &  McCoy's  brick  building,  by  Alfred  McFadden.  Terms,  two  dollars 
per  annum.  This  copy  shows  the  effect  of  age,  and  is  yellow,  creased  and 
torn.  On  the  first  page  is  Burns'  "Man  Was  Made  to  Mourn,"  and  the  bill  of 
Senator  Foot  of  Vermont  for  the  construction  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  occupy- 
ing four  columns.  The  paper  has  four  pages,  six  broad  columns  to  a  page. 
On  the  fourth  page  two  columns  of  advertisements.  Four  men  have  bought 
lots  at  tax  sale,  and  give  notice  that  the  time  of  redemption  will  expire  June 
14.  The  name  is  signed  below  each  notice.  Wm.  J.  Benjamin,  James  McCoy, 
John  Phelps,  H.  C.  Fellows.  Merrill  and  Son  are  proprietors  of  the  City 
Hotel.  J.  L.  Briggs  has  a  good  assortment  of  furniture.  James  McCoy  is 
attorney  at  law,  solicitor  in  chancery,  and  notary  public.  The  second  page 
of  the  paper  is  editorial  and  miscellaneous.  W.  H.  Knight  has  purchased  a 
new  steam  ferry  boat,  to  ply  between  Fulton  and  Lyons,  beginning  to  run 
April  15.  This  is  the  shortest  ferry  on  the  river  below  St.  Paul,  being  less 
than  half  a  mile  from  bank  to  bank.  On  the  third  page,  A.  W.  Benton,  M.  D., 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  175 

keeps  a  full  assortment  of  drugs  and  medicines,  also  a  few  pure  liquors  ex- 
pressly for  medicinal  use.  This  Dr.  Benton  was  previously  in  Sterling.  There 
is  a  corner  for  the  markets.  Flour  $7.50  per  barrel,  wheat  90  cents,  potatoes 
25,  beef  5  to  6  cents,  pork  4,  smoked  hams  9,  lard  10,  butter  15,  eggs  10,  wood 
$3.00  per  cord.  A  half  column  of  foreign  news,  fifteen  lines  from  the  legis- 
lature speaking  of  a  debate  on  the  Rock  Island  ferry.  Some  advertisements 
from  outside.  W.  C.  and  B.  Snyder,  Union  Grove,  have  domestic  and  fancy 
dry  goods,  A.  Fassett  of  Sterling,  endless  chain  pumps.  The  weather  was 
pleasant,  ice  moving  off  the  river,  and  steamboats  were  expected  to  run  in  a 
few  days. 

THE  MYSTIC  WORKERS. 

In  an  old  church  fitted  with  offices  for  the  purpose  are  the  headquarters 
of  a  secret  order  that  has  grown  more  rapidly  than  any  other  in  the  west. 
In  Fulton  alone  there  are  over  600  members,  and  in  the  order  45,000  mem- 
bers in  good  standing.  Doctor  Clendenin  owns  the  ancient  church  which 
survived  its  devotees,  and  has  leased  it  to  the  association. 

The  Mystic  Workers  of  the  World,  a  fraternal  benefit  society  with  head- 
quarters at  Fulton  was  organized  temporarily  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Clendenin  and 
his  associates  in  1891,  but  owing  to  circumstances  beyond  their  control,  little 
was  done  in  perfecting  the  organization  until  during  1895.  Edmund  Jackson 
having  at  this  time  become  interested  in  the  society,  employed  solicitors,  set 
them  at  work  and  began  the  prosecution  of  the  plans  for  securing  a  charter 
from  the  state.  By  February,  1896,  a  sufficient  number  of  applicants  had 
been  secured  for  this  purpose  and  on  the  24th  of  that  month,  the  charter  was 
issued  by  the  proper  state  authorities. 

From  this  time  on  the  growth  of  the  society  was  prosperous  and  steady. 
Each  year  saw  a  material  increase  in  membership  and  assets  and  during  all 
the  time  since  it  received  its  charter  it  has  been  the  proud  and  truthful  boast  of 
its  managers  that  no  person  has  ever  come  to  its  office  .with  a  just  claim  and 
proper  proof  and  gone  away  without  his  money. 

It  has  paid  out  in  benefits  to  the  first  of  January,  1908,  the  time  of  this 
article,  $1,653,795.33  and  is  now  paying  benefits  at  the  rate  of  over  a  thou- 
sand dollars  each  day. 

By  reason  of  its  accident  benefits  it  protects  a  member  and  his  family 
during  life  and  his  family  after  death  with  the  death  benefit. 

Benefit  certificates  are  issued  for  five  hundred,  one  thousand,  and  two 
thousand  dollars,  as  applied  for  and  approved  by  the  Supreme  Medical  Exam- 
iner. These  certificates  are  issued  on  the  accumulative  plan,  by  means  of 
which  if  a  member  dies  during  the  first  year  of  membership,  sixty  per  cent 
is  paid  on  his  certificate ;  if  death  occurs  during  the  second  year,  seventy  per 
cent  is  paid  and  during  the  third  year,  eighty  per  cent.  After  the  close  of 
the  third  year  no  further  deductions  are  made  for  this  reason.  All  such 
deductions  are  placed  in  the  surplus  fund  as  are  also  all  interest  earnings  and 
all  amounts  on  hand  in  the  benefit  fund  at  the  close  of  each  calendar  year 
after  making  provision  for  pending  claims.  This  surplus  fund  now  amounts 
to  over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  is  increasing  at  the  rate  of  over 
six  thousand  dollars  per  month. 


176  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  society  publishes  a  monthly  fraternal  paper  with  a  present  issue  of 
fifty  thousand  copies  with  which  the  family  of  every  member  is  supplied  and 
in  which  is  printed  monthly  statements  of  the  financial  and  numerical  con- 
dition of  the  society  and  such  other  details  in  relation  to  its  business  as  may 
"be  of  interest  to  the  membership.  Social,  fraternal  and  news  columns  are 
also  maintained  that  the  paper  may  be  a  welcome  visitor  to  every  family  and 
T)e  interesting  and  instructive. 

Both  men  and  women  are  accepted  on  equal  terms,  at  the  same  rates  and 
enjoy  equal  privileges  and  benefits  which  is  considered  a  great  advance  over 
the  plans  of  similar  societies  which  confine  their  membership  to  one  sex. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  CITY. 

Mayor,  W.  H.  Mitchell;  Aldermen  in  first  ward,  Thomas  Bennett  and 
Henry  Burt;  second,  M.  W,  Ingwersen  and  B.  E.  McElhiney;  third,  J.  H. 
Allen  and  Peter  Sparck.  Attorney,  C.  C.  McMahon.  Treasurer,  Peter  Lor- 
enzen.  Clerk,  John  Sanger. 

Population  is  about  3,000. 

THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

Learning  by  study  must  be  won, 

Twas  ne'er  entailed  from  sire  to  son. — Gay. 

The  public  school  work  of  Fulton  is  done  in  two  buildings.  The  north 
"building.  It  contains  the  high  school  assembly  room  and  recitation  rooms, 
of  the  city  and  much  of  the  surrounding  country.  It  adjoins  a  beautiful  park, 
which  makes  a  very  suitable  school  ground.  This  building  has  recently  been 
remodeled  and  now  is  as  conveniently  arranged  as  it  is  possible  to  make  a 
building.  It  contains  the  high  school  assembly  room  and  recitation  rooms, 
the  superintendent's  office  and  six  grade  rooms.  The  south  school  has  four 
grade  rooms. 

The  teaching  force  are  Harry  B.  Price,  superintendent;  Miss  Clara  M. 
Penstone,  principal  of  the  high  school ;  Miss  Fae  Wharton,  high  school  assist- 
ant ;  Miss  Nellie  Rennie,  teacher  of  the  eighth  grade ;  Mr.  G.  Frank  Townley, 
principal  of  the  south  school  and  teacher  of  the  seventh  grade ;  Miss  Anna 
Long,  sixth  grade;  Miss  Amy  Westbrook,  fifth  grade,  Miss  Nina  Wheeler, 
fourth  grade ;  Miss  Elfreda  Kliensly,  third  grade ;  Miss  Katherine  Stichter  and 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Heller,  second  grade;  and  Mrs.  Ella  M.  Cowan  and  Miss  Elnora 
Farley,  first  grade. 

The  high  school  course  requires  four  years  for  completion,  all  the  sub- 
jects of  which  are  accredited  by  the  University  of  Illinois,  thus  making  it  pos- 
sible for  a  graduate  to  enter  any  college  in  the  University  without  examina- 
tion and  unconditioned.  The  school  is  well  equipped  with  apparatus  and 
working  library,  and  the  pupils  have  access  to  the  city  library  of  500  well 
chosen  volumes.  There  have  been  approximately  200  graduated  from  the 
Fulton  High  School,  all  of  whom  have  become  useful  men  and  women,  occupy- 
ing responsible  places.  The  present  senior  class  are  Irene  Mathers,  Zella 
Rathgeber,  Joseph  Ferry,  Peter  Starck,  Roy  Wythe  and  William  Rice. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  177 

During  this  year  the  school  has  conducted  a  course  of  literary  and  musi- 
cal entertainments  which  was  of  an  excellent  character.  This  course  has  been 
well  patronized  and  has  been  highly  appreciated,  proving  a  means  of  gen- 
eral social  and  educational  profit. 

The  Athletic  Association  supported  during  the  fall  a  football  team  which 
won  every  game  played.  Both  a  boys'  and  a  girls'  basketball  team  played  in 
the  winter.  At  the  beginning  of  the  spring  term,  track  work  and  baseball  is 
being  organized.  The  athletic  games  have  proven  a  real  benefit  to  the  school 
by  stimulating  loyalty  to  the  school  and  pride  in  its  good  standing. 

In  a  recent  visit,  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  paid  a  high 
compliment  to  the  neatness  of  the  rooms  by  saying  there  is  not  a  cleaner 
building  in  the  state. 

The  board  of  education  consists  of  J.  M.  Eaton,  president;  J.  C.  Snyder, 
secretary;  and  Dr.  L.  Barber,  Peter  Lorenzen,  Dr.  \V.  H.  Durkee,  Frank  Dana, 
and  Dr.  H.  J.  Hensinkweld. 

The  enrollment  for  1907-1908  is  350. 

For  this  article,  both  in  its  facts  and  preparation,  the  writer  is  indebted 
to  Prof.  Harry  B.  Price,  superintendent,  whose  labors  are  highly  appreciated 
by  his  pupils  and  by  the  entire  community. 

The  present  building  dedicated  in  the  summer  of  1858,  is  of  brick,  and 
occupies  a  commanding  position  on  a  plateau,  in  the  central  part  of  the  town. 
It  is  three  stories,  and  contains  seven  rooms  with  the  usual  halls  and  labora- 
tories. The  total  cost  was  $14,643.  G.  G.  Alvord  was  the  first  principal,  with 
numerous  successors,  the  best  known  being  George  C.  Loomis.  The  first 
school  in  Fulton  was  taught  by  James  McCoy  in  1840.  Various  persons 
taught  independent  schools.  In  1847  the  district  was  organized  and  called 
number  one,  and  a  stone  building  erected,  then  considered  the  finest  school- 
house  in  the  county. 

The  largest  manufacturing  industry  in  Fulton  is  the  Chicago  Stove  & 
Range  Company,  operating  in  the  old  Mississippi  Valley  Stove  Company 
building,  a  long  three  story  structure  south  of  the  Northwestern  railroad.  A 
hundred  men  are  employed.  All  classes  of  stoves  and  ranges  are  made,  and 
displayed  in  engraved  catalogs  which  are  issued  for  the  trade.  Their  product 
is  sent  to  Chicago  for  distribution,  and  the  wares  find  sale  as  far  west 
as  Seattle. 

The  youngest  industry  is  the  Patent  Novelty  Company,  which  make 
small  specialties  in  hardware  for  five  and  ten  cent  stores.  The  best  seller  is  a 
tin  dust  pan  with  a  broom  handle  so  that  the  good  wife  can  sweep  up  dust 
without  bending  her  back.  Thirty-six  hands  employed.  Of  these  3,000  are 
made  a  day. 

CHIP   OF  THE   OLD  BLOCK. 

Sometimes  an  old  settler  disappears  and  his  entire  family  scattered,  so 
that  nothing  is  left  but  a  memory.  However  if  you  look  into  the  Fulton 
Journal,  you  will  find  an  advertisement  of  lime,  coal  and  wood,  and  if  you 
walk  along  the  river,  you  will  find  in  his  office,  J.  C.  Snyder,  who  has  inherited 
much  of  the  courteous  bearing  of  his  father,  Dr.  Wm.  C.  Snyder,  who  was 
one  of  Fulton's  representative  citizens  for  over  forty  years.  Prominent  in 


178  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

every  public  call,  supervisor,  drainage  commissioner,  postmaster  during  sev- 
eral presidential  terms.  An  active  and  honorable  politician.  He  came  from 
New  Jersey,  and  settled  in  Fulton  in  1854. 

THE  WOODMAN  IN  ARMS. 

That  old  familiar  tree, 

Whose  glory  and  renown, 
Are  spread  o'er  land  and  sea, 

And  would'st  thou  hack  it  down? — Morris. 

New  York  had  her  Astor  Place  riot  in  1849  when  Forrest  and  Macready's 
friends  met  in  mortal  combat.  Fulton,  although  a  city  of  brotherly  love, 
had  her  little  scene  of  violence,  in  which  no  one  was  hurt,  but  which  for 
awhile  raised  a  tremendous  excitement.  Dr.  C.  A.  Griswold,  who  was  a  wit- 
ness of  the  semi-tragedy,  courteously  furnishes  the  following  graphic  account: 

The  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  was  founded  by  Hon.  Joseph  Cullen 
Root  of  Lyons,  Iowa,  the  originator  of  Woodcraft. 

The  first  camp,  Pioneer  Camp  No.  1,  was  instituted  in  that  city  Jan.  5, 
1883.  The  second  camp,  No.  2,  -was  established  in  Fulton,  111.,  on  Feb.  10, 
1883.  Plans  were  soon  arranged  for  obtaining  a  charter  for  the  Order  from 
the  State  of  Illinois,  and  a  formal  certificate  of  association  with  application 
for  a  charter — the  majority  of  the  incorporates  being  citizens  of  Fulton — 
was  sent  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  Springfield,  Illinois,  April  29,  1884,  and 
on  May  5  the  charter  was  issued  and  executed. 

The  Order  thus  cradled  and  nursed  in  Fulton  with  its  head  office  and 
place  of  business  located  here  for  several  years,  was  remarkably  successful, 
rapidly  increasing  in  membership  and  number  of  camps.  From  some  errors 
in  management  or  unfortunate  circumstances  creating  a  dissension  in  the 
Order,  a  change  in  the  directors  and  head  offices  was  affected,  resulting  in 
the  formation  of  the  "Woodmen  of  the  World"  by  the  founder.  Under  its 
new  management,  its  success  continued,  gaining  such  a  growth  and  stand- 
ing among  the  beneficiary  orders  as  to  excite  larger  cities  to  covet  its  location, 
and  the  plotting  of  its  head  officers  and  directors  for  ite  removal  to  some 
larger  place  with  more  ample  means  for  gratifying  their  luxurious  tastes  and 
early  environment,  and  more  modern  hotel  accommodations  and  gilded  plates 
to  dine  off. 

As  schemes  developed  for  removal  much  bitterness  and  ill  feeling  was  ex- 
cited between  the  citizens  and  the  Order,  resulting  in  the  "Woodman  Fight," 
heralded  far  and  wide  by  the  public  press,  as  far  as  the  Order  extended,  giving 
Fulton  "a  name  and  local  habitation."  The  case  finally  reached  the  courts 
in  many  legal  battles — one  of  the  causes  celebres  of  Whiteside  county  with 
injunctions — upon  Ossa — ad  infinitum.  To  recount  all  the  ludicrous  semi- 
tragic  scenes  and  incidents  in  the  riotous  proceedings  for  the  stealthy  removal 
of  the  office,  the  pranks  of  the  small  boys  played  upon  the  state  officials  con- 
nected with  the  office,  the  repulse  of  the  assailants  with  the  hose,  the  holding 
the  train  mob  in  durance  vile  till  they  were  glad  to  escape,  and  the  ordering 
of  a  company  of  the  state  militia  to  the  scene  of  conflict  only  to  find  a  Sabbath 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  179 

quiet  reigning  in  the  city,  and  to  be  hospitably  received  and  entertained, 
quietly  returning  to  their  camp  with  unfixed  bayonets,  smelling  the  battle 
from  afar  would  be  a  humorous  story,  more  fitting  for  reminiscence  and  the 
fireside  than  the  page  of  classic  history. 

Though  long  and  strenuously  contested  by  the  citizens  at  much  expense 
and  time,  its  removal  was  finally  adjudged,  and  a  peaceable  transfer  of  the 
office  and  effects  to  Rock  Island  was  effected,  Sept.  30,  1897,  where  in  gilded 
housing — the  dream  of  its  management — its  success  has  placed  it  among  the 
first  of  the  beneficiary  orders,  though  the  fact  remains  its  founding  and 
growth  was  started  and  assured  in  Fulton.  The  echoes  of  its  removal  have 
ceased,  and  like  the  Blue  and  the  Gray,  the  contestants  have  shaken  hands 
across  the  bloody  chasm. 

Whatever  may  be  the  judgment  pro  or  con  upon  the  efforts  and  action 
of  Fulton  and  the  county  to  retain  the  Order  and  resisting  its  transfer,  to  the 
honor,  be  it  said,  of  Whiteside  county,  it  has  never  sent  an  organized  mob 
into  an  adjoining  county  to  obtain  by  force  what  it  coveted. 

OLDEST   COUPLE  IN   FULTON. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  south  of  the  public  school  is  the  humble  cottage  of 
Milo  Jones  and  wife.  He  was  born  in  1818  near  Middlebury,  Vt,  and  she  in 
1820.  When  the  writer  entered  the  kitchen,  the  old  lady  was  in  a  chair  by 
his  side,  sewing  a  button  on  his  coat.  In  earlier  years  he  farmed,  and  then 
opened  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Fulton  where  he  has  lived  for  forty  years.  Last 
summer  he  cultivated  his  garden,  raising  potatoes  enough  for  his  use,  and 
selling  $18  worth  of  sweet  corn.  This  winter  he  has  split  two  cords  of  maple 
wood.  From  his  fourteen  chickens  he  gets  six  to  eight  eggs  a  day.  She  does 
her  housework.  A  record  hard1  to  beat.  Two  such  aged  people  keeping  house 
alone. 

SOME   EARLY    SETTLERS. 

John  Baker,  a  sort  of  Daniel  Boone,  made  his  claim  in  1835  to"  the  land 
where  Fulton  stands.  His  cabin  had  only  three  rooms,  but  he  was  always 
ready  to  entertain  travelers,  giving  them  plenty  to  eat,  and  when  beds  were 
exhausted,  the  guests  would  encamp  about  a  flaming  fire  in  the  woods.  He 
died  in  1863  at  63.  Another  Baker,  John  W.,  from  Maryland  also,  came  in 
1836,  and  assisted  in  the  primitive  hospitality,  to  strangers.  A  large  delega- 
tion appeared  in  1837,  and  many  familiar  names  will  be  noticed.  James 
McCoy,  Henry  C.  Fellows,  Daniel  Reed,  Lyman  Blake,  Jesse  Johnson,  Hum- 
phreys, Booth,  Briggs,  Baker,  Ross,  Redfern.  In  1838  were  Edward  Church, 
Jacobs,  Clark,  Rev.  John  Prentiss.  In  1839  Hollis  Chenery,  Augustin 
Phelps,  Colin,  Fowler,  Grant.  Miss  Elizabeth  Skinner  was  the  first  of  the 
emigrants  to  die  in  1837.  The  simplest  of  funerals.  A  coffin  made  from  a 
wagon  box,  and  the  wagon  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  oxen.  The  grave  was  made 
on  a  bluff,  and  the  spot  was  doubtless  used  for  interment  until  the  present 
cemetery  was  laid  out.  In  1839  a  petition  against  license  to  retail  ardent 
spirits  in  Fulton  precinct  was  presented  to  the  county  commissioners,  signed 
by  Daniel  Reed,  Hollis  Chenery,  A.  Phelps,  John  K.  Prentiss,  Henry  Bond, 


180  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

H.  F.  Rice,  and  ten  others.     The  petition  was  not  favorably  received  by  the 
dignitaries.     Pioneer  whiskey  was  too  popular. 

TWO  RETIRED  SCHOLARS. 

It  will  hardly  do  to  put  Dr.  C.  A.  Griswold  on  the  retired  list,  as  he  still 
responds  to  calls  from  patients,  and  shows  as  much  activity  in  mind  and  body 
at  78  as  younger  men.  He  believes  with  0.  W.  Holmes  that  it  is  better  to  be 
seventy  years  young  than  forty  years  old.  In  his  spacious  second  story  rooms 
he  spends  most  of  his  time,  surrounded  by  his  books  and  magazines,  and 
keeping  in  touch  with  the  best  thought  of  the  day.  He  is  another  Weir 
Mitchell  who  does  not  believe  that  a  profession  should  prevent  a  man  from 
ranging  over  the  wide  fields  of  the  world's  best  thought.  He  has  been  editor, 
and  when  the  spirit  moves,  sends  occasional  articles  to  the  press. 

Another  gentleman,  who  has  seen  much  service  in  various  fields,  receives 
his  friends  in  the  parlor  of  his  neat  residence  among  the  trees  on  one  of 
Fulton's  beautiful  slopes.  George  C.  Loomis  was  widely  known  throughout 
the  county  thirty  years  ago  when  he  was  superintendent  of  schools.  Time  has 
been  kind,  and  except  the  silver  hair  and  mustache,  little  to  indicate  the 
advance  of  age.  He  fills  the  familiar  couplet,  gentleman  and  scholar.  The 
writer  spent  a  delightful  hour  in  reviewing  the  men  and  events  that  had  a 
common  interest  in  the  days  gone  by. 

When  life  was  like  a  story, 

Holding  neither  sob  nor  sigh, 
In  the  olden,  golden  glory, 

Of  the  days  gone  by. 

For  a  small  library  of  2,000  volumes,  Fulton  certainly  has  a  noble  col- 
lection of  the  best  authors  in  every  department,  history,  fiction,  poetry, 
science,  general  literature.  Encyclopedias  and  standard  books  of  reference. 
Mary  Mitchell  is  librarian.  Regular  additions  are  made  yearly  from  the 
choice  publications  of  the  season.  The  library  is  under  the  common  direction 
of  a  board  of  nine  citizens,  of  whom  Dr.  Griswold  is  the  leading  spirit,  and 
is  given  the  privilege  of  selecting  the  books. 

The  city  is  lighted  by  an  electric  plant  installed  twelve  years  ago.  The 
light  is  used  in  all  the  new  residences,  and  many  of  the  old,  and  in  all  the 
business  houses. 

Fulton  is  deeply  interested  in  the  scheme  in  progress  to  secure  the  drain- 
age of  the  Cattail  slough,  which  will  benefit  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  of 
inexhaustible  fertility,  but  now  impossible  of  cultivation  on  account  of  fre- 
quent overflow.  Rich  corn  ground  producing  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre. 
One  crop  would  pay  the  cost  of  the  improvement.  As  the  Journal  declares  in 
a  recent  issue: 

"The  citizens  of  Fulton  are  highly  in  favor  of  this  scheme  of  drainage. 
We  are  cut  off  on  the  west  by  the  river,  while  the  land  adjoining  on  the  east, 
northeast  anl  southeast  has  largely  been  waste  for  years.  Any  plan  that  will 
bring  about  the  redemption  of  such  a  vast  territory  adjoining  our  city  should 
meet  with  the  hearty  approval  of  every  enterprising  citizen." 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  181 

The  Fulton  Bank  is  the  leading  financial  institution  with  a  capital  of 
$50,000,  and  deposits  in  August,  1907,  of  $388,736.  It  began  as  a  private 
bank  in  1876.  Gustav  Gradert  is  president,  and  M.  W.  Ingwersen,  cashier. 

THE    FERRY. 

Before  the  bridges  that  rise  in  graceful  arches  over  the  flood,  were  the 
boats  to  carry  passengers  from  shore  to  shore.  .  The  first  between  Fulton  and 
Lyons  was  a  skiff.  In  1838  John  Baker,  Dr.  Reed,  M.  W.  Jenks,  A.  and  J. 
Humphreys,  secured  a  license  to  run  a  flatboat  ferry.  In  1844  Augustin 
Phelps  had  control,  and  used  horse  power.  W.  H.  Knight  in  1850  introduced 
steam,  and  the  boat  was  called  "The  Sailor."  In  1840  the  prices  were:  25 
cents  for  footmen,  two-wheel  carriage  $1,  horse  and  wagon  same,  cattle  25 
cents  per  head.  A  ferry  for  a  time  between  Fulton  and  Clinton.  Since  the 
new  wagon  bridge,  little  demand  for  the  ferry.  One  now  runs,  however, 
every  season.  The  Nina  Dousman  leaves  Lyons  every  morning,  except  Sun- 
day morning,  at  six  o'clock,  making  regular  trips  from  that  hour  until  eight 
o'clock  p.  m. 

FULTON    CITY  LODGE,    NO.    189,  A.   F.   &   A.    M. 

In  the  Masonic  Directory  before  us  for  1907  J.  M.  Fay,  jr.,  is  W.  M. 
and  J.  M.  Eaton,  secretary,  with  69  members  on  the  register.  Fulton  Chapter, 
No.  108,  R,  A.  M.,  charter  dated  Oct.  4,  1867,  has  John  Wolters,  H.  P.,  and 
G.  H.  Thompson,  secretary,  with  35  members  on  the  register.  Merton 
Chapter,  No.  356,  0.  E.  S.,  charter  dated  Oct.  15,  1896,  has  Miss  Marie 
Lorensen,  worthy  matron ;  Miss  Effie  M.  Carpenter,  secretary,  and  Mrs.  Lutie 
Green  Lines,  organist,  with  90  members  on  the  register. 

A    NOBLE    LANDMARK. 

I  stood  in  Venice,  on  the  Bridge  of  Sighs; 
A  palace  and  a  prison  on  each  hand. — Byron. 

There  is  London  Bridge,  Brooklyn  Bridge,  and  the  splendid  bridge  over 
the  Mississippi.  Its  four  enormous  and  graceful  arches  are  seen  far  up  and 
down  the  stream.  It  is  easily  the  glory  of  the  landscape.  The  following 
concise  description  of  the  structure  in  its  origin  and  completion  is  from  the 
pen  of  Dr.  C.  A.  Griswold,  veteran,  scholar,  physician,  and  essayist: 

The  Lyons  and  Fulton  Steel  Highway  Bridge  is  the  property  of  the 
Lyons  and  Fulton  Bridge  Co.,  a  corporation  organized  under  the  laws  of  the 
state  of  Iowa. 

The  erection  of  a  permanent  highway  bridge  spanning  the  Mississippi 
river  at  Fulton — long  the  dream  of  the  residents  upon  its  shores — for  an  open 
transit  at  all  seasons,  engaged  the  active  attention  of  the  enterprising  and 
progressive  citizens  of  the  two  cities  early  in  the  year  1889.  After  several 
preliminary  and  enthusiastic  meetings  and  agitation  of  the  subject  through 
the  local  press  and  special  contributions  urging  the  project,  on  March  22  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  draft  articles  of  incorporation,  which  were 
adopted  by  the  incorporators  on  the  29th.  a  body  of  influential  business  men 
and  prominent  citizens  of  Fulton  and  Lyons.  At  this  meeting  the  franchise 


182  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

or  charter  granted  by  congress  permitting  the  location  and  construction  of  a 
high  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river  between  the  cities  of  Lyons,  la.,  and 
Fulton,  111.,  was  accepted.  Feb.  4,  1890,  books  were  ordered  opened,  and 
subscriptions  to  the  capital  stock  solicited.  Prior  to  the  soliciting  of  stock, 
the  city  of  Lyons  by  a  large  majority  had  voted  a  tax  of  five  per  cent  upon  its 
assessed  valuation  of  property  in  aid  of  its  construction,  one  per  cent  to  be 
paid  annually  for  five  years.  On  July  9th  the  stockholders  elected  a  board 
of  directors  and  elected  officers  for  the  corporation.  During  the  month  of 
July  correspondence  was  opened  with  several  bridge  companies  for  plans,  and 
proposals  for  construction,  and  on  the  21st  awarded  the  contract  for  building 
the  entire  bridge  to  the  Chicago  Bridge  and  Iron  Co.,  Mr.  Horace  L.  Horton, 
the  president  and  designer  of  the  plans,  being  present. 

In  less  than  nine  months  from  the  driving  of  the  first  pile,  the  graceful 
and  imposing  structure  spanned  the  river  2,817  feet  in  length  with  its 
approaches,  built  with  three  spans  330  feet  each,  one  362  feet,  and  one  deck 
span  200  feet,  the  channel  span  55  feet  above  the  highest  stage  of  water 
known.  The  cost  of  construction  $100,000.  Placed  at  one  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque points  on  the  river;  from  its  deck  span  is  presented  a  lengthy  expanse 
of  the  river,  dotted  with  its  numerous  islands  and  water  courses,  and  an  ex- 
tended landscape — a  rare  touch" of  nature — affording  a  charming  scenic  view 
of  the  mingling  of  water  scenery  and  landscape. 

The  bridge  was  opened  to  the  public  July  4,  1891 — a  dual  Independence 
Day,  "the  day  we  celebrate"  and  the  completion  of  the  bridge,  in  a  public 
celebration  at  Lyons,  with  the  usual  custom,  thousands  crossing  the  bridge 
on  foot  and  in  carriages.  The  late  Hon.  Walter  I.  Hayes,  of  Clinton,  who  as 
congressman  was  influential  in  procuring  the  charter,  and  the  Hon.  Robert  G. 
Cousins,  of  Iowa,  were  the  orators  of  the  day. 

VARIOUS  EVENTS. 

Fulton  was  organized  as  a  village  in  1855,  and  the  first  trustees  were 
Henry  C.  Fellows,  W.  C.  Snyder,  Dr.  A.  W.  Benton.  In  1859  it  became  a 
city  under  special  charter  with  James  McCoy,  mayor,  and  aldermen,  Leander 
Smith,  David  E.  Dodge,  Lyman  Blake,  Chas.  A.  Chace. 

The  first  building  in  the  city  limits  was  in  1837,  and  although  intended 
for  a  store,  was  used  the  first  summer  as  bachelors'  hall  by  McCoy,  Fellows, 
and  other  unmarried  men  in  the  new  settlement. 

The  first  store  was  opened  by  John  W.  Baker  and  Moses  Barlow  in  1837, 
and  the  first  frame  building  was  erected  by  John  W.  Baker  in  1838. 

Robert  Booth  built  the  first  hotel  of  logs  and  clay  in  very  rough  style, 
and  was  a  popular  landlord  with  boarders  and  travelers  for  his  good  table 
and  cordial  reception. 

Another  store  with  a  general  assortment  of  goods  was  opened  in  1839 
by  Chenery  and  Phelps.  They  dealt  largely  in  grain,  pork,  and  produce, 
and  their  liberal  prices  attracted  a  wide  trade. 

The  first  brick  building  was  erected  in  1847,  and  stood  for  many  years. 
The  third  brick  was  erected  by  McCoy  and  Phelps  for  a  printing  office. 

The  first  mail  from  Dixon  to  Fulton   was  carried  by  Ezekiel   Kilgour 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  183 

over  the  Sterling  and  Morrison  road.  From  Dixon  to  Sterling  by  ox  team, 
Sterling  to  Fulton  by  horse. 

The  postoffice  was  established  in  1838  under  Van  Buren,  and  pioneer 
John  Baker  was  appointed  postmaster.  In  May,  1861,  Dr.  Snyder  was 
appointed  by  Lincoln,  and  held  the  place  by  successive  reappointments,  estab- 
lishing the  office  in  permanent  quarters  on  Base  street. 

At  the  second  town  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  W.  S.  Wright,  April 
5,  1853,  26  votes  were  cast. 

The  year  1839  was  long  remembered  as  the  sick  year,  as  hardly  a  person 
in  the  place  escaped  the  prevailing  malady.  Dr.  Daniel  Reed  and  wife  were 
going  day  and  night. 

John  Dyer,  who  came  to  Fulton  in  1857,  was  one  of  her  earliest  patriots, 
enlisting  at  Washington  in  the  Lincoln  regiment,  1861,  and  afterwards  in 
the  93d  Illinois  Volunteers. 

The  Fulton  Journal  has  the  honor  of  being  the  first  paper  published  in 
Whiteside  county  and  has  been  issued  regularly  for  over  fifty-four  years.  It 
was  first  published  Feb.  25,  1854,  as  the  Whiteside  Investigator.  Two  public- 
spirited  citizens,  namely,  Judge  James  McCoy  and  John  Phelps,  in  the  fall 
of  1853.  purchased  in  St.  Louis  a  press  and  type  for  the  enterprise,  but  they 
were  shipped  so  late  in  the  season  that  the  steamboat  was  stopped  at  Rock 
Island  by  the  ice.  The  outfit  was  brought  in  a  sleigh  across  the  country  and 
installed  in  a  brick  two-story  building  still  standing  near  the  corner  of  River 
and  Union  streets. 

The  first  editor  was  A.  McFadden,  who  got  out  a  very  creditable  paper. 
He  bought  the  plant  and  soon  after  took  G.  A.  Laighton  as  a  partner  and  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Fulton  City  Advertiser.  Laighton  later  became  sole 
owner  and  was  ably  assisted  in  the  editorial  department  by  Dr.  C.  A.  Gris- 
wold. 

In  the  campaign  of  1856  the  Advertiser  advocated  the  election  of  James 
Buchanan.  Then  Laighton  sold  out  and  G.  I.  Booth  in  1859  was  editor  and 
publisher  and  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Weekly  Courier  and  the  paper 
became  republican  in  politics,  advocating  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

In  1863  Mr.  Booth  again  changed  the  name  and  this  paper  has  since  been 
called  The  Fulton  Journal.  Three  years  later  his  son  became  a  partner  and 
conducted  The  Journal  under  the  firm  name  of  G.  J.  Booth  &  Son  until  1872, 
when  George  Terwilliger,  a  ready  writer,  bought  the  Booths  out,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  sold  a  half  interest  to  Dr.  W.  C.  Snyder,  who  became 
business  manager. 

In  March,  1876,  Dr.  Snyder  bought  Mr.  Terwilliger's  interest  but 
retained  him  as  editor.  The  same  fall  T.  J.  Pickett,  Jr.,  leased  the  office  of 
Dr.  Snyder  and  soon  after  formed  a  partnership  with  I.  C.  Snyder  and  pur- 
chased the  paper. 

In  1878,  W.  R,  Cobb,  a  versatile  scholar  and  gifted  writer,  bought  Mr. 
Pickett  out,  and  two  years  later  Cobb  went  to  Sterling  and  became  associated 
with  the  Sterling  Gazette  Company  and  that  firm  purchased  The  Journal. 

In  April,  1881,  Fred  K.  Bastian,  who  was  local  editor  on  the  Gazette, 
was  placed  in  charge  of  The  Journal,  and  in  August  of  the  same  year  with  his 


184  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

brother,  A.  W.  Bastian,  as  partner  bought  the  plant  and  business,  and  the 
politics  of  the  paper  was  changed  to  democratic.  In  the  fall  of  1882  The 
Journal  was  made  a  semi-weekly  and  for  over  twenty-six  years  it  has  been 
issued  twice  a  week  without  missing  an  issue. 

In  April,  1887,  The  Journal  office  was  burned  out,  but  the  proprietors 
immediately  purchased  new  presses  and  material  and,  not  being  able  to 
secure  suitable  rooms,  built  the  building  on  Cherry  street  where  the  paper 
has  since  been  published. 

In  1892  A.  W.  Bastian  sold  his  interest  to  Fred  K.,  who  conducted  the 
paper  until  September,  1898,  when  A.  W.  Bastian  became  sole  proprietor  and 
editor,  Fred  K.  selling  out  and  retiring. 

The  Journal  is  now  in  its  fifty-fifth  volume  and  with  largely  increased 
circulation,  a  well  equipped  office,  giving  employment  to  eight  persons,  it 
ranks  as  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  the  county,  reflecting  credit  on  the  busi- 
ness ability  and  journalistic  aptitude  of  the  editor  and  proprietor. 

MISSIONARIES  OF  WHITESIDE. 

From  Greenland's  icy  mountains, 

From  India's  coral  strand, 
Where  Afric's  sunny  fountains, 

Roll  down  their  golden  sand, 
From  many  an  ancient  river, 

From  many  a  palmy  plain, 
They  call  us  to  deliver 

Their  land  from  error's  chain. — Reginald  Heber. 

* 

EDWARD  P.   SCOTT. 

Perhaps  our  first  missionary  from  this  county  was  Edward  Payson  Scott, 
of  blessed  memory.  He  was  the  son  of  John  M.  Scott,  who  came  from  Vermont 
to  Lyndon  in  the  summer  of  1838.  Edward  was  graduated  from  Knox  Col- 
lege, Galesburg,  taught  for  a  while  in  this  county,  and  after  a  course  of  study 
at  the  Hamilton  Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  was  ordained  as  a  min- 
ister in  the  Baptist  church,  and  sent  to  Assam,  India.  At  the  end  of  six  years, 
he  returned  on  account  of  the  failing  health  of  his  wife,  but  after  a  year's 
sojourn  went  back,  and  died  in  1869  of  cholera.  Edward  was  a  good  singer, 
and  while  attending  our  institutes  was  a  regular  member  of  the  choir  to  open 
the  morning  exercises. ' 

Dr.  Henry  C.  Mabie  tells  a  beautiful  story  of  an  experience  in  the  career 
of  Scott  in  Assam.  Against  the  urgent  advice  of  the  British  officers,  Scott  felt 
impelled  to  visit  the  Nagas,  a  wild  hill-tribe,  three  days'  journey  from  his 
station.  He  had  just  begun  to  study  the  language,  and  took  with  him  a  Naga 
teacher.  When  they  approached  a  native  village,  they  were  commanded  to 
halt  by  a  band  of  fierce  natives  who  threatened  violence.  The  missionary 
stopped,  drew  out  his  violin,  and  began  to  sing  in  their  own  tongue,  "Alas, 
and  did  my  Savior  bleed !"  When  he  had  finished  the  first  verse,  the  war- 
riors' spears  had  been  thrust  into  the  ground.  As  he  sang  on  of  the  suffering, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  185 

the  forgiveness,  the  salvation  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  wild  men  drew  nearer, 
and  when  he  finished,  the  chief  cried  out,  "Sing  us  that  again.  We  never 
heard  the  like  of  that  before!"  Scott's  sister,  Mary,  was  a  girl  of  lovely  spirit, 
and  after  years  of  devoted  service  as  teacher,  sleeps  in  the  home  cemetery  at 
Lyndon. 

Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun, 

Does  his  successive  journeys  run. 

GEORGE  PAULL. 

Morrison  people  will  remember  this  noble  young  minister,  who  was  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  there  for  a  short  time.  It  was  about  1863.  He  had 
dark  hair  and  complexion,  of  ordinary  height,  active  movement,  serious  expres- 
sion. He  sailed  for  Africa,  but  his  usefulness  was  cut  short  by  the  fatal  cli- 
mate, and  he  died  at  Corisco  on  the  west  coast.  His  life  was  published  by  the 
Presbyterian  Board.  A  fragrant  memory. 

Asleep  in  Jesus!   far  from  thee 

Thy  kindred  and  their  graves  may  be. 

His  sister  was  the  wife  of  Rev.  N.  H.  G.  Fife,  pastor  of  the  Sterling  Presby- 
terian church  for  sixteen  years,  from  1873,  and  the  bereaved  mother  lived  with 
her,  all  much  beloved  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

JOHN  M'KIM. 

Nearly  thirty  years  ago  a  young  man  was  taking  private  lessons  to  prepare 
for  college  from  Rev.  J.  E.  Goodhue,  then  rector  of  Grace  Episcopal  church  in 
Sterling.  •  After  a  course  of  theology  at  Nashotah,  Wis.,  he  was  ordained,  sent 
to  a  mission  of  the  church  in  Japan,  where  he  labored  so  efficiently  that  he  was 
promoted  to  the  highest  distinction,  and  for  a  good  while  has  been  known  as 
Bishop  McKim.  During  his  regular  trips  to  this  country  to  see  his  children  at 
school,  and  attend  the  church  conventions,  Bishop  McKim  always  visits  Sterl- 
ing, endeared  to  him  by  early  associations.  At  his  last  visit  he  preached  in 
Grace  church  from  the  text,  "And  I  was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly 
vision."  An  agreeable  man,  a  fine  organizer,  and  he  has  accomplished  an  excel- 
lent work  in  the  cherry  land.  Japan  is  yearly  opening  her  doors  wider  to  the 
iniluences  of  Christianity. 

His  kingdom  spread  from  shore  to  shore, 
Till  moons  shall  wax  and  wane  no  more. 

In  a  letter  which  John  wrote  in  May,  1880,  soon  after  his  arrival  at 
Osaka,  he  says :  "I  study  the  language  with  a  teacher  every  morning,  and  read 
morning  and  evening  prayer  in  Japanese  at  the  girls'  school.  They  tell  me  I 
am  doing  very  well  with  the  language,  but  I  don't  think  I  shall  be  able  to 
preach  my  first  sermon  for  a  year  more.  There  is  plenty  of  work  to  do,  how- 
ever, without  preaching.  We  can  do  much  in  the  way  of  talking  with  people, 
and  in  training  native  young  men  for  the  ministry,  but  I  don't  think  we  shall 
ever  be  able  to  do  much  through  our  own  preaching." 


186  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

MARY  HIMES  EBELING. 

This  lady  was  graduated  at  the  Rock  Falls  high  school  in  1898,'  and  most 
of  the  time  since  her  marriage  has  been  engaged  in  the  South  Chih-li  Mission, 
Tai  Ming-Fu,  Chih-li  Province,  North  China.  A  budget  of  missionary  docu- 
ments, postmarked  Shanghai,  received  by  her  friend,  Mrs.  A.  S.  Goodell,  gives 
a  glimpse  of  the  varied  field  before  these  earnest  laborers.  There  are  several 
thin  sheets  of  greetings,  indicating  different  phases  of  the  work.  "Picture  what 
it  is,  if  you  can,  to  be  in  a  heathen  city,  with  heathenish  sights  and  sounds 
and  smells,  twenty  miles  from  the  nearest  one  who  can  speak  your  own 
language.  One  day  twenty  church  members  came  in,  each  needing  personal 
instruction,  bringing  with  them  one  hundred  inquirers.  Figure  out  how 
one  of  you  in  the  homeland  could  do  anything  with  such  a  crowd.  On  Sab- 
bath the  power  of  the  Spirit  is  very  manifest  in  the  meetings,  as  from  one  to 
six,  crowds  of  women  filled  the  chapel.  The  work  in  the  missionary  children's 
school  has  been  going  steadily  on,  and  God  has  blessed  teacher  and  pupils. 
We  praise  God,  also,  for  the  large  measure  of  health  and  strength  He  has 
given  us.  Mrs.  Ebeling  now  weighs  more  than  she  has  ever  weighed  before. 
Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  he  will  send  forth  his  own  chosen  ones 
into  this  vast  harvest  field.  Faithfully  yours  in  Jesus, 

"MARIE  HIMES  EBELING, 
"W.  W.  CARL  EBELING/' 

Accompanying  the  leaflets  in  English  is  a  copy  of  "Gospel  News,"  in 
Chinese,  for  circulation  among  the  native  church  members.  The  characters, 
of  course,  are  hieroglyphics  to  an  American,  and  resemble  healthy  spider 
tracks.  We  have  all  seen  them  on  tea  chests.  In  a  corner  the  contents  are 
given  in  English,  with  such  topics  as  On  the  way  of  salvation,  On  Jesus  the 
sin-bearer,  the  Story  of  the  Creation,  On  receiving  the  Lord  Jesus,  On  a  clean 
temple  for  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  morning  light  is  breaking, 
The  darkness  disappears. 

EVELYN  CORA  MARSH. 

She  is  the  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Pinkney,  a  Wesleyan  minister  of 
English  descent,  and  Annie  Witmer,  originally  from  Pennsylvania,  who  spent 
her  girlhood  in  Whiteside  county.  Evelyn's  education  was  received  at  Prince- 
ton high  school,  Bureau  county,  and  at  Wheaton,  where  she  took  a  full  course 
in  the  collegiate,  art,  and  musical  departments.  When  sixteen,  she  volun- 
teered for  service  in  the  foreign  field,  preferring  Africa,  but  a  call  during  her 
senior  year  came  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  for  the  establishment 
of  a  graded  school  in  Foochow,  China.  This  was  for  the  education  of  the 
children  of  missionaries,  and  of  children  resident  in  the  fort.  In  September, 
1897,  Miss  Pinkney  sailed  for  Foochow,  and  for  three  years  labored  faith- 
fully, carrying  all  grades  of  work  from  kindergarten  to  college.  In  1900  she 
was  married  to  Ben  Herbert  Marsh,  B.  S.,  a  graduate  of  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity, who  was  sent  to  Foochow  to  teach  sciences  in  the  Anglo-Chinese  college, 
the  largest  Christian  college  in  South  China  for  the  education  of  Chinese 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  187 

young  men.  Prof.  Marsh  died  in  1904,  and  Mrs.  Marsh  with  her  two  children 
returned  to  the  homeland.  But  after  a  year's  rest  she  crossed  the  Pacific  to 
renew  her  work.  At  the  close  of  the  first  year,  however,  her  health  giving 
away,  doctors  advised  her  return  to  America,  With  her  two  little  daughters, 
Mrs.  Marsh  is  now  quietly  residing  in  Sterling,  near  her  parents,  but  cherishes 
the  hope  of  entering  in  due  time  upon  the  work  in  which  her  heart  is  absorbed, 
and  to  which  she  desires  to  give  her  best  energies. 

Take  my  life,  and  let  it  be 
Consecrated,  Lord,  to  thee! 

REV.    JOHN.   K.    EEED 

is  the  latest  of  our  crusaders  against  the  darkness  of  heathenism.  He  attended 
Empire  school  west  of  Sterling  from  1863  to  1870,  was  graduated  from  Car- 
thage college,  Illinois,  studied  theology  at  Wittenberg  seminary,  Springfield, 
Ohio,  and  after  various  pastorates,  the  last  at  EvanstonJ  where  he  left  a  new 
church  as  a  memorial  of  his  devotion,  he  offered  his  services  to  the  board 
of  the  Lutheran  church  as  a  missionary  to  darkest  Africa.  At  a  farewell 
meeting  in  St.  John's  church,  Sterling,  whose  membership  contains  many  of 
his  early  friends,  after  several  addresses  and  a  closing  one  by  Mr.  Reed,  an 
offering  was  made  for  his  benefit,  and  a  Godspeed  uttered  for  his  journey. 
After  another  farewell  reception  in  Third  church,  Baltimore,  Mr.  Reed  sailed 
for  Africa  in  February,  spending  two  weeks  on  the  way  in  England,  and 
arrived  at  Monrovia  on  the  west  coast,  March  23,  1907.  Muhlenberg  mission, 
the  scene  of  his  labors,  is  in  Liberia,  not  far  inland,  pleasantly  situated,  and 
well  established.  Here  Rev.  David  Day  gave  his  life  to  the  work  which  Rev. 
Will  Beck  is  now  vigorously  carrying  forward.  Besides  schools  and  preaching 
at  the  station,  trips  are  made  to  points  in  the  interior.  In  several  printed  let- 
ters, John  writes  encouragingly  of  his  progress,  and  of  much  enjoyment  in  the 
people  and  scenes  of  his  tropical  world.  Early  in  1908,  however,  he  was 
seized  with  severe  sickness,  and  was  obliged  to  return  to  America. 

REV.   BURTON   ST.    JOHN. 

Burton  St.  John  was  born  in  Genesee  township,  Nov.  24,  1873.  He  was 
converted  in  childhood,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  church,  at  Hickory 
Grove  appointment,  Coleta  charge.  With  his  parents  he  moved  to  Sterling  in 
1888.  He  attended  Central  school  and  graduated  in  1893.  Took  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  at  Northwestern  University  in  1898.  In  the  school  year  of  1898-9  he 
was  Traveling  Secretary  for  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement,  and  visited 
the  colleges  in  the  central  western  states,  and  Manitoba.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he 
began  his  divinity  course  at  Drew  Theological  Seminary,  Madison,  N.  J.  In 
the  fall  of  1901  and  winter  of  1901-2  served  as  private  secretary  to  John  R. 
Mott,  and  with  him  visited  Japan,  China,  Straits  Settlement,  Ceylon,  and 
India,  in  the  interests  of  International  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Took  his  degree  of  B.  D. 
at  Drew  in  the  spring  of  1902.  He  was  married  July  9,  1902,  to  Miss  Jo 
Barnes,  of  Duluth,  Minn.  Appointed  missionary  to  North  China,  and  sailed 
from  San  Francisco,  in  August,  1902,  for  Peking  and  later  was  appointed 


188  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

• 

to  Tientsin.  In  the  spring  of  1906  he  was  sent  to  Japan  to  establish  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  work  among  the  Chinese  students  at  Tokyo.  In  the  fall  of  1906  was 
appointed  principal  of  the  Chinese  Boys'  Intermediate  School,  in  Tientsin,  and 
still  (1907)  is  in  that  work. 

MISS  MARY  KINGSBURY. 

Miss  Mary  Kingsbury,  who  has  been  engaged  in  active  missionary  work 
in  India  for  twenty-six  years,  was  born  in  Hudsonville,  111.,  Feb.  7,  1857. 
Her  childhood  days  were  spent  in  Decatur,'  111.,  where  her  parents  went  to 
reside  in  1860  and  where  she  entered  the  public  school  at  the  age  of  six. 

As  a  child  she  was  obedient  to  her  parents  f  kind  and  loving  to  her 
younger  brothers  and  sisters,  and  showed,  at  a  very  tender  age,  an  ability,  to 
decide  quickly  in  favor  of  what  was  right  and  just  in  all  matters  that  came 
up  in  her  daily  life. 

When  a  girl  of  15  she,  with  her  parents,  removed  to  Sterling,  Whiteside 
county,  111.,  and  in  September,  1872,  she  became  a  pupil  of  the  Second  Ward 
school;  graduating  from  the  High  School  with  honors  in  1877. 

Miss  Kingsbury  was  a  very  systematic,  painstaking  student,  laboring 
diligently  to  excel  in  her  wo>k  and  early  laid  the  foundation  for  that  mar- 
velous executive  ability  which  has  since  characterized  her  labors  in  foreign 
lands. 

At  the  age  of  16  she  became  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  and  has 
always  been  an  ardent  and  energetic  supporter  of  its  teachings.  Being  of  a 
deeply  religious  nature  from  her  earliest  childhood,  it  was  no  surprise  to  her 
friends,  when  the  call  having  been  sent  out  by  the  Christian  Women's  Board 
of  Missions  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  for  four  young  ladies  to  volunteer  to  go  out 
to  India  to  organize  and  establish  a  mission  field  in  that  far  off  country,  that 
she  was  one  of  the  first  to  respond. 

Accordingly  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  September,  1881,  she,  in  company 
with  four  young  ladies  sent  out  by  the  National  Women's  Board,  and  two 
gentlemen  accompanied  by  their  wives  sent  by  the  Foreign  Board  of  the 
Christian  church,  sailed  for  India  to  begin  their  great  work  of  spreading  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

These  pioneers  first  located  in  Jubbalpur,  where  they  at  once  began  the 
study  of  the  language,  and  later  they  removed  to  Hurda,  which  was  regarded 
as  a  more  healthful  city,  and  after  two  years  of  faithful  study  they  perfected 
plans  for  opening  up  a  permanent  mission  station  at  Bilaspur  in  the  Central 
Provinces. 

With  bullock  carts,  provisions  and  small  tents  in  which  to  sleep  at  night, 
they  started  through  the  thick  jungle  to  undertake  their  new  work.  Bilaspur 
was  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  away,  a  journey  of  three  weeks,  traveling 
as  they  then  must  go.  The  first  part  of  the  trip  was  pleasant  and  over  ia 
smooth  government  road,  but  after  three  or  four  days  this  was  left  behind  and 
they  entered  the  dense  jungle,  which  was  filled  with  tigers  and  other  wild 
animals.  At  night  they  would  stop  for  rest  and  around  their  tents  and  trains 
they  would  keep  large  camp  fires  to  protect  themselves  from  wild  beasts. 

When  they  reached  Bilaspur,  jaded  and  weary,  they  were  accorded  a 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  189 

cordial  welcome  by  the  chief  men  of  the  village.  Miss  Kingsbury  at  once 
began  doing  zenana  work  (teaching  women  in  their  homes),  in  which  she 
continued  until  a  year  or  so  later,  when  she  met  with  a  very  severe  accident, 
which  resulted  in  a  broken  ankle  and  from  which  she  suffered  from  lameness 
for  many  years.  This  necessitated  a  change  of  work,  which  led  to  the  found- 
ing of  a  girls'  orphanage  which  became  Miss  Kingbury's  individual  work. 

An  interesting  story  is  told  of  an  appeal  made  to  our  missionaries  in 
Bilaspur  before  the  founding  of  the  orphanage.  An  old  man  and  his  wife 
were  living  near  them.  They  were  so  poor  and  miserable  they  could  scarcely 
live,  and  the  father  was  so  very  ill  that  he  did  not  live  very  long  after  this. 
One  day  they  came  to  the  missionaries  bringing  their  baby  boy  and  telling 
them  they  were  too  poor  to  feed  and  care  for  him  and  asked  them  to  take  him. 
The  missionaries  refused  several  times  for  they  had  no  orphanage,  and  they 
could  not  understand  why  the  parents  would  give  up  such  a  dear  little  boy. 
Day  after  day  the  old  people  came  pleading  with  them  to  take  the  child,  saying 
it  would  die  of  starvation)  if  they  did  not.  When  at  last  they  were  allowed 
to  leave  him  they  went  away  quite  happy,  though  afterward  they  found  the 
mother  quietly  weeping,  when  she  thought  she  was  not  seen.  The  mission- 
aries would  have  thought  she  cared  nothing  for  the  child  had  they  not  seen 
her.  Sirawan,  the  name  of  the  child,  was  the  first  member  of  the  orphanage. 
Now  he  is  a  useful  Christian  man  as  a  teacher  and  evangelist  in  Bilaspur. 

This  orphanage  is  now  used  exclusively  for  girls  and  has  been  a  haven  of 
refuge  for  many  a  helpless  little  one.  Here  they  are  tenderly  cared  for  and 
taught  to  be  self-reliant,  capable  women.  All  these  years  Miss  Kingsbury  has 
faithfully  cared  for  these  orphan  girls.  Many  have  married  Christian  men 
and  now  preside  over  Christian  homes,  showing  their  own  people  what  such 
homes  are  like.  Many  have  become  teachers  and  many  others  nurses  and 
helpers  not  only  in  Bilaspur  station,  but  in  other  missions.  There  are  now  in 
the  orphanage  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  girls  being  trained  to  live  useful 
lives. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  mention  that  during  the  many  years  Miss  Kings- 
bury  has  been  engaged  in  missionary  work  she  has  only  made  three  visits  to 
her  native  land.  The  first  visit  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1888,  when  she 
remained  at  home  with  her  loved  ones  for  over  a  year. 

Her  second  visit  was  made  in  the  summer  of  1896  and  upon  this  occasion 
she  made  a  short  visit  with  friends  in  Sterling,  then  going  on  to  Brookings, 
S.  Dak.,  to  spend  a  few  months  with  her  mother,  and  completing  her  visit 
with  her  sisters  and  brothers  in  Butte,  Mont. 

Her  third  and  last  visit  was  made  in  the  summer  of  1905,  when  she 
remained  for  over  a  year.  Upon  this  occasion  she  divided  her  time  between 
Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  Butte,  Mont. 

In  September  of  1906  she  again  sailed  for  India  and  to  quote  from  a  letter 
just  received  from  her,  dated  November  14,  1907,  she  writes:  "A  year  ago 
today  the  good  ship  Caledonia  was  gradually  drawing  near  to  Calcutta.  How 
quickly  the  time  flies." 

Miss  Kingsbury's  strong  personality,  genial  disposition  and  kind  but  firm 
leadership  has  greatly  endeared  her  to  the  girls  and  her  quiet  dignity  and 


190  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

influence  for  good  is  leaving  its  impression  upon  all  who  are  so  fortunate  as 
to  become  inmates  of  the  Bilaspur  Orphanage  for  Girls. 

MISS  J.  EDITH   JENKS. 

She  was  born  in  Fenton  township,  April  11,  1872,  and  is  a  graduate  of 
Wheaton  college,  1897.  In  her  early  girlhood  she  consecrated  her  life  to  her 
Savior,  joining  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  soon  after  entering  college. 
While  pursuing  a  training  course  in  Bible  study  at  Moody  Institute,  Chicago, 
the  way  opened  that  she  could  become  a  candidate  of  the  Woman's  Board  of 
the  Northwest.  She  was  accepted  in  April,  1901,  and  assigned  to  India  as 
her  field  of  labor.  Her  work  there  has  been  greatly  blessed.  Miss  Jenks  is  a 
member,  much  beloved,  of  the  Newton  Presbyterian  church.  Not  the  "little 
church  around  the  corner"  of  New  York,  but  the  modest  frame  church  of  the 
prairie  and  the  woods. 

HUME. 

There  are  more  things  in  heaven  and  earth,  Horatio, 
Than  are  dreamt  of  in  your  philosophy. — Hamlet. 

David  Hume  was  a  philosopher  and  a  historian.  Hume's  History  of 
England  was  all  our  grandfathers  knew.  David  enjoyed  life,  and  died  in 
Edinburgh  in  1776,  before  he  could  tell  how  our  glorious  revolution  was  to 
end.  Was  Hume  township  named  after  the  Scotch  historian?  Did  any  of  the 
original  settlers  believe  in  his  philosophy?  Were  they  Highlanders,  and 
admirers  of  their  distinguished  countryman?  We  fear  not.  They  were  true 
blue  New  Englanders. 

No,  the  first  settlers  were  not  scholars,  simply  earnest,  industrious  men  and 
women.  They  preferred  a  good  quarter  section  to  all  the  Humes  from  the 
beginning  of  time.  For  instance,  there  was  Leonard  Morse,  who  built  a  log 
cabin  in  1836.  Uriah  Wood,  1839,  who  in  a  sod  house  with  wife  and  seven 
children,  still  had  room  for  boarders.  These  early  cabins  were  like  modern 
omnibuses,  always  room  for  one  more.  Strangers  could  sleep  on  floor,  and  the 
table  could  be  set  outdoors.  Most  of  the  emigrants  came  after  1840,  the 
Scotts,  McKenzie,  Paddock,  Plumley,  Baker,  Crook,  and  others. 

Like  Newton,  LTstick,  and  some  of  the  other  townships,  Hume  has  no 
central  village,  no  seat  of  influence  with  lawyers,  doctors,  merchants,  and 
politicians.  It  is  a  broad  district  of  bottom  land,  occupied  with  comfortable 
homes,  fertile  fields,  and  every  substantial  sign  of  rural  independence.  The 
main  road  from  Rock  Falls  southwest  offers  a  delightful  drive  in  early  autumn. 
You  have  glimpses  of  Rock  river.  You  see  the  old  road  that  ran  to  Como 
when  there  was  a  ferry  boat  moved  by  the  current.  Here  and  there  the  track 
is  raised  over  low  places  that  in  1840  must  have  been  mires  to  stagger  a  yoke 
of  oxen. 

As  you  turn  at  the  beautiful  Ramsay  farm  to  go  south,  what  a  vast  area 
of  land  level  as  a  floor  stretches  away  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  Doubtless,  in 
the  past  ages,  the  bed  of  a  lake,  perhaps  a  greater  Michigan.  Here  is  a  little, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  191 

deserted,  ragged  hut,  seven  by  nine.  What  a  story  it  could  tell  of  other  days. 
Built,  says  someone,  by  Joseph  Peckham.  This  is  the  South  Hume  school, 
Miss  J.  McNeill  with  22  pupils,  who  as  it  is  recess  crowd  around  the  door  at 
our  approach.  We  recall  Alice  Carey's  poem : 

All  at  the  windows  open  wide, 
Heads  and  shoulders  clear  outside, 

And  fair  young  faces  all  ablush; 
Perhaps,  you  may  have  seen  some  day, 
Roses  crowding  the  self-same  way, 

Out  of  a  wilding,  way-side  bush. 

Here  we  turn  to  the  east,  and  by  the  roadside  embossed  in  a  thicket  of 
evergreens,  shrubbery,  and  coarse  grass  growing  over  the  stones  falling  from 
their  base,  is  a  little  cemetery.  You  can  hardly  read  the  names  so  dim  and 
rusty.  Not  a  dozen  graves  in  the  half  acre.  It  was  started  evidently  by  some 
people  in  the  neighborhood,  who  after  the  burial  of  their  friends,  have  moved 
away  and  left  the  sacred  corner  desolate. 

Perhaps  in  this  neglected  spot  is  laid, 

Some  heart  once  pregnant  with  celestial  fire. 

R.  B.  Stoddard  claims  he  built  the  first  house  on  the  prairie  in  South 
Hume  in  1854. 

SUNDAY   SCHOOLS  AND  SOCIETIES. 

We  are  informed  by  Mrs.  C.  F.  Rumley  there  are  three  Sunday  schools, 
North,  South,  and  West  Hume.  Once  a  month  preaching  at  West  Hume,  Rev. 
Mr.  Durdick  of  Prophetstown  often  officiating.  Christian  Endeavor  at  North 
Hume  every  Sunday  night.  Mrs.  Edward  D.  demons,  secretary,  writes  that 
the  Good  Deed  Circle  of  King's  Daughters  has  26  members,  who  meet  every 
four  weeks  at  the  homes  of  the  members.  The  object  is  to  develop  spiritual 
life,  and  to  stimulate  Christian  activity,  as  well  as  to  aid  home  missions  in 
every  way.  The  officers  are  elected  annually,  and  the  present  are :  Mrs.  Frank 
Russell,  leader,  and  Mrs.  Harry  Butler,  treasurer.  Social  intercourse  is  highly 
esteemed  and  encouraged  by  the  circle.  But  some  positive  work  is  always  on 
hand.  At  one  meeting  two  comforters  were  made,  and  at  another,  a  box  of 
clothing  was  packed  for  the  needy.  Sometimes  a  special  session-is  called  to 
do  sewing  for  a  poor  family.  There  is  a  Ladies'  Aid  society  that  meets  at  the 
various  homes  to  engage  in  some  useful  work,  like  sewing  carpet  rags,  quilt- 
ing, or  similar  domestic  diversions.  A  good  supper  always  closes  the  festivities 
of  the  occasion.  The  Loyal  Circle  of  King's  Daughters  sent  a  quantity  of 
children's  clothing  to  an  orphanage  in  Chicago.  Another  form  of  entertain- 
ment on  winter  evenings  is  the  Basket  Social.  There  i#  a  program  of  music 
and  recitations,  the  ladies  bringing  baskets  of  dainties  which  are  sold  at  auc- 
tion to  the  highest  bidder.  At  one  of  these  the  Christian  Endeavor  realized 
eleven  dollars. 

DITCHING  FOR  DRAINAGE. 

The  commissioners  of  Union  Special  Drainage  district  of  Tampico, 
Prophetstown  and  Hume  townships  met  January,  1908,  in  Morrison  and 


192  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

decided  to  have  Coon  creek  line  No.  1  ditch  deepened  and  widened.  The  ditch 
is  seventeen  miles  in  length  and  has  its  source  in  Lee  county  north  of  Van 
Petten  and  crosses  several  townships  in  Whiteside  county  and  empties-  in  Coon 
creek  below  Prophetstown.  241,240  cubic  yards  of  dirt  is  the  estimate  to  be 
removed  from  the  mammoth  drainage  ditch.  The  ditch  will  have  a  twenty 
foot  width  at  the  bottom  and  will  have  a  good  slope.  46,260  acres  of  land  is 
comprised  in  the  drainage  district.  The  estimated  cost  of  making  the  improve- 
ment is  from  $16,000  to  $20,000.  The  cost  will  be  more  than  the  excavation 
work  as  the  ditch  passes  under  the  government  canal  feeder  and  is  also 
spanned  by  several  bridges  which  have  to  be  removed  before  a  steam  dredge 
can  pass  the  obstruction. 

The  ditch  was  widened  and  deepened  about  twelve  years  ago,  and  at  that 
time  was  increased  to  a  water  carrying  capacity  which  was  ample  for  the  pur- 
pose intended.  Since  that  time,  sub-districts  have  been  organized  and  lateral 
ditches  connected  with  the  main  ditch,  and  this  with  the  fill  in  has  caused  a 
demand  for  a  widening  and  deepening  of  the  stream  which  will  be  large 
enough  to  carry  off  the  water  without  causing  an  overflow. 

REPRESENTATIVE  PIONEERS. 

Perhaps  the  face  of  no  man  was  more  familiar  than  that  of  Charles 
Wright.  He  was  one  of  those  cheery,  companionable  souls  that  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  good  things  of  life,  and  aimed  to  make  the  world  better  and  brighter. 
Stout  and  active,  fond  of  being  in  the  crowd,  mingling  with  his  fellows.  The 
writer  often  saw  him  on  the  streets  of  Sterling.  He  held  several  public  posi- 
tions. In  1852  elected  sheriff,  for  nine  years  supervisor,  foi  seven  years 
revenue  assessor  in  the  district.  Like  Lincoln,  fond  of  a  good  story,  ready  to 
tell  or  to  listen.  Mr.  Wright  came  from  Vermont,  and  settled  in  Hume  in 
1840.  He  died  in  1875,  not  quite  70. 

David  Cleaveland  first  came  in  1850,  and  then  again  in  1852.  A  large 
family.  He  came  from  Oneida  county,  New  York.  His  name  will  be  best 
preserved  by  the  gallantry  of  his  son  David,  captain  in  the  34th  Illinois,  now 
living  near  Prophetstown,  the  liveliest  soldier  in  the  post. 

Josiah  Scott,  a  genial  old  man,  who  died  not  long  ago,  >walked  in  his 
eightieth  year  from  his  home  to  Sterling  to  present  the  writer  for  the  His- 
torical Society  a  manuscript  bearing  the  signature  of  an  early  president.  Mr. 
Scott  was  born  in  1819,  and  emigrated  from  Ohio  to  Whiteside  in  1839. 

Pond  Lily  Farm  west  of  Rock  Falls  was  the  home  for  many  years  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  Ramsay.  She  was  Lucy  A.  Church,  Oxford,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  married  in  1845.  Five  children.  Mr.  Ramsay  died  in  1900,  Mrs.  Ramsay 
in  1907.  Lizzie,  Kate,  and  Luman  reside  in  the  old  A.  P.  Smith  property, 
the  family  home  since  leaving  the  farm. 

ITEMS. 

The  first  traveled  road  in  Hume  was  the  stage  route  from  Chicago  to  Rock 
Island,  now  the  Sterling  and  Prophetstown  road,  and  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
country  on  account  of  the  numerous  improved  farms  and  residences  along  the 
entire  distance. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  193 

Miss  Jane  Griffith  has  the  honor  of  teaching  the  first  school,  1857,  in  the 
Cleaveland  schoolhouse. 

David  Ramsay  in  the  forties  built  a  large  frame  house,  which  travelers 
patronized  on  the  trip  from  Chicago  to  Rock  Island. 

John  H.  Plumley,  a  Vermonter,  got  his  first  house  from  Charles  Mc- 
Carter  by  trading  a  silver  watch  for  it.  When  he  opened  his  farm,  there  were 
no  fences  or  dwellings  to  be  seen. 

THE   Y.    P.   S.   C.    E.   OF  WHITESIDE. 

Once  a  year 'the  young  people  of  the  county  meet  in  convention  to  hear 
reports  and  addresses,  and  elect  officers.  The  last  convention  was  held  iii 
Tampico,  and  the  officers  for  1908  are:  President,  Miss  Marie  Hey,  Sterling; 
vice  presidents,  Miss  Myra  Jennings,  Rock  Falls,  Jonas  Baer,  Sterling,  and 
Miss  Fredda  Rosene,  of  Tampico-;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Miss  Jennie  Spool- 
man,  Garden  Plain. 

The  reports  of  the  Endeavorers  was  made  on  Saturday  afternoon  and  six- 
teen of  the  twenty  Endeavor  societies  handed  in  reports  which  were  very 
gratifying.  It  was  very  noticeable  this  year  that  thirty-six  of  the  forty  dele- 
gates present  were  new  members  of  the  society.  The  Junior  Endeavor  society 
of  Garden  Plain  was  granted  the  banner  for  giving  the  largest  amount  of 
money  to  the  mission  fund.  Their  sum  given  averaged  $2.50  for  each  mem- 
ber. The  Garden  Plain  young  people  have  been  granted  the  banner  for 
the  past  six  years  and  it  is  impossible  for  any  of  the  other  Junior  societies 
of  the  county  to  beat  their  record.  The  next  county  meeting  will  be  held 
in  Rock  Falls  next  fall. 

George  H.  Fonken,  of  Sterling,  gave  a  splendid  talk  on  Sunday  after- 
noon on  the  subject,  "The  Needs  of  the  Hour,"  and  W.  H.  Hunt,  of  Moline, 
delivered  a  fine  address  to  a  large  assemblage  of  people  Sunday  evening. 

OUR  THREE  RAILWAYS. 

Whizzing  through  the  mountains, 

Buzzing  o'er  the  vale, 
Bless  me!  this  is  pleasant, 

Riding  on  the  rail ! — Saxe. 

We  do  not  appreciate  our  privileges.  We  step  on  the  train  any  hour  of 
the  day,  and  go  in  any  direction.  In  1835  there  was  not  a  mile  of  railroad  in 
northern  Illinois.  Think  of  our  luckless  pioneers  floundering  through  the 
sloughs.  In  1836  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad  secured  their  first 
charter,  and  operations  began.  It  was  to  start  in  Chicago  and  run  to  the 
Mississippi  river.  The  strap  rail  was  to  be  used,  as  T-rail  was  too  expensive. 
The  survey  began  in  1847,  and  various  branches  were  completed  from  time  to 
time.  There  was  the  Aurora  Branch,  the  St.  Charles  Branch.  The  main  line 
of  the  Galena  road  was  finished  to  Freeport,  120  miles  from  Chicago,  Septem- 
ber, 1853.  Meanwhile  work  was  progressing  in  other  directions.  What  was 
called  the  Chicago,  Fulton  &  Iowa  Line  was  opened  to  Dixon,  Dec.  4,  1854, 


194  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

to  Sterling,  July  22,  1855,  to  Morrison,  Sept.  23,  1855,  and  to  Fulton,  Dec. 
16,  1855. 

That  was  a  wonderful  July  day  for  Sterling.  The  iron  horse  at  last. 
Preparations  were  made  for  a  grand  jubilee.  Why  not  have  an  old-fashioned 
barbecue,  feast  the  world,  and  make  the  welkin  ring  with  shout  and  address? 
Simeon  Coe  furnished  a  three-year-old  ox,  which  was  roasted  on  a  primitive 
arrangement  of  forked  sticks,  and  then  borne  in  triumph,  bedecked  with 
flags  and  oranges,  to  an  immense  arbor  of  branches  near  the  present  Central 
school.  After  the  banquet,  B.  F.  Taylor,  the  poet,  made  a  flowery  address. 
The  lion  of  the  day  was  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  talked  to  the  masses  in  his 
own  earnest  style.  Deacon  Bross  of  the  Tribune,  Long  John  Wentworth,  John 
B.  Turney,  railway  magnate,  governors,  judges,  editors,  all  men  of  note  within 
reach,  were  on  the  platform  or  in  the  crowd.  Estimates  of  the  multitude  ran 
as  high  as  five  thousand. 

So  small  wTas  the  business  of  the  road  even  in  1858  that  the  locomotives 
were  named.  Easy  to  do,  as  they  were  only  sixty.  The  boys  in  Sterling 
knew  every  engine  by  its  whistle  before  they  saw  it.  The  Pioneer  was  the 
oldest,  1848,  built  by  Baldwin,  Philadelphia.  All  kinds  of  names.  Indian  and 
local.  J.  B.  Turner,  Shawbeney,  Waubansee,  Whirling  Thunder,  Black 
Hawk,  Achilles,  Samson,  Hercules. 

But  the  Mississippi  had  to  be  crossed  for  westward  progress.  On  Feb. 
14,  1857,  the  Albany  Railroad  Bridge  Company  was  incorporated  by  the  Illi- 
nois legislature  with  the  following  stockholders:  Barzillia  Cottle,  William 
Prothrow,  W.  W.  Durant,  Thomas  Long,  G.  H.  Parker,  E.  B.  Warner,  and  A. 
J.  Mattson,  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  be- 
tween Illinois  and  Iowa,  and  for  the  use  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Rail- 
road, and  in  1864  this  road  completed  the  bridge  across  the  river  from  Little 
Rock  Island  to  the  Clinton  side.  In  June,  1864,  the  old  Galena  company  was 
consolidated  with  Chicago  &  Northwestern,  and  the  development  of  this 
colossal  corporation  began.  W.  B.  Ogden  was  president. 

The  Peoria  and  Northwestern  Railway  is  the  name  given  to  the  branch 
extending  from  Nelson  in  Lee  county  on  the  main  line  to  Peoria.  eighty-five 
miles.  Its  construction  was  begun  in  March,  1901,  and  completed  in  Jan- 
uary 19,  1902. 

A  generous  pension  system  was  adopted  by  the  directors  in  1900,  by  which 
all  employes  who  have  attained  the  age  of  70,  and  who  have  been  twenty  years 
in  the  service,  shall  be  retired  and  pensioned.  Larry  Gagin,  who  ran  the 
Sterling  passenger  train  to  Chicago  and  back  every  day  for  thirty-six  years, 
and  who  has  been  an  engineer  for  forty-eight  consecutive  years,  was  retired 
Feb.  1,  1908,  on  a  pension.  He  has  been  thrifty,  has  property  of  various  kinds, 
and  lives  in  a  modest  home  in  Sterling  with  a  daughter  and  son,  both  having 
enjoyed  a  good  education.  With  the  retirement  of  Gagin,  Philip  O'Neill  be- 
comes the  dean  of  Northwestern  engine  drivers,  having  been  on  duty  during 
the  civil  war. 

The  Northwestern  is  lavish  in  outlay  to  improve  its  facilities.  The  open- 
ing of  the  gravel  pit  near  Como  and  the  thousands  of  carloads  hauled  for 
elevation  of  the  track  east  of  the  government  dam,  the  new  ninety-pound 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  195 

steel  rails,  the  widening  of  the  tracks,  the  riprapping  to  protect  against  en- 
croachments of  the  river,  the  new  bridge  with  its  twenty-eight  piers  and 
abutments  over  the  river  at  Clinton,  all  exhibit  the  ceaseless  activity  of  the 
great  corporation.  Picturesque  stations  of  brick  at  Sterling  and  Morrison. 
The  lawn  at  Sterling  is  gay  with  the  flowers  of  the  season.  A  pledge,  has  been 
circulated  among  the  employes  for  signatures  and  went  into  effect  January  1, 
1908.  A  large  majority  of  the  employes  of  the  entire  system  will  be  tee- 
totalers. Not  content  with  this,  the  leaders  of  the  movement  hope  soon 
to  have  every  man  employed  from  end  to  end  of  the  7,000  miles  of  road  a 
signer  of  the  pledge. 

THE  BURLINGTON  LINE. 

This  is  the  only  road  by  which  Sterling  has  communication  with  Lyndon 
and  Erie,  Prophetstown  and  Tampico.  At  Denrock  the  main  lines  of  the 
Burlington  from  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  St.  Louis,  and  the  West,  intersect,  and 
here  the  traveler  can  make  connection  for  all  points.  The  Burlington  is  the 
successor  of  the  original  railroads  that  were  opened  and  operated  for  a  time 
under  other  names,  the  Chicago  and  Rock  River  through  the  southern  town- 
ships, and  the  Rockford,  Rock  Island  and  St.  Louis  down  the  river.  Much 
litigation,  but  of  no  avail.  The  great  corporations  always  absorb  the  branches. 

For  years  the  Burlington  continued  its  business  in  Rock  Falls,  but  in 
1883  sufficient  property  having  been  quietly  secured  for  a  right-of-way,  the 
bridge  was  built,  and  the  track  laid  across  the  Northwestern,  and  along  Second 
street,  south  of  Wallace  Hall.  Here  on  the  block  between  Locust  street  and 
Avenue  A,  a  substantial  station  and  depot  were  erected.  The  traffic  of  the 
road  has  greatly  increased,  and  it  now  divides  the  freight  business  of  Sterling 
with  the  Northwestern.  Much  of  this  prosperity  is  due  the  sagacity  and 
perseverance  of  L.  C.  Thome,  general  agent  for  twenty-eight  years,  who,  like 
all  efficient  railroad  men,  has  risen  from  the  foot  of  the  ladder. 

Ah,  whence  is  that  flame  which  now  bursts  on  his  eye? 

Ah,  what  is  that  sound  that  now  larums  his  ear? 
'TLs  the  lightning's  red  glare,  painting  hell  on  the  sky! 

'Tis  the  crashing  of  thunders,  the  groan  of  the  sphere ! — Dimond. 

On  the  night  of  Oct.  23,  1888,  Sterling  beheld  the  spectacular  event  of 
her  history.  The  Burlington  bridge  across  Rock  river  was  discovered  on  fire, 
and  as  the  flames  fairly  leaped  along  the  arches,  the  whole  structure  was 
speedily  a  blazing  mass.  As  the  catastrophe  happened  before  midnight,  the 
entire  population  were  witnesses  of  the  work  of  the  destroying  angel.  It  was  a 
scene  of  weird  and  fascinating  excitement.  Twelve  hundred  feet  of  flame, 
illuminating  heaven  above  and  the  waters  beneath.  The  origin  of  the  fire  a 
mystery.  As  the  piers  were  intact,  another  superstructure  of  frame  was  reared 
the  next  year. 

The  cities  of  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  within  a  few  years  have  become 
an  important  railroad  center,  and  there  is  a  permanent  pay  roll  of  almost 
four  hundred  men. 

The  Twin  Cities  are  the  division  point  of  the  Shabbona  and  Sterling  line 
of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and  are  the  division  point  for  the 


198  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Sterling  and  Denrock  branch  of  the  same  line.  It  is  the  terminal  of  the 
Northwestern  &  Peoria  Railroad,  and  a  part  of  the  administration  officers  of 
the  Galena  division  are  located  here.  These  officers  are  the  train  master,  road 
master  of  the  Galena  division  and  the  assistant  road  master,  and  the  road 
master  of  the  Peoria  line,  the  traveling  engineer  and  the  superintendent  of 
signals. 

The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  maintains  two  very  large  yards,  one 
on  either  side  of  the  river,  and  has  a  total  of  about  seven  miles  of  switch 
tracks,  in  addition  to  the  main  lines. 

The  Northwestern  has  one  yard,  and  has  about  five  miles  of  switch 
tracks. 

The  "Q"  maintains  here  the  office  of  the  roadmaster  of  the  two  branches. 
The  only  wrecking  crew  on  the  Northwestern  between  Clinton  and  West  Chi- 
cago is  maintained  here. 

The  monthly  pay  roll  on  the  Northwestern  has  been  as  high  as  $80,000 
a  month,  and  last  year  for  three  inonths  it  had  an  extra  pay  roll  of  $800  a  day. 
The  normal  pay  roll  monthly  on  the  Northwestern  is  about  $42.000  and  on 
the  "Q"  about  $20,000,  making  the  monthly  pay  roll  on  the  two  roads  about 
$62,000  or  about  $744,000,  or  close  to  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars 
annually.  It  will  therefore  be  seen  that  after  all  is  written  about  the  various 
and  varied  factories  and  their  pay  roll,  the  greatest  factors  in  the  two  cities 
are  the  railroads.  They  employ  more  men  and  have  annually  a  larger  pay 
roll  than  any  other  institution. 

THE    CHICAGO,    MILWAUKEE    &    ST.    PAUL. 

As  this  strong  road  skirts  only  the  western  edge  of  the  county,  striking 
the  Mississippi  at  Savanna,  as  it  comes  from  the  lakes,  and  crossing  the  North- 
western at  Fulton,  then  following  the  river  to  Rock  Island,  it  is  not  a  heavy 
factor  in  the  commercial  interests  of  Whiteside.  It  gives  Albany  communica- 
tion with  the  world,  but  there  are  only  two  trains  a  day,  one  from  the  north 
at  ten,  the  other  from  the  south  at  four.  The  small  station  at  Fulton  is  in  the 
eastern  end  of  the  city  at  the  intersection  of  the  Northwestern,  but  the  trains 
of  the  latter  stop  only  at  their  own  station  further  west. 

MONTMORENCY. 

And  as-I  read, 

I  hear  the  crowing  cock,  I  hear  the  note 
Of  lark  and  linnet,  and  from  every  page, 
Rise  odors  of  plowed  field  or  flowery  mead. — Longfellow. 

This  is  one  of  our  purely  inland  townships,  no  river,  no  railroad,  but  one 
wide  stretch  of  farms  and  cottages.  How  did  it  get  its  name?  Ustick,  for 
instance,  is  after  an  early  settler,  Erie  from  the  lake,  Mt.  Pleasant  for  its 
situation,  but  Montmorency  is  French,  and  the  first  emigrants  were  Yankees. 
It  certainly  has  one  merit,  it  is  musical,  which  cannot  be  said  of  Oshkosh. 

The  main  road  from  Rock  Falls  southward  is  known  as  the  Golder  road 
from  Alonzo  Golder.  who  opened  a  large  farm  in  1856,  and  became  a  repre- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  197 

sentativc  citizen,  but  in  later  years  retiring  to  Sterling.  Here  was  the  second 
school  building  called  the  Banes  schoolhouse,  a  central  place  for  meetings  of 
various  kinds  and  religious  services.  In  the  third  schoolhouse  in  the  Mc- 
"Whorter  district,  Capt.  W.  C.  Robinson,  afterwards  in  the  war,  taught  in  the 
winter  of  1860. 

Two  early  roads.  One  a  trail  from  Dixon  to  Green  river,  northeast  to 
southwest.  The  other  was  the  stage  route  from  Dixon  to  Rock  Island.  A 
familiar  landmark  was  the  "Lone  Tree,"  a  honey  locust,  blown  down  in 
Camanche  tornado  of  1860.  The  first  regular  rail,  laid  out  in  1854,  runs  eas» 
and  west  through  the  town. 

On  this  Golder  road  is  a  small  white  frame  structure  with  the  inscrip- 
tion above  the  door,  M.  W.  A.  Camp  1912,  1896.  North  of  this  you  come  to 

THE  CEMETERY. 

Beneath  these  rugged  elms,  that  yew  tree's  shade, 
Where  heaves  the  turf  in  many  a  molding  heap, 

Each  in  his  narrow  cell  forever  laid, 

The  rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep. 

Most  of  the  tombs  bear  dates  since  1866.  Among  the  older  names  are 
Cornelius  Bachellor,  1829-1899.  George  Murray,  1815-1881.  Elizabeth  Mur- 
ray, 1820-1892.  Elizabeth  Foster,  1798-1877.  Alonzo  Golder,  1807-1895. 
George  W.  Curtis,  1822-1902.  (This  name  recalls  the  celebrated  editor  of 
Harper's  Weekly.)  Hullinger,  1820-1897.  Then  there  are  Doty,  Fitch, 
Blanchard,  Stevens,  Ward,  Frank,  Sawyer.  Of  the  soldiers  we  noticed  G.  B. 
Reynolds,  1841-1887.  Francis  Brown/ 1872.  P.  C.  Woods,  1880,  aged  59. 
Elijah  L.  Halsted,  1885,  aged  42.  Faded  flags  were  drooping  over  the  graves, 
but  some  of  them  had  no  details  of  companies,  regiments,  or  battles.  This  is 
a  satisfaction  to  the  visitor,  and  is  a  memorial  due  the  brave  boys  sleeping 
beneath. 

Within  a  generation  the  country  has  made  a  remarkable  improvement. 
The  primitive  buildings  have  given  way  to  modern  dwellings  with  large  barns, 
hay  sheds,  and  all  the  smaller  structures  necessary  to  convenience  and  com- 
fort. Some  of  our  prosperous  farms  today  look  like  a  small  village.  Dwell- 
ings generally  white,  barns  red,  which  is  a  durable  color,  warm  in  winter,  and 
showy  in  appearance.  Soil  a  black  loam  with  here  and  there  a  mixture  of  sand, 
which  makes  heavy  travel  on  the  roads.  This  has  been  remedied  in  many 
places  by  gravel  and  embankment.  Ditching  has  been  of  vast  benefit  to  many 
sections  of  the  township. 

The  common  roads  through  Montmorency  and  Hume  cross  the  feeder 
of  the  Hennepin  canal  by  means  of  high  steel  bridges,  approached  by  long 
embankments.  They  are  visible  afar,  and  make  graceful  landmarks. 

Corn  is  king.  On  both  sides  of  the  roads  a  sea  of  yellow  stalks.  Hogs 
and  cattle  in  the  meadows,  poultry  in  the  barnyards. 

A  PERSONAL  NARRATIVE. 

The  writer  'had  an  interview  with  Luman  Kakeman,  one  of  the  last  of 
Montmorency's  pioneers.  He  came  from  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  in  1854, 


198  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

buying  land  south  of  Asa  Scott  in  1859,  the  only  pioneer  then  in  the  town- 
ship. The  only  Indian  trail  up  and  down  the  valley  was  traveled  in  the  time 
of  California  gold  excitement,  and  some  days  one  hundred  teams  passed  along. 
On  the  road  between  Sterling  and  Prophetstown,  George  Richmond  is  the  last 
of  the  men  of  1859.  Where  the  busy  town  of  Rock  Falls  now  is,  he  could 
have  bought  the  land  at  $15  per  acre.  Near  that  Lone  Tree  there  was  once 
a  graveyard,  called  the  Lone  Tree  Cemetery,  but  the  friends  of  the  dead  moved 
away,  and  the  bodies  were  never  removed.  The  land  in  Hume  south  of  his 
place  was  unoccupied  for  many  years. 

The  most  active  secret  order  in  the  township  is  the  Mystics.  At  the 
annual  meeting  in  December,  1907,  the  following  officers  were  elected: 

Prefix — Samuel  May. 

Secretary — Frank  Ashling. 

Banker — William  Ashling. 

Marshal — Mrs.  John  Schaff. 

Warder — Theodore  Frank. 

Sentinel — Matthias  Grennan. 

Supervisor  for  three  years — Cyrus  Dellenteen. 

One  of  the  diversions  occasionally  is  a  poverty  ball.  In  order  to  gain 
admittance  it  will  be  necessary  for  all  guests  to  be  attired  in  rags  and  tags. 
Good  clothes  will  not  be  tolerated. 

To  indicate  the  interest  taken  in  the  subject  of  transportation  in  these 
rural  districts,  this  item  clipped  from  a  county  paper  is  suggestive: 

Twenty-two  farmers  in  the  town  of  Montmorency  have  been  hauling 
crushed  rock  for  grading  and  making  hard  roads  in  their  town.  It  is  expen- 
sive as  the  material  has  to  be  hauled  several  miles,  but  the  campaign  for  good 
roads  is  worth  pushing. 

LETTER  FROM  A  LADY. 

Dear  Sir:  In  reply  to  your  request  to  furnish  you  with  a  few  facts  that  exist 
in  Montmorency,  I  will  say  that  we  have  six  public  schools.  The  buildings  are 
frame  buildings,  and  are  in  good  condition.  We  employ  six  teachers  at  an 
average  of  forty-five  dollars  per  month.  Each  school  has  a  library  and  such 
days  as  Arbor  Day,  Flag  Day,  Decoration  Day,  and  Lincoln  and  Washington 
days  are  observed.  From  these  schools  are  many  of  the  prominent  teachers 
of  the  county.  We  have  at  the  present  time  a  student  at  Urbana  who  is  head- 
ing the  Junior  Class  in  Botany  and  Medical  Science.  There  are  two  Sunday 
schools  and  a  Home  Department  Class  of  twenty  members.  There  is  preach- 
ing at  the  Banes  Sunday  school  of  the  Methodist  Denomination.  There  is  a 
Woodman  Hall,  and  Camp  No.  19  hold  regular  meetings.  The  Mystic  Work- 
ers lodge,  No.  104  also  meet  at  this  hall.  This  township  has  twenty-three  steel 
bridges  which  span  its  drainage  ditches,  which  have  been  the  means  of  greatly 
advancing  the  value  of  the  land  in  this  township. 

There  is  a  number  of  W.  C.  T.  U.  workers  here,  and  a  number  of  young 
people  who  have  taken  part  in  medal  contests. 

Hoping  some  of  these  facts  will  be  a  benefit  to  you,  I  am, 

Yours  Respectfully, 

MRS.  ELIZA  FRAXK. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  199 

FAMILIAR  FACES  OF  PIONEERS. 

A  face  with  gladness  overspread, 

Soft  smiles  by  human,  kindness  bred ! — Wordsworth. 

As  the  writer's  residence  in  Whiteside  dates  from  1858,  he  often  met 
many  of  the  early  settlers  on  the  street.  Alonza  Colder  after  coming  to  Ster- 
ling was  dignified  as  Judge.  He  was  a  thick-set  man,  good-humored  counte- 
nance, and  plain  in  his  manners.  He  formed  partnership  with  his  son  in 
the  lumber  and  coal  trade.  His  daughter  was  married  to  Moses  Dillon,  long 
in  the  elevator  business,  now  in  New  York.  The  Judge  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church,  and  an  estimable  citizen  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 

Another  was  Nathan  Williams,  who,  when  the  writer  first  knew  him,  was 
engaged  in  a  dry  goods  store,  but  after  three  years  left  Sterling,  and  devoted 
his  energies  to  a  large  farm  of  640  acres  in  Montmorency.  In  1871  he  was 
elected  to  the  legislature  as  representative,  serving  two  years.  Faithful  to  his 
constituents.  To  him  the  writer  is  indebted  for  a  complete  set  of  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  of  Illinois,  under  direction  of  A.  H.  Worthen.  A  third  was 
C.  C.  Buell,  the  best  educated  of  all  the  circle,  valedictorian  at  Madison  Uni- 
versity, New  York.  An  illustrious  record  as  professor,  quartermaster  in  the 
Civil  war,  principal  of  Second  Ward  school  in  Sterling,  influential  as  farmer 
and  dairyman.  Mr.  Buell  was  a  good  writer,  ready  speaker,  and  well  equipped 
for  the  intellectual  or  commercial  affairs  of  the  community. 

Asa  Scott,  who  made  that  peculiar  boat  trip  from  Ohio  to  Como  in  1839, 
where  he  remained  until  1847,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  in  this  township, 
had  sixteen  children,  putting  him  in  the  class  with  Susanna  Wesley,  mother 
of  the  famous  Methodist  founder.  Asa's  early  experience  was  full  of  all  sorts 
of  hardship.  Tyler  McWhorter's  name  was  familiar  to  the  citizens  of  the 
county,  as  he  was  supervisor  and  member  of  the  legislature.  He  came  in  1854 
from  Indiana.  His  widow  resides  in  Sterling.  A.  A.  Church  is  best  known  as 
a  raiser  of  improved  stock.  Herman  Sterling  removed  to  Sterling,  and  then 
to  California.  Henry  M.  Barnum  is  now  in  Sterling.  In  fact,  nearly  all  of 
Montmorency's  older  people  are  gone.  Another  generation  have  taken  up  their 
work. 

WHITESIDE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  ASSOCIATION. 

People  and  realms  of  every  tongue, 
Dwell  on  his  love  with  sweetest  song, 
And  infant  voices  shall   proclaim 
Their  early  blessings  on  his  name. — -Watts. 

No  cause  has  more  loyal,  efficient,  untiring  workers  than  the  men  and 
women  in  the  Sunday  school  movement.  A  pure  and  disinterested  service,  so 
refreshing  in  this  age  of  graft  and  selfishness.  The  children  are  the  hope  of 
the  country,  and  they  should  be  brought  up  in  the  ways  of  righteousness. 
When  time-servers  are  forgotten,  they  that  turn  many  to  holiness,  shall  shine 
t>*  the  stars  forever  and  ever. 

The  first  County  S.  S.  convention  was  held  in  Morrison,  Dec.  11-12,  1876. 


200  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Rev.  D.  E.  Wells  was  chosen  moderator,  and  Pay.son  Trask,  secretary.  State 
Secretary,  E.  Payson  Porter  gave  an  address,  Saving  of  the  World.  Fourteen 
townships  of  twenty-two  were  represented.  D.  J.  Jenne,  Sterling,  president; 
Payson  Trask,  Fulton,  secretary,  H.  C.  Donaldson,  Morrison,  statistical 
secretary,  were  chosen  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  next  convention 
:  met  in  Farwell  Hall,  Sterling,  May  7,  1877.  The  report  showed 
52  schools,  and  5,430  scholars.  The  next  year  the  meeting  was  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  Fulton,  May,  1878.  April  29,  1879,  saw  the  convention 
in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Morrison.  Rev.  E.  Brown  was  one  of  the  speak- 
ers. The  next  time  in  the  Congregational  church,  Sterling,  May  4,  1880.  The 
report  gave  75  schools  and  6,404  scholars.  Fulton  M.  E.  church  had  the 
following  session,  Dec.  13,  1881.  At  the  next  convention  in  Morrison  Baptist 
church,  Dec.  7,  1882,  there  were  64  schools  reported  with  a  membership  of 
5,160.  Jenne,  Trask,  and  Donaldson,  after  a  faithful  service  of  seven  years 
retired,  and  C.  W.  Sholes,  Morrison,  president;  Joseph  B.  Kearns,  Garden 
Plain,  sec. ;  and  G.  P.  Perry,  Sterling,  treasurer,  succeeded.  At  the  convention 
in  M.  E.  church,  Sterling,  Oct.  31,  1883,  W.  B.  Jacobs  gave  an  address  on  The 
True  Object  of  Our  Work,  and  How  to  Accomplish  It.  Forty  dollars  was 
appropriated  for  the  state  fund.  Next  in  Morrison,  Presbyterian  church,  Nov. 
11,  1884.  Erie  had  the  next  meeting,  in  M.  E.  church,  Nov.  2,  1885,  and  the 
officers  elected  were:  Pres.,  Dr.  Donaldson;  I.  M.  Phillips,  v.  pres. ;  G.  P. 
Perry,  treas;  rec.  sec.,  B.  T.  St.  John.  Oct.  21,  1886,  saw  the  convention  in 
Fulton,  Oct.  25,  1887,  in  Cong,  church,  Rock  Falls,  Dec.  22,  1888,  in  Morrison, 
Nov.  21,  1889,  in  Fulton,  Nov.  20,  1890,  in  Sterling,  Nov.  19,  1891,  in  Mor- 
rison, Nov.  1,  1892,  in  Fulton,  Sept.  20,  1893  in  Prophetstown,  Nov.  13,  1894, 
in  Rock  Falls,  Oct.  1,  1895,  Erie,  Nov.  21,  1896,  Morrison,  Nov.  9,  1897, 
Sterling,  Nov.  9,  1898,  Prophetstown,  Nov.  7,  1899,  Rock  Falls,  Nov.  20,  1900, 
Morrison.  Rev.  Henry  Moser,  Mary  Foster  Bryner,  and  W.  B.  Jacobs  were 
present.  The  silver  anniversary  was  observed,  1876-1900,  to  commemorate  the 
first  convention,  which  was  held  also  in  Morrison.  Among  those  present  then 
were  W.  F.  Eastman,  Overholser,  Tuttle,  Payne,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  R.  Aldritt, 
L.  E.  Mathews,  Mrs.  Woodruff.  At  the  meeting  in  Fulton,  1901,  Nov.  12, 
I.  M.  Phillips  was  pres.  and  S.  A.  Maxwell,  secretary.  The  convention  met  in 
Sterling,  Nov.  11,  1902,  in  Oct.  29,  1903,  at  Erie,  Nov.  3,  1904,  Presbyterian 
church,  Albany,  Nov.  2,  1905,  in  M.  E.  church,  Tampico,  Sept.  20,  1906, 
in  M.  E.  church,  Rock  Falls,  Sept..  26,  1907,  at  Morrison. 

COUNTY  OFFICERS  FOR   NINETEEN   HUNDRED  AND  EIGHT. 

President,  George  W.  Welch,  Sterling. 
Vice-President,  C.  E.  Ackerman,  Morrison. 
Recording  Secretary,  George  A.  Potter,  Erie. 
Statistical  Secretary,  Theodore  Trouth,  Sterling. 
Treasurer,  I.  D.  Woodford,  Morrison. 
Normal  Superintendent,  George  P.  Perry,  Sterling. 
Primary  Superintendent,  Mis-  Fanny  Riggs.  Morrison. 
Temperance  Secretary,  Rev.  J.  Burch,  Fulton. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  201 

Home  Dept.  Secretary  (Northern  District),  Mrs.  Lizzie  Detweiler,  Ster- 
ling. 

Home  Dept.  Secretary  (Southern  District),  Mrs.  Eliza  Frank,  Rock  Falls. 

DISTRICT  SECRETARIES. 

District  No.  1 — Hugh  Miller,  Sterling;  Jordan,  Sterling,  Coloma,  Genesee 
and  Hopkins. 

District  No.  2 — Frank  Milligan,  Tampico;  Montmorency,  Hahnaman, 
Hume  and  Tampico. 

District  No.  3 — M.  I.  Fadden,  Lyndon ;  Clyde.,  Mt.  Pleasant  and  Lyndon. 

District  No.  4 — W.  W.  Watson,  Morrison,  Ustick,  Union  Grove  and 
Fenton. 

District  No.  5 — Dr.  L.  Barber,  Fulton;  Fulton,  Garden  Plain,  Newton 
and  Albany. 

District  No.  6 — Frank  Cleaveland,  Prophetstown ;  Erie,  Prophetstown  and 
Portland. 

As  will  be  noticed,  the  conventions  have  been  changed  in  place  every  year 
so  that  an  interest  may  be  aroused  in  every  section  of  the  county.  The  plan 
has  proved  successful,  and  in  every  town  the  convention  is  the  enthusiastic 
event  of  the  week.  Good  singing,  addresses  by  prominent  educators,  discus- 
sions that  appeal  to  teachers  and  people.  Today  Whiteside  has  every  town- 
ship organized,  and  is  the  banner  and  star  county  in  the  state  for  S.  S.  work. 

LARGEST   SUNDAY  SCHOOLS   IN    COUNTY. 

Fourth  St.  M.  E.,  Sterling 482 

St.  John's  Lutheran,  Sterling 412 

Dutch  Reformed,  Fulton 323 

Congregational,  Sterling 308 

In  the  county  the  total: 

Sunday  School  Enrollment 8171 

Home  Department   570 

Cradle  Roll   .  .   507 


Grand  Total .9248 

There  are  936  officers  and  teachers,  and  the  amount  contributed  for  state 
work  is  $165. 

Theodore  Trouth,  Sterling,  statistical  secretary,  who  has  furnished  much 
of  the  material  for  this  sketch,  and  is  himself  a  pioneer  in  the  movement,  has 
given  the  writer  a  long  list  of  the  worthy  men  and  women  who  freely  gave 
their  time  and  talents  to  the  cause.  Among  the  wheelhorses  are  James  P. 
Overholser,  I.  M.  Phillips,  George  P.  Perry,  G.  W.  Olmstead,  H.  K.  Hostetter, 
J.  K.  Chester,  N.  G.  Van  Sant,  Hugh  Miller.  For  twenty  years  Perry  has  con- 
ducted every  winter  a  training  class  in  Sterling,  in  which  are  presented  the 
best  methods  of  teacher  training. 


202  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

TAMPICO. 

I  hear  thee  speak  of  the  better  land, 

Thou  callest  its  children  a  happy  band; 

Mother,  oh,  where  is  that  radiant  shore? 

Shall  we  not  seek  it,  and  weep  no  more? 

Is  it  where  the  feathery  palm-trees  rise, 

And  the  date  grows  ripe  under  sunny  skies? — Mrs.  Plenums. 

Tampico  sounds  like  Mexico,  and  calls  up  suggestions  of  dates  and  palms, 
but  it  is  not  so  far  south,  although  on  the  southernmost  tier  of  our  townships. 
If  you  leave  Sterling  in  the  morning  at  seven  on  the  Burlington,  change  at 
Denrock,  and  take  the  train  on  the  Mendota  branch,  you  will  reach  Tampico 
at  nine.  As  you  alight  at  the  station,  the  first  object  that  catches  the  eye  is 
the  soldiers'  monument  on  a  small  triangular  plaza  in  Spanish.  It  is  made 
of  granite,  seventeen  feet  to  the  head  of  the  infantry  soldier  on  the  summit. 
On  each  of  the  four  sides,  these  stirring  names,  Pea  Ridge,  Resaca,  Atlanta, 
Gettysburg.  Below,  El  Caney,  Guayama,  of  the  Spanish-American  War.  Also, 
the  inscription,  This  stone  is  a  reminder  of  the  cost  and  value  of  the  Union 
of  the  States,  1861-1865.  Erected  by  the  G.  A.  R.,  W.  R.  C.,  and  loyal  citi- 
zens. It  cost  about  $700.  A  handsome  ornament,  and  in  a  place  where  it 
appeals  to  the  traveler  to  pause  and  think. 

Every  place  has  its  great  name  that  shades  all  others.  In  Chicago  it  was 
Marshall  Field,  in  Philadelphia  it  is  John  Wanamaker.  In  Tampico  it  is 
John  W.  Glassburn.  Theodore  Parker  once  asked  a  stranger  visiting  in  Boston 
if  he  had  seen  George  Ticknor,  the  Spanish  historian.  "No,"  replied  the  man. 
"Well,"  said  Parker,  "you  might  as  well  visit  hell,  and  not  see  the  devil,  as 
come  to  Boston,  and  miss  Ticknor."  Mr.  Glassburn  is  called  the  father  of 
Tampico,  and  is  today  its  prominent  citizen.  He  came  to  Whiteside  in  1856, 
and  laid  out  his  farm  in  1861  where  the  town  now  stands.  He  paid  $7.50 
per  acre  for -the  land.  He  is  a  man  of  solid  frame,  and  a  hopeful  expression 
that  promises  many  more  years  of  activity. 

On  the  Main  street  which  runs  north  and  south,  and  Market  street,  east 
and  west,  there  are  forty  business  houses,  stores,  restaurants,  shops.  On  a  cor- 
ner is  the  Tampico  Bank,  established  in  1882.  J.  W.  Glassburn  is  president,. 
A.  T.  Glassburn  vice-pres.,  and  A.  C.  Glassburn  and  T.  A.  Curnow,  assistant 
cashiers.  Chicago,  New  York  an'd  foreign  exchange  bought  and  sold.  The 
Pitney  House  is  kept  by  0.  D.  Pitney,  an  old  timer,  who  came  in  1863  when 
there  were  more  frogs  and  wild  ducks  than  good  citizens  in  Tampico.  He  came 
originally  from  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and  has  reminiscences  of  Joshua  R.  Gid- 
dings,  James  A.  Garfield,  and  the  worthies  of  that  heroic  district.  He  is  "mine 
host"  of  the  novels,  who  sits  down  in  the  common  room,  and  chats  with  his 
guests. 

Where  village  statesmen  talked  with  looks  profound,  ' 
And  news  much  older  than  their  ale  went  round. 

Simpson's  lumber  yard  is  the  largest  of  that  business,  one  of  twenty  or 
thirty  branches  in  different  cities,  and  near  is  Legg's  poultry  house,  shipping 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  203 

chickens,  ducks,  geese,  turkeys,  chiefly  to  Boston  market.  A  good  point  for 
fowls,  Tampico  in  this  respect  ranking  second  in  the  list,  Polo  standing  first, 
and  Sterling  third  for  the  supply  of  barnyard  roasts. 

Tampico  Tornado  is  the  name  of  the  forceful  journal  that  faithfully  car- 
ries forward  the  various  interests  of  the  community.  George  Isherwood,  a 
practical  printer,  an  aggressive  and  intelligent  young  man,  is  editor  and  pro- 
prietor. For  the  benefit  of  foreign  advertisers,  he  has  a  standing  bulletin  at 
the  head  of  a  column  that  sets  forth  the  claims  of  the  town  at  a  glance : 

TAMPICO,  ILLINOIS. 

Tampico  is  located  in  southern  Whiteside  County,  on  the  Burlington  Ry., 
24  miles  southeast  of  Morrison,  the  county  seat,  in  one  of  the  best  farming  sec- 
tions of  Illinois.  It  has  a  population  of  1,500  and  is  a  model  little  city  of  neat, 
comfortable  homes  and  is  a  very  desirable  residence  place.  The  citizens  are 
progressive  and  alive  to  the  signs  of  the  times.  Its  religious  interests  are  well 
cared  for  by  the  Methodist,  Catholic,  Christian  and  Baptist  churches,  while  the 
public  schools  are  excellent,  well  conducted  and  largely  attended.  It  is  lighted 
by  electricity  and  is  one  of  the  best  grain  and  live  stock  markets  in  this  lati- 
tude. Tampico  has  a  bank,  two  elevators,  two  lumber  yards,  cement  works, 
feed  mill,  two  poultry  and  egg  houses,  newspaper,  and  two  hotels.  All  other 
lines  of  business  are  represented  by  wide-awake  business  men  and  it  is  a  fine 
trading  point. 

The  Tornado  was  established  in  1876  by  C.  F.  Gifford,  who  published  it 
until  seven  years  ago,  when  it  was  sold  to  A.  D.  Hill,  who  in  turn  transferred 
to  Mr.  Isherwood.  One  of  the  oldest  weeklies  in  the  county. 

0 

THE   CHURCHES. 

The  Baptist  was  organized  about  30  years  ago,  and  has  a  membership  of 
one  hundred  and  a  Sunday  school  of  120.  Numerous  societies,  The  Young 
People,  Ladies'  Aid,  Cradle  Roll,  and  two  stirring  associations,  the  Baracas  and 
Philatheas,  who  planned  a  program  to  solemnize  the  leave-taking  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Wright  and  family,  whose  ministrations  during  eight  years  closing  in  1908 
were  productive  of  so  much  pleasure  and  profit.  The  public  reception  at  the 
church  called  out  a  large  audience  of  parishioners  and  friends.  F.  B.  Thomas 
presented  the  retiring  pastor  and  wife  a  box  of  silverware,  which  was  accepted 
by  Mr.  Wright  in  a  feeling  speech,  alluding  to  the  cordial  relations  about  to 
be  severed. 

The  Christian  church  has  had  a  rapid  growth  as  it  was  organized  only 
in  October,  1900.  There  is  a  membership  of  98,  a  Sunday  school  of  one  hun- 
dred, a  Young  People's  Union  of  43,  with  Ladies'  Aid  and  other  societies. 
Rev.  Guy  L.  Zerby  is  pastor,  and  occasionally  fills  engagements  in  evangelistic 
work. 

The  Methodist  is  doubtless  the  largest  church  in  the  place,  with  250 
members,  a  Sunday  school  of  150.  two  Ladies'  Aid,  Epworth  League,  Junior 
League,  Men's  Club.  Rev.  James  Potter,  pastor,  has  had  charges  at  Walnut 
and  Albany.  He  pursued  his  studies  at  the  Northwestern  University.  At 


204  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

one  time,  Tampico  was  on  the  Spring  Hill  and  Yorktown  circuit,  but  in  1871, 
the  members  decided  to  be  independent,  and  in  1872  erected  a  building.  This 
was  destroyed  by  the  tornado  of  June,  1874,  and  in  1875  the  present  building 
was  completed,  at  a  cost  of  $2.500. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  church  is  the  most  costly  and  imposing  in  Tampico, 
perhaps  in  the  county.  Only  completed  in  October,  1907.  It  is  constructed 
of  a  beautiful  brick,  with  a  lofty  spire  containing  two  bells,  the  interior  richly 
finished  in  hard  wood,  stained  glass  windows  and  paintings  in  the  highest 
style  of  art,  heated  by  hot  water.  The  parish  was  organized  in  1875,  and  at 
first  in  connection  with  Sheffield  had  the  ministrations  of  the  same  priest. 
But  for  nearly  thirty  years  Tampico  has  supported  its  own  rector.  McGuire 
was  first  resident  priest,  followed  by  Weber,  Sullivan,  and  others.  The  present 
pastor,  Rev.  L.  X.  Du  Four,  in  his  fourth  year,  is  popular  with  all  classes, 
Catholic  and  Protestant.  A  saintly  name.  X  stands  for  Xavier,  the  devoted 
apostle  to  the  Indies.  Du  Four  was  ordained  at  Philadelphia  in  1882,  and 
has  been  professor  and  preacher.  The  membership  of  St.  Mary's  consists  of 
one  hundred  families.  The  parsonage  is  a  neat  frame,  south  of  the  church. 
A  short  distance  to  the  north  is  the  cemetery.  In  the  center  on  a  high  wooden 
cross  hangs  the  body  of  the  Savior. 

Was  it  for  crimes  that  I  have  done, 

He  groaned  upon  the  tree? 
Amazing  pity !  grace  unknown ! 

And  love  beyond  degree. 

As  may  be  expected,  the  names  on  the  tombstones  speak  of  the  Emerald 
Isle:  Sheehan,  Murphy,  Leahy,  McGuire,  Tierman,  Conroy,  Power,  Curran. 
Any  relative  of  Tyrone  Power,  the  Irish  comedian,  lost  in  the  steamship  Presi- 
dent 1840?  Any  relative  of  John  Philpot  Curran,  the  noted  Irish  orator?  Let 
us  keep  track  of  our  great  kindred.  Here  is  the  monument  of  Mary  A.  Ford, 
1816-1896.  "May  her  soul  rest  in  peace.  Amen."  On  the  same  is  the  name 
of  Peter  Ford,  her  husband,  laid  by  her  side  in  1907,  the  oldest  man  who  ever 
lived  in  the  county,  an  account  of  whose  life  will  be  found  in  Deer  Grove. 
The  memorials  are  chiefly  granite,  and  display  good  taste. 

ST.  MARY'S  LARGEST  CLASS. 

On  Sunday  morning  in  January,  1908,  a  class  of  over  ninety  children  were 
confirmed  by  Archbishop  Quigley  of  Chicago,  the  confirmation  occurring  at 
the  8  o'clock  mass.  The  services  were  extremely  solemn  and  impressive  and 
were  witnessed  by  a  very  large  congregation,  there  being  many  who  were  unable 
to  gain  admission  to  the  church.  A  throne  was  erected  at  the  right  of  the 
sanctuary  for  the  bishop.  The  altar  was  prettily  decorated  with  flowers  and 
plants  and  presented  a  very  pretty  appearance. 

The  class  was  the  largest  in  the  history  of  the  Tampico  parish.    The  girls 

were  adorned  in  pretty  gowns  of  white  and  the  boys  wore  bouquets  of  flowers 

in  their  coat  lapels.    Father  L.  X.  DuFour,  who  has  charge  of  the  parish,  is 

o  be  congratulated  on  securing  the  large  class  and  the  very  successful  service. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  205 

THE  SCHOOL. 

Like  our  other  towns,  Tampico  takes  pride  in  the  education  of  her  chil- 
dren. In  the  two-story  building  there  are  eleven  grades  under  the  direction 
of  the  following  efficient  corps  of  teachers :  Miss  Edna  Allen,  first  primary ; 
Miss  Grace  Booth,  second  primary;  Mrs.  Jennie  Maxwell,  intermediate;  Mr. 
L.  W.  Denison,  grammar;  Mr.  T.  J.  Haney,  high  school.  Mr.  Denison,  one  of 
the  most  successful  and  efficient  teachers  in  Whiteside,  is  now  filling  his  thir- 
teenth year  in  the  school.  He  is  a  capable  supervisor  of  grade  work,  and  a 
useful  citizen  everywhere.  The  principal,  T.  J.  Haney,  is  a  Hoosier,  and  after 
teaching  country  schools  for  seven  years,  studied  two  years  at  Eureka  college, 
and  after  graduating  at  State  Normal  at  Carbondale,  took  post-graduate  work 
at  Indiana  State  Normal  and  University  of  Illinois.  After  eight  years  as 
principal  in  various  towns,  he  assumed  his  present  position  in  1903.  In  1900 
he  passed  the  state  examination,  and  holds  a  life  certificate.  The  members  of 
the  school  board  are  Frank  Davis,  president,  0.  D.  Olson,  clerk,  and  Bert 
Meredith.  There  is  a  three  years'  high  school  course  adopted  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  state  university.  In  the  first  year,  English,  arithmetic  and 
algebra,  physiology  and  Latin.  In  the  second  year,  English,  algebra,  English 
history  and  Latin.  In  the  third,  English,  geometry,  physics,  civics,  and 
American  history.  English,  as  will  be  noted,  runs  through  the  whole  course.' 
This  is  sensible,  as  readiness  to  speak  and  write  correctly  is  of  the  first  import- 
ance. 

Before  Tampico  was  started,  the  first  school  in  the  district  was  a  half  mile 
south,  1869,  but  when  the  railroad  was  made  in  1871,  the  schoolhouse  was 
moved  to  town.  When  this  became  too  small,  an  upper  room  of  Guff'ey's 
building,  now  part  of  Burden's  opera  house,  was  rented,  and  another  teacher 
hired.  The  present  structure  was  built  in  1874.  A  long  list  of  teachers  have 
wielded  the  birch  since  A.  W.  Bastian,  who,  after  attaining  fame  and  fortune, 
is  now  educating  his  countrymen  through  the  columns  of  the  Fulton  Journal. 

Beneath  the  rule  of  men  entirely  great, 
The  pen  is  mightier  than  the  sword. 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MRS.   CHARLES  WEST. 

Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way. 

Eli  Cain  was  one  of  the  earliest  landlords  of  the  old  Tampico  House,  one 
of  the  first  buildings  in  town.  James  Cain  was  one  of  the  earliest  merchants, 
and  still  owns  two  buildings  on  west  side  of  Main  street.  Alfred -and  Fred 
Smith  have  been  hardware  dealers  for  nearly  35  years.  The  old  store  is  beside 
the  new  implement  building.  The  first  store  and  postoffice  building  occupied 
by  S.  B.  Winter,  now  84,  living  in  New  Jersey,  was  replaced  a  year  ago  by  a 
brick.  A  part  of  the  home  of  Delos  Craddock  belonged  to  a  structure  which 
occupied  the  site  of  Union  hall,  and  was  used  by  Dr.  Taggart,  the  earliest 
physician,  and  later  as  a  millinery  shop.  William  Kilroy  has  the  house  which 
was  occupied  for  many  years  by  C.  F.  Gifford,  the  first  editor  of  the  Tampico 
Tornado.  The  tornado  destroyed  the  back  part,  and  left  the  front  open  to  the 


208  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

weather  until  it  was  repaired.  Thomas  Dow  occupied  the  first  schoolhouse, 
moved  to  town  from  the  prairie  where  it  was  originally  built.  It  was  used  for 
town  elections.  The  teacher  was  George  Apley,  now  79,  and  living  in  Ne- 
braska. Charles  Burden  built  an  addition  to  an  old  brick,  and  with  his  brother, 
William,  conducts  a  store.  Above  the  two  is  Burden's  opera  house.  I  think 
it  was  in  the  spring  of  1874  that  A.  W.  Bastian  took  charge  of  the  school. 
That  winter  the  upper  part  of  Guffey's  building  was  rented,  and  the  younger 
pupils  placed  in  charge  of  Miss  Rose  Laughlin,  a  lovely  girl,  sister-in-law  of 
Fred  Smith.  Mr.  Bastian  was  an  exceptionally  good  teacher.  At  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  new  building  in  1874  a  fine  program  was  given.  The  music  was 
by  Isaac  West  and  his  son,  De  Witt,  and  daughter  Lovina.  It  was  the  earliest 
orchestra  I  can  remember.  Afterwards  a  big  supper  was  served  in  the  unfin- 
ished room.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  occasion. 

THE  BOYS  IN   BLUE. 

We  are  not  many,  we  who  pressed 
Beside  the  brave  who  fell  that  day; 

But  who  of  us  has  not  confessed 

He'd  rather  share  their  warrior  rest 

Than  not  have  been  at  Monterey  ?— Hoffman. 

The  Grand  Army  here  was  organized  in  1884,  and  is  called  the  S.  G. 
Steadman  Post,  491.  There  are  27  members.  It  was  the  privilege  of  the 
writer  to  visit  some  of  the  veterans.  Thomas  0.  Steadman,  born  in  Ohio,  came 
to  Illinois  in  1855,  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  75th  Illinois,  1862,  serving  until  1865, 
when  he  was  discharged  by  general  order.  He  was  in  Perryville,  Stone  River, 
Nashville,  and  never  a  scratch.  Health  somewhat  impaired  of  late. 

Robert  Collins  was  born  in  Ireland,  Queens  county,  coming  to  Elgin  in 
1854.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  7th  Illinois  Cavalry,  re-enlisted  in  Co. 
B,  36th  111.  Cavalry,  and  again  re-enlisted  in  Co.  K,  10th  111.  Cavalry.  He 
fought  at  Pea  Ridge,  Corinth,  Chickamauga,  Kenesaw,  Atlanta,  and  Benton- 
ville,  North  Carolina.  Served  to  the  close  of  the  war,  and  never  wounded. 

Barney  McGrady  came  from  New  York,  enlisting  at  Leta,  1862,  in  Co.  D, 
75th  111.,  Infantry,  then  at  Prophetstown,  re-enlisting  in  Co.  B,  34th  Illinois 
in  1864.  He  met  the  enemy  at  Perryville,  Nashville,  Atlanta,  Murfreesboro, 
Lookout  Mountain,  Dallas,  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  He  served  to  the  end 
of  the  conflict,  and  passed  every  battle  unhurt. 

John  H.  Milligan,  born  m  Ohio,  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  85th  Ohio  Infantry,' 
1862,  re-enlisted  1863  in  Second  Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  and  faced  bullets  at 
Knoxville  and  Franklin,  Tennessee.     Came  through  safe  and  sound. 

Jesse  Van  Bibber,  another  Ohio  hero,  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  87th  Ohio  Infan- 
try, then  in  Co.  G,  116th  Ohio  Infantry.  The  regiment  was  so  badly  cut  to 
pieces  towards  the  close  of  the  war  that  it  was  consolidated  with  the  62nd  Ohio 
Infantry,  and  later  with  the  67th  Ohio.  When  discharged  from  service  he 
was  in  this  regiment.  Comrade  Van  Bibber  faced  the  foe  in  dozens  of  battles, 
Harper's  Ferry,  Winchester,  Piedmont,  Fisher's  Hill,  Cedar  Creek,  Peters- 
burg, Appomattox.  He  was  wounded  and  captured  at  Harper's  Ferry,  wounded 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  207 

at  Newmarket,  at  Winchester,  and  at  Fisher's  Hill.  Appomattox  shows  that 
he  was  in  at  the  death  of  the  Confederacy.  Most  of  the  old  boys  are  in  good 
health,  and  are  met  on  the  streets  every  day,  and  always  ready  to  recall  the 
bloody  fight  and  the  tented  field.  They  face  the  setting  sun,  but  like  they 
faced  the  southern  foe,  with  a  heart  that  feels  no  fear.  These  five  soldiers  were 
all  past  commanders  of  the  post. 

The  veterans  were  very  much  surprised  and  gratified  with  the  action  of 
a  comrade,  Henry  Giles,  an  old  soldier  and  a  familiar  character,  who  resided 
in  Tampico  for  the  past  thirty  years  or  more,  made  a  will,  bequeathing  to 
Mrs.  DeWitt  West  $200,  also  left  $200  for  a  monument,  $100  at  interest  to 
care  for  his  grave  and  the  remainder,  about  $1,000,  to  the  G.  A.  R.  post  in 
Tampico.  He  had  no  relatives  living  so  far  as  he  knew.  He  did  not  know 
the  date  of  his  birth,  but  thought  it  was  about  1833.  He  came  to  Prophets- 
town  when  about  fourteen  years  old.  He  enlisted  in  Company  B  'of  the 
Thirty-fourth  Illinois  and  was  wounded  at  Corinth  by  being  shot  in  the  arm 
which  left  the  arm  stiff  at  the  elbow. 

Robert  Collins,  by  the  way,  was  a  scout  for  Gen.  0.  0.  Howard  under 
Captain  Duncan  from  Atlanta  to  Goldboro  and  he  was  one  of  the  party  of 
eight  scouts  under  this  same  captain  who  captured  Milledgeville,  the  town  that 
then  was  the  capital  of  Georgia,  thirty  miles  in  advance  of  Sherman's  army. 
He  was  with  Lieut.  John  A.  McQueen's  scouts  from  Buford  to  Goldboro  and 
was  in  the  night  engagement  at  Darlington,  S.  C.,  where  Lieut.  McQueen  was 
wounded. 

TAMPICO  AS  A  PHENIX. 

In  the  Greek  fable  the  phenix  was  a  bird  that  burned  itself  to  death,  and 
from  the  ashes  a  young  bird  arose.  This  is  Tampico.  Like  a  plucky  pugilist 
coming  up  smiling  after  a  desperate  round.  In  1872  the  frame  hotel  of 
Maurice  Fitzgerald,  and  part  of  Cain's  store  were  destroyed.  In  1874  High's 
grocery  and  dry  goods,  Burke's  grocery  and  residence,  Case  and  Davis,  Cloth- 
iers, and  Conroy's  dry  goods  and  grocery,  were  burned  out.  This  was  in  Jan- 
uary, and  by  the  following  June  the  site  was  built  up.  Then  came  the  fearful 
tornado  of  June  6,  1874,  which  fell  upon  the  devoted  village  on  the  evening  of 
Saturday.  The  worst  since  1860.  The  Whiteside  Sentinel  gave  a  full  account 
of  the  damage.  The  warehouse  and  elevator  of  Glassburn  &  Bryant,  T.  S. 
Beach's  elevator,  stores,  shops,  dozens  of  dwellings,  the  Methodist  church,  were 
wrecked  by  the  tempest,  and  all  the  dreadful  ruin  in  a  few  seconds.  No  live* 
lost,  but  many  persons  more  or  less  injured.  The  storm  came  from  the  south- 
west. A  committee  appointed  to  receive  aid  for  the  sufferers  met  a  generous 
response.  But  the  cup  of  calamity  was  not  yet  full.  In  1876,  early  on  Wednes- 
day, May  17,  1876,  a  fire  was  discovered  between  the  stores  of  Burke  anc 
High,  and  six  buildings  were  consumed  before  the  flames  were  under  control 
The  grocery  and  residence  of  James  Conroy,  Nelson  Maxson's  store,  Petei 
Burke's  grocery,  High's  store,  the  Tornado  office,  Melvin's  law  office,  Paice'; 
residence  and  butcher  shop,  Case  &  Adams'  Billiard  hall.  Many  of  these  wen 
at  once  rebuilt.  The  courage  of  the  citizen  always  rose  to  the  occasion. 


208  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

LODGES  AND   ORDERS. 

Oh,  for  a  lodge  in  some  vast  wilderness. 

No,  Cowper  was  nighty,  he  ought  to  have  wished  for  a  pleasant  town  where 
people  are  neighborly.  Tampico  is  nothing  if  not  sociable.  Most  of  the 
orders,  and  all  flourishing.  There  are  220  Woodmen,  and  100  Royal  Neigh- 
bors, and  when  they  have  drills  and  suppers,  no  end  of  solid  satisfaction. 
Burden's  opera  house  is  the  favorite  resort  for  these  functions.  It  will  seat 
500  persons.  The  Woman's  Relief  Corps  have  52  members,  and  are  active 
in  every  direction.  There  are  25  ladies  in  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  who  meet  every 
two  weeks.  The  president  is  Mrs.  DeWitt  West.  After  the  late  installation, 
225  persons  sat  at  tables  groaning  with  chicken  and  angel's  food.  The  rooms 
•of  the  Masonic  lodge  are  over  Glassburn's  bank,  and  are  nicely  fitted  with  every 
equipment  for  business  and  festivity.  About  eighty  in  the  blue  lodge.  T.  A. 
Curnow,  of  the  bank,  is  master.  The  Fraternal  Reserves  have  155  members. 
The  Mystic  Workers  are  rolling  up  a  good  membership.  Every  installation 
of  the  officers  of  these  orders  is  followed  by  a  banquet,  and  no  Venetian  carni- 
val ever  called  forth  so  much  happy  entertainment.  The  churches,  too,  have 
their  bazars.  It  is  a  community  of  good  fellowship. 

PIONEER  HOGEBOOM. 

Noah  J.  Hogeboom  died  at  the  home  of  his  son  John  at  Denrock,  Jan. 
13,  1908,  in  his  93rd  year.  Mr.  Hogeboom  came  from  Vermont  in  1855  and 
located  on  a  farm  south  of  Tampico,  which  was  his  home  for  nearly  50  years. 
A  few  years  ago  he  went  to  Missouri  and  stayed  about  three  years  and  on  his 
return  made  his  home  with  his  son  at  Denrock.  The  deceased  was  born  in 
Manchester,  Vt.,  Nov.  22,  1815.  He  married  Miss  Sara  Estabrook  Sept.  14, 
1842.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  survive,  John  N., 
and  Highland.  The  funeral  was  held  at  Tampico  Thursday,  with  burial  in 
the  cemetery. 

Mr.  Hogeboom  was  widely  known  throughout  this  section  and  was  a  con- 
scientious citizen,  filling  a  number  of  official  positions. 

His  early  home  in  Vermont  was  near  Bennington,  where  General  Stark 
defeated  the  Hessians  in  1777.  The  writer  saw  the  old  gentleman  at  Den- 
rock a  month  before  his  death,  and  his  tottering  step  showed  that  the  pilgrim 
would  soon  pass  to  the  other  shore. 

In  the  cemetery  in  the  northern  section  of  town  we  find  the  names  of 
well  known  citizens,  Glassburns,  Allen,  Leonard,  Wylie,  Hewlett,  Ferris, 
Brown,  Craddock,  McMillen,  Hughes,  Morse,  Vandemark,  Dean,  Muray.  Isaac 
W.  Hayes,  a  soldier,  1861,  aged  21,  a  flag  on  his  tomb.  J.  F.  Leonard,  G.  A. 
R.,  1838-1905.  This  stanza  on  one  brave  boy's  stone : 

He  has  finished  his  task, 

He  is  now  with  the  blest, 
May  this  flag  ever  wave, 

O'er  a  soldier  at  rest. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY-  209' 

On  the  tomb  of  Olsson,  an  inscription  in  Swedish.  Some  expensive  monu- 
ments. Iron  fence  in  front.  Numerous  evergreens. 

Besides  Dr.  A.  P.  McMillan,  dentist,  there  are  four  physicians,  Homer,. 
Terry,  Newton,  and  E.  W.  Wahl,  here  since  1895.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
medical  department  of  University  of  Illinois,  Chicago,  and  has  his  office  and 
residence  On  Main  street. 

One  of  the  earlier  doctors  was  Taggart,  succeeded  by  Dr.  A.  C.  Smith,  of 
Kentucky,  graduate  of  Long  Island  Hospital  College,  1874.  For  over  twenty 
years  he  was  a  medical  Good  Samaritan  to  Tampico  and  the  whole  outlying 
district,  traversing  the  \A~innebago  swamps  when  bridges  were  scarce,  and  horses 
had  to  swim.  His  father  in  Kentucky  was  a  disciple  of  Henry  Clay.  A  few 
years  ago  Dr.  Smith  removed  to  Sterling,  and  soon  acquired  a  fine  practice. 

TAMPICO'S  G.   O.   M. 

In  a  cozy  cottage  sitting  in  an  arm  tihair,  the  writer  found  the  dean  of 
early  settlers,  .Tampico's  grand  old  man,  Rufus  Aldrich.  He  was  born  in 
Bradford  county,  Pa.,  in  1817,  emigrated  to  Whiteside  in  1855,  and  purchased 
the  farm  on  which  he  spent  most  of  his  life  for  five  dollars  an  acre.  Of  seven 
children,  four  are  living.  His  youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  Steadman,  was  the 
first  child  born  in  the  township.  Sparsely  settled  then.  Only  two  houses 
between  his  place  and  Sterling.  Mr.  Aldrich  is  the  picture  of  a  patriarch,  who, 
with  his  bright  eye,  genial  smile,  snowy  hair  and  beard,  has  welcomed  the 
advancing  years  gracefully. 

Therefore  my  age  is  as  a  lusty  winter, 

Frosty  but  kindly. 

To  George  Isherwood,  editor  of  Tampico  Tornado,  we  are  indebted  for 
the  subjoined  account  of  the  telephone  business: 

The  Tampico  Farmers'  Mutual  Telephone  Company,  which  now  has  in 
active  operation  about  three  hundred  phones  and  has  miles  of  wire  reaching 
out  on  nearly  every  country  road,  was  the  direct  outgrowth  of  the  work  of 
one  man,  A.  A.  Shere,  who  resides  southwest  of  Tampico  in  Bureau  county. 
Tired  of  riding  for  doctors  and  threshing  hailds,  Mr.  Shere  thought  that  he 
and  a  few  neighbors  could  erect  a  telephone  line  along  their  highway  and 
let  it  do  the  work.  A  dozen  farmers  responded  to  his  request  to  buy  phones,, 
put  up  poles  and  have  a  line.  Other  farmers  then  clamored  for  admission  as 
they  saw  the  benefits  of  the  service,  and  the  Company  repeatedly  outgrew  its 
lines,  central  stations  and  reached  a  magnitude  beyond  the  wildest  dreams  of 
the  organizers.  At  first  a  president  and  secretary  attended  to  what  little  busi- 
ness was  transacted  but  as  the  volume  of  traffic  grew  the  company  was  incorpo- 
rated with  a  capital  stock  of  $6,000,  all  shares  subscribed  and  paid  for  and  at 
this  date  the  capital  stock  will  have  to  be  increased.  The  company  maintains 
a  central  office  in  Tampico  and  also  has  a  central  office  in  Rock  Falls.  Its 
lines  reach  Prophetstown  and  all  other  neighboring  villages  either  over  its 
own  lines  or  that  of  several  other  mutual  lines  that  are  connected  with  the 
Tampico  central.  E.  A.  Enimons  is  one  of  the  pioneer  founders  of  the  com- 
pany and  virtually  the  ''Father"  of  the  Telephone  Co. 


210  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

A  SOLDIER  PIONEER. 

His  family  was  shocked  by  the  sudden  death  of  Elbert  E.  Wheelock  in 
February,  1908.  He  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1847,  came  to  Whiteside 
in  1854,  and  35  years  ago  moved  to  the  north  of  Tampico,  where  he  lived  ever 
since.  Mr.  Wheelock  served  as  a  private  in  Co.  G,  147th  111.,  Vol.  Inf.,  and  on 
his  enlistment  in  Feb.  18,  1865,  moved  with  his  regiment  right  into  the  thick 
of  the  war  around  Dalton,  Ga.,  and  until  mustered  out  at  Savannah  in  Jan. 
1866,  was  engaged  in  the  perilous  work  of  scouting  and  fighting  the  numerous 
guerrilla  bands  that  infested  northern  Georgia,  and  protecting  the  Union's 
interests  among  the  people.  He  always  took  a  very  great  interest  in  the  Grand 
Army  Post  and  was  the  founder  of  Samuel  G.  Steadman  Post,  located  here. 
He  also  was  instrumental  in  securing  the  large  cannon  that  decorates  the  park 
and  was  active  in  the  formation  of  the  Tampico  Relief  Corps.  He  was  Com- 
mander of  tlio  post  for  several  terms  and  wras  also  the  first  consul  of  the  Tam- 
pico Woodmen  camp,  being  a  member  of  that  order  and  also  the  Knights  of 
the  Globe,  holding  insurance  in  each  order  for  $2,000. 

In  all  things  pertaining  to  the  post  his  whole  soul  was  wrapped  up  and  he 
will  be  greatly  missed  by  his  old  comrades  and  the  Post. 

A  PIONEER  MINISTER. 

His  son,  Rev.  William  Pinkney,  now  residing  in  Sterling,  has  given  the 
writer  some  account  of  his  father,  Rev.  John  Pinkney,  Wesleyan  clergyman, 
who  seemed  to  be  pastor  at  large  for  the  whole  lower  section  of  the  county, 
from  Tampico  to  Hume,  preaching  in  schoolhouses  and  homes.  He  labored 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  and  his  devotion  was  duly  appreciated  by  the 
people  who  otherwise  would  have  had  no  gospel  privileges.  He  came  from 
Yorkshire,  England,  in  1841,  and  died  in  1870.  Pleasant  to  relate,  his  son, 
William,  continues  the  work  in  some  of  the  old  neighborhoods. 

Servant  of  God,  well  done, 
Rest  from  thy  loved  employ ! 

ITEMS. 

A  good  stock  market.  Farmers  buy,  feed,  and  sell.  Ralph  McGrady  this 
winter  shipped  a  carload  of  hogs  to  Chicago,  which  averaged  283  pounds. 

For  the  six  months  ending  Jan.  1,  1908,  the  first  class  mail  weighed  1,192 
pounds,  second,  2,924,  third,  281,  fcrurth,  234. 

Water  is  good  and  abundant.  Wells  can  be  sunk  anywhere,  and  at  a 
depth  of  a  few  feet,  a  never  failing  flow  is  secured. 

C.  F.  Gifford,  former  editor  of  the  Tornado,  is  one  of  the  retired  oracles 
of  the  town,  to  drop  into  offices,  and  regulate  the  policies  of  the  nation.  He 
spent  some  years  in  California. 

The  road  leading  from  Sterling  to  Green  River  and  Yorktown  was  the 
first  main  highway,  with  branches  at  Glassburn's  farm,  one  to  Yorktown,  the 
other  to  Green  River. 

A  natural  curiosity  west  of  town  called  the  '"Blow-Out."  Over  a  space 
of  seven  acres  is  an  immense  basin,  the  sand  blown  away  to  the  depth  of  sixty 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  211 

feet,  as  if  by  a  succession  of  enormous  whirlwinds.  A  red  cedar  once  stood 
in  the  center,  cut  down  in  1850. 

Before  the  land  was  drained  by  ditching,  the  sloughs  in  spring  and  win- 
ter were  terrible,  and  many  narrow  escapes  are  related  of  teamsters  from  drown- 
ing and  freezing. 

The  Tornado  is  now  printed  on  a  large  new  cylinder  press  recently  in- 
stalled. It  is  so  large  that  it  nearly  reaches  the  ceiling,  and  the  press  feeder 
has  to  mount  four  steps  to  reach  his  position. 

The  Baptist  church,  vacant  for  a  time,  has  a  new  pastor  in  Rev.  Mr. 
Mayhew.  He  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and  after  attendance  at  various  schools, 
and  attaining  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  he  studied  in  the  graduate  schools  of  the 
University  of  Chicago  from  1902  to  1905,  specializing  in  public  speaking. 
Later  teaching  public  speaking  at  Illinois  Wesleyan  college  and  serving  pastor- 
ates at  Albany,  Wisconsin ;  Barrington,  Illinois,  and  later  at  Silvas,  from  which 
place  he  came  to  Tampico. 

The  following  is  the  ticket  elected  in  1908,  April.  Trustees:  P.  A.  Mc- 
Millan, 79;  A.  J.  Glassburn,  67;  J.  M.  Jacobs,  73;  Clerk,  Frank  Linder,  67. 

ATTORNEYS  OF  THE  WHITESIDE  COUNTY  BAR  IN  1908. 

AV.  II.  Allen,  Erie;  J.  0.  Allen,  Erie;  Frank  J.  Bowman,  Sterling;  Wm. 
A.  Blodgett,  Morrison;  E.  M.  Blodgett,  Sterling;  Jacob  Cantlin,  Rock  Falls; 
Jarvis  Dinsmoor,  Sterling;  D.  S.  Efner,  Albany;  V.  S.  Ferguson,  Sterling; 
Walter  N.  Haskell,  Sterling ;  Alfred  M.  Hanson,  Fulton ;  C.  C.  Johnson,  Ster- 
ling; Edmond  Jackson,  Fulton;  Royce  A.  Kidder,  Sterling;  J.  J.  Lud'ens, 
Sterling;  Harry  Ludens,  Morrison;  C.  G.  Macklin,  Morrison;  C.  C.  McMahon, 
Fulton;  Wm.  H.  Mitchell,  Fulton;  R.  W.  E.  Mitchell,  Sterling;  S.  M.  McCal- 
mont,  Morrison;  Luther  R.  Ramsay,  Morrison;  John  A.  Riordon,  Morrison; 
Myron  C.  Rogers,  Fulton ;  L.  T.  Stocking,  Morrison ;  Walter  Stager,  Sterling ; 
John  Stager,  Sterling;  C.  L.  Sheldon,  Sterling ;  Carl  E.  Sheldon,  Sterling;  N.  G. 
Van  Sant,  Sterling;  H.  C.  Ward,  Sterling;  A.  A.  Wolfersperger,  Sterling;  C. 
H.  Woodburn,  Sterling ;  D.  C.  Wait,  Fulton ;  H.  H.  Wait,  Prophetstown ;  I.  L. 
Weaver,  Sterling;  John  A.  Ward,  Sterling. 

Of  these  the  longest  in  practice  are  W.  H.  Allen,  Walter  Stager,  C.  L. 
Sheldon,  H.  C.  Ward,  C.  C.  Johnson.  Several  brilliant  young  advocates  are 
coming  on  who  may  in  time  take  the  place  of  Judge  Marshall  on  the  bench 
and  Daniel  Webster  in  the  Senate.  , 

HAHNAMAN. 

Joy,  temperance,  and  repose, 

Slam  the  door  on  the  doctor's  nose.— Longfellow. 

If  our  early  friend,  Reuben  Davis,  or  Doc  Davis  as  he  was  familiarly 
called,  had  been  the  first  settler,  the  supposition  might  be  that  he  named  the 
township  after  Hahnemann,  the  celebrated  German  physician,  who  died  in 
1843.  But  as  he  was  the  founder  of  homeopathy,  and  Reuben  may  not  have 
believed  in  that  method  of  treatment,  we  give  up  the  conundrum.  William 


212  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Renner  and  family  from  Pennsylvania,  who  settled  at  Deer  Grove  in  1841, 
were  the  pioneers  in  this  quarter. 

DYING  IN   THE  LAST  DITCH. 

Although  much  of  the  land  is  swampy,  the  settlers  knew  that  thorough 
drainage,  as  in  Holland,  would  bring  rich  returns  from  the  deep  black  soil, 
and  from  the  first  have  spared  no  labor  or  expense  to  improve  the  situation. 
Never  say  die.  Winnebago  Swamp  on  the  north  and  Green  river  on  the 
south  surround  a  large  area,  and  form  what  is  known  as  Paddy's  Island,  from 
the  number  of  Milesian  emigrants  who  were  gathered  there.  These  ditches 
have  done  excellent  service,  but  are  not  yet  complete.  Heavy  rainfalls  or 
gorges  of  snow  and  ice  still  occasionally  inundate  fertile  fields.  A  contract 
has  been  made  for  a  new  ditch,  perhaps  the  largest  yet  constructed.  The  drain- 
age district  begins  on  the  Lee  county  line,  and  continues  westward  to  Proph- 
etstown.  The  ditch  when  completed  will  be  one  of  the  largest  in  Whiteside 
county  and  will  be  a  small  river.  It  will  be  twenty  feet  wide  on  the  bottom 
with  a  slope  of  one  to  one.  Even  now  through  what  was  once  a  sluggish 
marsh,  a  strong  current  flows  along  like  a  creek.  For  the  new  ditch  there 
were  twelve  bidders,  prices  ranging  from  twelve  and  one-half  cents  per  cubic 
yard  to  six  and  four-tenths,  the  lowest.  In  February,  1908,  the  necessity  for 
better  defense  against  the  elements  was  signally  shown.  The  levee  on  Green 
river  broke  under  pressure  of  heavy  snow  following  rain,  submerging  hun- 
dreds of  acres.  Only  the  summer  before  Green  river  was  dredged  and  widened 
and  a  bank  built  to  protect  the  farm  lands  in  that  country.  The  work  on  the 
river  and  on  Winnebago  ditch  was  done  at  a  cost  of  $100,000.  The  only 
safety  is  in  enlarging  and  strengthening  these  levees. 

Deer  Grove  is  the  largest  cluster  of  houses  in  the  township.  Besides  the 
railroad  station,  there  is  an  elevator,  two  stores,  school,  a  few  dwellings,  an 
inn  for  the  entertainment  of  travelers,  and  a  blacksmith  shop.  Occasional 
preaching  by  Methodist  ministers  from  Walnut.  The  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  1873,  W.  H.  Wheeler  as  postmaster.  He  had  come  that  year  and 
built  a  house.  Other  settlers  were  Harvey  Durr,  M.  Patterson,  Cady  Burgess. 
Fred  Wahl  bought  his  land  in  1868,  paying  $18  per  acre,  living  there  until 
his  removal  to  Sterling.  Dr.  Wahl,  the  leading  physician  in  Tampico,  is  his 
son.  Henry  Flock  and  Henry  Pott,  Germans,  were  also  settlers  about  1872. 
Both  in  the  army. 

On  the  hill  south  of  Deer  Grove  is  the  residence  of  William  McCormick, 
born  in  Ireland,  1825,  who  sailed  from  Cork  in  1854,  landing  in  New  York. 
A  fearful  trip.  A  thousand  emigrants  and  at  sea  for  months.  He  bought  his 
farm  in  1855,  but  lived  awhile  in  Sterling. 

The  road  from  Sterling  to  Green  river  was  the  earliest  traveled,  an  Indian, 
trail.  The  first  regularly  laid  out  road  was  in  1856. 

William  Renner  built  the  first  log  cabin  in  1841  at  Deer  Grove,  and  the 
first  schoolhouse,  sixteen  feet  square  and  seven  feet  high,  was  erected  at  the 
Brakey  settlement  in  1857,  with  Amos  Reeves  as  teacher,  afterwards  Supervisor 
and  a  prominent  citizen. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  213 

BRAVE  RECORD  IN  THE  WAR. 

But  screw  your  courage  to  the  sticking  place, 
And  we'll  not  fail. — Macbeth. 

For  a  small,  thinly  inhabited  town,  the  men  of  Hahnaman  rallied  nobly 
around  the  flag  in  1861.  Ten  enlisted  with  the  Yates  Sharpshooters:  Mc- 
Mckle,  Hinman,  Harvey,  Reeves,  William  and  Mahlon  Humphrey,  Crosby 
and  H.  D.  Ryder,  Henry  May.  The  latter  was  killed  at  Atlanta  in  1864.  Mah- 
lon Humphrey  died  at  Cairo  in  1862.  Hinman  was  wounded  at  Atlanta. 
John  Renner  was  four  months  in  Andersonville.  J.  C.  Reeves  joined  the  9th 
N.  Y.  Cavalry.  James  Renner,  Walter  Johnson,  T.  B.  Davis,  John  Chambers, 
Albert  McNickle,  H.  S.  Humphrey,  enlisted  in  various  Illinois  regiments. 

HENRY  POTT,  VETERAN. 

In  his  cozy  cottage  in  Sterling,  the  writer  had  a  delightful  visit  with  Mr. 
Pott,  who,  with  his  family  retired  from  his  Deer  Grove  farm  in  1901.  His 
war  experience  fresh  and  thrilling  as  of  yesterday.  His  regiment,  75th  Illinois, 
had  only  thirteen  rounds  of  ammunition  until  they  clamored  for  sixty  to  go 
into  that  disastrous  battle  at  Perryville,  and  when  they  retreated  into  the 
cornfield  the  rebel  bullets  rattled  on  the  shocks  and  stones  like  hail.  He  was 
in  all  the  battles  to  Atlanta.  At  Lovejoy  station  a  ball  destroyed  an  eye. 
After  discharge  from  the  hospital,  he  was  sent  with  others  to  Mound  City 
near  Cairo,  where  they  received  bounty  and  pay,  and  came  home.  He  bought 
120  acres  at  Deer  Grove  in  1872  of  improved  land  for  $30  per  acre. 

PETER  FORD,  CENTENARIAN. 

The  mossy  marbles  rest, 
On  the  lips  he  has  prest, 

In  their  bloom ; 

And  the  names  he  loved  to  hear, 
Have  been  carved  for  many  a  year, 

On  the  tomb. — Holmes. 

In  January,  1908,  it  was  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to  stand  by  the  grave 
of  the  oldest  man  who  ever  lived  in  Whiteside.  He  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Catholic  cemetery  at  Tampico.  It  is  a  regret  never  to  have  met  the  veteran, 
and  hear  from  his  own  lips  the  incidents  of  a  career  that  started  with  the  last 
century.  Some  of  his  younger  neighbors  who  knew  the  old  gentleman  well, 
have  given  the  writer  various  reminiscenes  of  their  intimacy. 

Henry  Pott  and  his  brother-in-law,  Henry  Flock,  ran  a  threshing  ma- 
chine, and  frequently  did  work  for  Peter,  on  his  farm.  It  was  in  the  days 
when  horse  power  was  used.  They  had  a  pair  of  fine  horses  which  they  at- 
tached to  the  machine,  the  farmer  furnishing  the  others.  Henry  did  the 
driving  with  a  long  whip.  Peter  was  lying  barefoot  by  the  stack,  watching 
operations.  The  fat  horses  of  the  threshers  were  not  pulling,  and  his  own  were 
doing  most  of  the  work,  so  Peter  called  out,  "Henry,  touch  up  your  team  wid 
your  lash,  the  whiffletrees  are  dangling  against  their  legs."  Peter  was  a  close 
observer  and  saw  everything. 


214  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

On  another  threshing  occasion,  the  men  started  before  breakfast  to  set 
the  machine  firmly  to  be  ready  to  begin  work  early.  But  a  blind  horse 
balked,  refusing  to  pull,  and  while  the  men  rode  back  to  the  barn,  on  the 
way  they  had  to  pass  a  pond  where  a  flock  of  geese  were  sleeping.  The  blind 
horse  stumbled  over  the  birds,  bruising  an  old  gander,  and  the  whole  troupe 
set  up  a  furious  screaming.  Peter's  kitchen  door  was  ajar,  and  a  face  peered 
in  the  direction  of  the  clamor.  At  breakfast,  they  told  Peter  of  the  catastrophe, 
claiming  that  a  wolf  had  killed  one  of  the  flock  during  the  night.  "Wolf!" 
exclaimed  Peter,  "it  was  your  horse,  your  blind  wolf,  that  spoiled  my  fowl." 
To  make  the  best  of  the  disaster,  Peter  got  the  goose,  and  the  two  Henrys  had 
the  fat  bird  for  dinner. 

Several  years  ago  Peter  had  a  sore  leg  with  an  inflammation  that  refused 
to  yield  to  repeated  medical  treatment,  until  a  Spiritualist  doctor  was  sum- 
moned from  Polo,  and  the  limb  was  restored  whole  as  the  other.  This  is 
not  an  advertisement,  but  belongs  to  our  narrative. 

His  house  had  low  ceilings,  and  on  Mr.  Pott  telling  him  that  he  had  to  be 
continually  dodging  as  he  passed  through  the  house,  Peter  said  he  didn't  build 
the  cottage  for  anybody  taller  than  he  was.  Peter  was  a  small  man ;  of  light 
frame,  and  until  recent  years  of  active  habits,  laboring  regularly  on  his  farm. 

At  one  time,  he  had  a  large  plantation  of  several  hundred  acres,  lying 
northeast  of  Deer  Grove,  on  the  borders  of  Whiteside  and  Lee  counties. 
Various  misfortunes,  however,  rendered  it  necessary  to  sell  parts,  and  at  his 
death,  he  was  in  moderate  circumstances.  His  son  took  charge  of  the  farm  in 
later  years,  and  Peter  with  his  wife  retired  to  a  home  in  Tampico,  where  he 
remained  to  her  death.  Since  that  time,  he  lived  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Cole- 
man,  in  Deer  Grove,  where  he  breathed  his  last. 

His  son  Dominick  lives  in  Sterling,  and  tells  the  writer  his  father  at  his 
death  had  a  head  of  snow  white  hair,  the  color  originally  black.  He  had  no 
full  beard,  simply  whiskers  on  the  chin. 

His  death  occurred  on  Friday,  May  17, 1907.  Mr.  Ford  was  born  at  Killala 
in  county  Mayo,  Ireland,  June  22,  1802.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Mul- 
doon  on  Jan.  24,  1834,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1840,  locating  near  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  worked  on  the  Erie  canal.  Three  years  later  his  wife  and  two 
children  came  over  and  the  family  then  went  to  Canada  and  made  their  home 
near  Smith's  Falls  until  1857.  They  came  to  Illinois  that  year  and  stayed  in 
Dixon  for  a  short  time.  Mr.  Ford  then  purchased  a  farm  in  Hahnaman  and 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1887  he  removed  to  Tampico,  where  he  resided  until 
his  wife's  death  in  1895,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  with  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Coleman,  in  Deer  Grove.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ford  had  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living. 

Mr.  Ford  retained  his  faculties  well  until  his  death.  He  was  strictly  tem- 
perate in  his  habits  and  never  used  tobacco  nor  intoxicating  liquors  although 
at  one  time  he  was  employed  for  several  years  in  a  distillery.  He  had  a  re- 
tentive memory  and  easily  recalled  the  war  of  1812  and  the  Black  Hawk  and 
Mexican  wars.  He  had  a  distinct  memory  of  the  death  of  every  president  of 
the  United  States  except  Washington. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  215 

Mr.  Ford  came  of  a  long  lived  race.  All  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  lived 
to  be  over  80 ;  one  aunt  lived  to  be  115  years  of  age  and  his  grandmother  also 
passed  the  century  mark. 

The  highway  commissioners  of  Hahnaman  township  are  making  arrange- 
ments to  install  two  new  steel  bridges  over  Green  river  near  Deer  Grove.  The 
structures  spanning  the  river  near  Deer  Grove  have  been  in  a  dangerous  con- 
dition for  some  time  and  these  will  be  replaced  with  two  good  steel  structures. 
The  township  of  Hahnaman  is  one  of  the  most  costly  townships  of  the  county 
to  be  bridged,  due  to  the  many  ditches  and  the  Green  river  which  crosses  it. 

His  daughter,  Mrs.  Coleman,  says  her  father  had  no  faith  in  doctors, 
would  not  take  medicine,  and  when  sick,  would  often  fast  four  days.  He  lost 
his  last  teeth  ten  years  before  his  death.  Although  for  the  last  four  years,  he 
sat  much  in  his  chair,  he  was  not  helpless.  Appetite  so  good  that  he  regularly 
took  three  meals  a  day.  Took  great  interest  in  current  affairs,  and  followed 
the  operations  of  the  Boer  struggle  and  our  Spanish-American  war.  He  never 
wore  glasses. 

A  PIONEER'S  WIDOW. 

In  her  white  frame  cottage  on  Sixth  avenue,  Sterling,  the  writer  found 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Davis,  quietly  enjoying  the  sunset  of  life.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Work,  and  she  was  married  to  Reuben  Davis  in  Ohio  in  1849.  They  came 
to  Como,  where  they  kept  the  Rock  Island  House,  at  which  the  stage  travelers 
took  meals.  At  the  same  time,  her  husband  practiced  his  profession,  as  he 
had  attended  medical  lectures  in  Cincinnati.  In  1860  they  moved  to  the  farm 
in  Hahnaman,  where  .they  lived  till  his  death  in  1887.  Although  busy  with 
his  farm,  he  had  constant  calls  from  the  sick  which  he  always  obeyed.  A 
ready  speaker,  and  fond  of  debate.  When  able  to  go  out,  Mrs.  Davis  is  a  regu- 
lar attendant  at  the  Lutheran  church.  She  is  nearly  77.  Doc  was  68. 

TWO  GOLDEN  WEDDINGS. 

Look  down,  you  gods, 

And  on  this  couple,  drop  a  blessed  crown. — Shakespeare. 

Ponce  de  Leon  looked  for  the  fountain  of  perpetual  youth  in  Florida,  but 
never  found  it,  because  it  was  not  there.  It  is  in  Hahnaman.  People  die  even 
in  California,  but  seldom  in  this  favored  township.  Just  think  of  two  golden 
weddings  within  a  week!  On  Sunday,  Feb.  16,  1908,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
McGuire  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage  at  their  home, 
surrounded  by  their  children,  grandchildren  and  a  host  of  relatives.  They 
were  married  in  Dixon,  and  after  three  years  in  Sterling,  removed  to  Hahna- 
man, where  they  have  since  resided.  They  are  both  hale  and  hearty,  and  will 
now  prepare  for  the  diamond  jubilee. 

On  Saturday,  Feb.  22,  by  a  freak  of  the  almanac,  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Wahl  coincided  with  the  birthday  of  the  illustrious 
George.  They  really  belong  to  Hahnaman,  as  their  active  years  were  spent 
there,  but  farming  becoming  too  strenuous,  in  1890  they  took  their  abode  in 
a  new  home  on  Ninth  avenue,  Sterling.  This  was  the  scene  of  the  festivities. 


216  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

All  of  their  family  were  present  except  a  daughter,  Ethel,  in  California.    Both 
are  in  the  discharge  of  daily  duties,  and  ready  to  greet  friends  with  a  smile. 

Including  the  family  of  nine  children,  sixteen  grandchildren,  and  one 
great-grandchild,  thirty-six  relatives  sat  down  to  a  banquet  that  only  Mrs. 
Wahl,  a  cook  of  the  old  school,  could  prepare.  She  was  Miss  Anna  Kirgis. 
Besides  words  of  congratulation,  the  occasion  was  made  memorable  by  marks 
of  substantial  appreciation.  Mr.  Wahl  was  brought  to  time  with  a  solid  gold 
wateh,  and  his  estimable  partner  will  hereafter  make  her  toilet  with  a  diamond 
brooch. 

Perhaps  the  only  murder  in  the  township  occurred  June  26,  1901,  when 
Thomas  Brunton  killed  Thomas  McDonald,  at  Deer  Grove,  by  knocking  him 
down.  Both  were  tramps,  and  at  the  time  were  carousing  at  a  shed  or  corn 
crib. 

DRAINAGE  IN  WHITESIDE. 

BY  JOHN  D.     AREY,  CIVIL  ENGINEER. 

The  history  of  the  drainage  of  the  swamp  lands  of  Whiteside  county  will 
at  the  present  time  cover  a  period  of  over  fifty  years.  The  south  half  of  the 
county  is  mostly  level  land  with  here  and  there  a  few  sand  hills,  and  contains 
about  four-fifths  of  the  swamp  lands.  The  north  half  is  more  broken  and 
hilly,  and  most  of  the  low  lands  are  in  the  western  part  along  the  Mississippi 
bottoms. 

In  1850  congress  passed  an  act  to  enable  the  states  to  reclaim  and  improve 
the  swamp  lands  within  their  limits,  and  in  1852  the  general  assembly  of  the 
state  of  Illinois  passed  an  act  giving  each  county  the  authority  to  select,  and 
sell  the  swamp  lands  and  devote  the  proceeds,  to  the  drainage  or  reclaiming 
said  lands. 

The  act  also  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a  drainage  commissioner 
who  was  to  select  the  lands,  and  under  the  directions  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors see  that  the  provisions  of  the  act  were  carried  to  completion. 

The  total  number  of  acres  selected  and  sold  by  the  county  was  a  little 
over  seventy  thousand,  of  which  about  one-fourth  was  in  the  townships  of  Tam- 
pico  and  Hahnaman,  the  rest  being  in  the  other  twenty  townships  except  Gen- 
esee  and  Jordan,  both  high  and  rolling  land.  The  lands  were  appraised  and 
sold  at  different  prices,  three  dollars,  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents,  and  fifty  cents 
per  acre,  the  terms  of  sale  were  one-fourth  cash,  with  the  balance  in  notes  with 
interest.  Forty  acres  was  the  smallest  subdivision  of  land  sold,  and  some  tracts 
would  be  partially  dry  land,  others  entirely  in  deep  swamps,  the  total  receipts 
from  the  swamp  land  sales  was  over  $175,000. 

Three-fourths  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  lands  were  loaned  at  a  high 
rate  of  interest,  and  a  large  sum  of  money  having  accumulated  it  was  turned 
over  to  the  school  fund,  and  distributed  among  the  townships  in  the  same  ratio 
with  other  school  moneys.  The  townships  of  Tampico  and  Hahnaman  pro- 
tested against  it,  but  were  overruled.  The  amount  turned  over  was  about 
$175,000,  about  the  amount  for  which  the  lands  were  sold. 

After  the  first  land  sale  the  drainage  commissioner  began  the  construction 
of  ditches  through  the  channels  of  the  largest  sloughs,  the  longest  being  the 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  217 

Coon  creek  ditch  about  twenty  miles  in  length,  running  from  the  east  line  of 
the  county  in  the  township  of  Montmorency,  in  a  southwesterly  course 
through  the  townships  of  Montmorency,  Hume  and  Tampico,  emptying  into 
the  creek  east  of  Prophetstown  village.  This  ditch  has  several  branches  that 
would  make  the  total  length  over  forty  miles. 

Over  one  hundred  miles  of  ditches  were  made  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $90,000. 
This  amount  was  all  the  county  of  Whiteside  spent  in  the  drainage  of  the 
lands  donated  by  the  government  for  that  purpose. 

In  1879  an  act  was  passed  by  the  general  assembly  enabling  the  owners  of 
adjoining  tracts  of  land  to  form  drainage  districts  for  the  purpose  of  raising 
money  by  assessment  on  the  lands  improved,  to  pay  the  cost  of  building  levees, 
and  digging  ditches.  The  law  proved  to  be  a  cumbersome  piece  of  machinery 
to  effect  its  purpose,  and  until  it  was  amended  in  1885  making  the  commis- 
sioners of  highways  ex-officio  drainage  commissioners,  there  was  very  little 
done.  Since  then  there  has  been  spent  a  large  amount  of  money  for  reclaim- 
ing wet  lands. 

The  land  now  improved  under  the  drainage  law  is  more  than  twice  the 
amount  selected  and  sold  by  the  county,  and  about  one-half  of  the  wet  land  is 
now  under  cultivation.  The  old  ditches  have  been  enlarged,  new  ones  dug, 
and  ditching  machines  are  continually  at  work.  It  will  take  much  labor  aad 
time  to  make  all  of  the  low  lands  tillable  every  year,  but  as  they  increase  in 
value,  a  greater  expenditure  will  be  warranted  for  their  improvement. 

The  boundary  line  between  the  counties  of  Whiteside  and  Rock  Island  is 
the  channel  of  a  swamp  through  the  low  lands  between  the  Mississippi  and 
Rock  rivers,  a  distance  of  about  fifteen  miles,  called  the  Meredosia  slough,  the 
name  being  a  corruption  of  "Marais  D'  Ogee",  given  the  swamp  by  the  early 
French  explorers.  About  half  way  between  the  two  rivers  the  channel  is  hard 
to  find,  the  ground  being  very  lever  for  about  two  miles  in  all  directions,  and 
for  some  time  there  was  a  dispute  about  the  line,  each  county  claiming  juris- 
diction over  about  a  thousand  acres.  The  land  in  question  is  on  a  higher  level 
than  the  swamp  north  and  south,  and  forms  a  divide  between  the  rivers  over 
which  the  water  from  either  river  when  high  would  flow  to  the  other.  A  few 
years  ago  a  dyke  was  built  across  the  divide  over  which  the  water  has  never  been 
high  enough  to  pass. 

The  drainage  of  the  swamp  is  accomplished  by  forming  union  drainage 
districts,  parts  of  which  are  in  each  county. 

COLOMA. 

The  world  was  sad- — the  garden  was  a  wild ; 

And  man,  the  hermit,  sighed — till  woman  smiled. — Campbell. 

As  Paris  is  France,  so  Rock  Falls  is  Coloma.  For  a  long  time,  there  was 
no  Rock  Falls.  It  has  shot  up  like  a  gourd  within  the  memory  of  the  present 
generation.  After  Sterling  was  a  goodly  city,  the  opposite  bank,  the  site  of 
Rock  Falls,  was  a  sand  waste.  It  was  open  commons  for  sham  battles.  It  was 
like  Ethiopia  on  maps  of  Africa  in  1850,  a  sort  of  unoccupied  territory.  In 


218  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

looking  across,  there  stood  the  Arey  House,  a  solitary  landmark,  like  the  lone 
tree  of  the  prairies,  the  lone  star  of  Texas.  It  is  today  the  historic  building  of 
Ifack  Falls.  It  has  been  removed  from  the  original  site,  and  is  now  on  the 
street  west  of  the  Methodist  church.  It  was  built  in  1837  by  Edward  Atkins, 
an  Irishman,  and  had,  says  John  Arey,  walnut  shingles,  oak  floor,  and  siding 
of  various  timber  from  the  woods.  Another  early  house  but  remaining  on  the 
original  situation  is  the  homestead  erected  by  L.  H.  Woodworth,  who  came  in 
1839,  as  surveyor  for  that  wonderful  canal.  But  this  dwelling  was  built  later. . 
It  is  the  same  as  first  erected,  says  Mrs.  A.  S.  Goodell,  with  the  exception  of  a 
porch  added  afterwards.  It  is  on  the  river  bank  in  eastern  Rock  Falls,  and  is 
still  surrounded  by  the  trees  of  the  early  woodland. 

RAPIDS  CITY. 

A  change  came  o'er  the  spirit  of  my  dream. — Byron. 

Our  early  settlers  were  men  of  large  ideas,  immense  plans.  In  1837 
Edward  Atkins,  A.  B.  Wheeler,  Isaac  Merrill,  and  Daniel  Brooks,  laid  out  a 
tract  a  mile  square  to  be  called  Rapids  City.  It  was  in  keeping  with  the  spirit 
of  internal  improvement  that  prevailed  throughout  the  state.  Rock  river  at 
this  point  was  selected  as  a  favorable  stream  for  better  navigation,  and  the 
scheme  comprised  a  canal  up  and  down  the  rapids  to  enable  boats  to  pass  by 
means  of  a  lock.  The  canal  was  located  along  the  south  bank  of  the  river, 
and  $40,000  expended.  This  gave  the  south  side  a  great  advantage  in  future 
prospects,  and  led  to  the  project  of  Rapids  City.  It  was  on  the  south  side  of 
Rock  river  opposite  Chatham,  west  of  Broadway,  and  while  the  state  canal  work 
was  in  progress,  seemed  to  have  a  more  prosperous  future  than  Chatham  and 
Harrisburg  on  the  north  bank.  The  work  done  on  the  canal  was  one-half 
mile  long,  between  avenues  A  and  D  in  the  present  city  of  Rock  Falls.  A 
dry  stone  wall,  eight  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  four  feet  at  the  top,  was 
laid  along  the  margin  of  the  river  far  enough  from  the  bank  to  give  the  canal 
the  proper  width.  The  stone  was  quarried  from  the  bank  to  build  the  wall, 
and  the  stripping  from  the  quarries  deposited  on  the  river  side,  making  a 
bank  fifty  feet  wide  and  a  little  higher  than  the  wall.  When  the  work  was 
stopped,  the  wall  was  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  height,  But  no  part  of  it  was 
completed.  WTith  the  failure  of  the  canal,  all  further  progress  ceased  in  Rapids 
City.  Business  was  suspended,  and"  the  parks  and  palaces  of  the  paper  city 
vanished  in  thin  air. 

The  best  laid  schemes  o'  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  agley. 


ROCK  FALLS. 


A.  P.  Smith  was  the  founder  of  this  hive  of  industry.  Originally  a  music 
teacher,  in  1867  he  purchased  of  the  Sterling  Hydraulic  Company,  which  con- 
trolled a  dam  built  in  1854,  one-half  interest  in  their  water  power,  and  forty 
acres  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  as  well  as  25  acres  from  other 
parties,  and  laid  out  the  town.  He  constructed  a  race,  and  wisely  offered 


SECOND  STREET,  ROCK  FALLS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  219 

tempting  inducements  to  capitalists  to  make  investments.  His  business  sagac- 
ity was  abundantly  rewarded,  and  soon  numerous  factories  were  in  operation. 
One  of  them  was  his  own  mitten  factory,  which  employed  eighty  persons, 
mostly  girls,  producing  $100,000  worth  of  goods  annually.  In  1871  the  rail- 
road was  completed,  giving  Rock  Falls  direct  communication  with  Chicago. 
The  largest  concern  to  be  established  in  the  young  town  was  the  Keystone 
Works,  1867,  formerly  Gait  &  Tracy,  in  Sterling.  In  1876  W.  E.  Lukens 
platted  his  nursery,  and  began  to  sell  lots.  The  first  new  store  was  built  by 
T.  Culver  in  1867.  The-  village  was  organized  in  1869  under  the  state  law. 
The  Rock  Falls  House,  kept  by  Barnard  Doty,  was  opened  in  1868.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  1868,  Truman  Culver,  postmaster.  He  held  the  office 
three  years,  and  during  the  last  year,  the  business  amounted  to  $1,500.  A 
bank  was  established  in  1874  by  Ephraim  Brookfield  from  Coleta,  and  after 
his  death,  George  W.  Nance  took  charge.  The  different  ferries  and  bridges 
by  which  the  two  sides  of  the  river  have  always  had  communication  are  con- 
sidered under  a  separate  head.  As  Como  was  declining,  her  buildings  no 
longer  in  use,  were  removed  to  Rock  Falls,  whose  star  was  in  the  ascendent. 
In  the  spring  of  1867,  A.  C.  Hapgood  opened  a' store  in  a  structure  thus 
transported  over  the  prairie.  This  was  afterwards  the  Baltic  House.  Sub- 
sequently A.  Woodworth  became  partner  in  a  building  also  transplanted  from 
old  Como. 

THE    CHURCHES. 

The  rectory  of  Epworth  is  the  fount 

To  which  all  streams  of  Methodism  mount. — E.  W.  Pearson. 

The  Rock  Falls  M.  E.  church  was  organized  as  a  class  during  the  winter 
of  1868-69  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Ailing,  then  pastor  of  Fourth  Street  church,  Ster- 
ling. Religious  services  were  held  in  the  Industrial  building,  and  later  in 
the  upper  room  of  the  Dr.  J.  L.  Merrill  building.  Ailing  with  Mr.  Denning 
of  Broadway  church  held  a  revival,  assisted  by  Presiding  Elder  Moore,  and  the 
society  began  its  career.  The  need  of  a  building  was  urgently  felt,  subscriptions 
were  asked  for,  a  lot  was  purchased  from  Merrill  for  $300,  and  the  structure  was 
occupied  in  the  spring  of  1870.  An  organ  was  secured  in  1869  for  $140,  and  in 
1870  the  mission  committee  at  Elgin  appropriated  $100  to  the  support  of  the 
work.  John  A.  Stayt  was  appointed  first  pastor,  Oct.  11, 1870.  The  dedication  of 
the  church  which  had  now  cost  $4,189  took  place  in  April,  1871,  under  direc-. 
tion  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Moore.  The  first  bell  was  cracked  and  taken  down.  The 
present  bell,  hung  March  22,  1872,  has  been  faithfully  ringing  its  call  to 
worshipers.  In  the  early  part  of  Stayt's  pastorate,  preaching  points  were  estab- 
lished at  Hume  Center  and  Banes'  Corners.  A  lot  was  bought  for  a  parson- 
age, and  the  house  completed  in  1872,  at  a  cost  of  $1,104.  At  the  close  of 
1872  the  charge  had  grown  to  a  membership  of  87,  with  three  Sunday  schools, 
Rock  Falls,  Hume,  and  Banes,  which  had  a  total  attendance  of  388.  Rev. 
Thos.  Chipperfield  became  pastor  in  1872,  the  membership  increased  to  158, 
and  the  S.  school  to  214.  During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  M.  M.  Bales,  the  church 
was  completely  remodeled  and  a  new  parsonage  constructed  at  a  combined 
cost  of  $5,146.  During  the  36  years  of  her  history,  1,164  persons  have  united 


220  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

on  probation,  and  since  1883,  more  than  1,800  have  been  converted  at  her 
altars,  an  average  of  61  conversions  a  year.  The  total  enrollment  of  member- 
ship for  36  years  is  8,795,  an  average  yearly  enrollment  of  244.  Total  benevo- 
lence contributed  $5,896.  Last  year  it  amounted  to  $506.  The  present  pastor, 
Rev.  F.  W.  Nazarene,  is  the  seventeenth  in  this  flourishing  field. 

In  connection  with  the  church  proper,  are  numerous  societies.  The  Sun- 
day school  has  286  pupils  with  29  officers  and  teachers.  The  Epworth  League 
has  a  membership  of  more  than  a  hundred.  Then  there  is  a  Junior  Epworth. 
Four  societies  of  the  gentler  sex:  Woman's  Home  Missionary,  Woman's  For- 
eign Missionary,  Ladies'  Aid,  and  Social  Auxiliary.  Rev.  C.  A.  Gage,  ap- 
pointed to  the  charge  by  Bishop  Andrews  in  1903,  gathered  the  various  items 
in  regard  to  the  history  of  this  congregation  and  issued  in  a  neat  booklet, 
from  which  much  of  our  information  has  been  derived. 

The  Christian  church,  one  of  the  last  on  this  field,  has  had  a  phenomenal 
advance.  Although  only  organized  in  1904,  the  present  membership  is  200. 
Rev.  Mr.  Spicer  of  Sterling,  and  State  Evangelist  Monser  took  a  leading  part 
in  its  establishment.  As  a  nucleus,  a  Sunday  school  had  been  started  in  1897, 
which  has  an  enrollment  of  250.  There  is  an  Endeavor  Society  and  Ladies' 
Aid.  Rev.  Roy  Stauffer,  now  in  an  eastern  pastorate,  contributed  largely  by 
his  unceasing  efforts  to  the  development  of  the  work.  A  young  man  of 
unlimited  energy.  His  successor,  Rev.  C.  F.  Ladd,  was  associated  for  a  time 
with  the  Volunteers  of  America.  He  and  his  wife  are  both  from  Rhode  Island, 
and  find  an  earnest  people  to  strengthen  their  hands.  One  of  the  active  men 
of  the  young  society  is  M.  T.  Mouck.  At  a  recent  prayer  meeting  officers  were 
elected  for  the  ensuing  year  as  follows : 

Trustee — Robert  Larson. 

Elder — Joseph  Hoak. 

Deacons — Howard  Sprinkel  and  James  Creighton. 

Financial  Secretary — Charles  Hoak. 

Treasurer — J.  W.  Hatch. 

Clerk— Miss  Ethel  Mouck. 

Deaconesses — Mrs.  H.  L.  Sniffer  and  Mrs.  M.  T.  Mouck. 

In  the  western  part  of  Rock  Falls  is  a  finn  white  frame  edifice,  bearing 
above  the  door  the  inscription : 

Immanuel  Evang.  Luth.  Kirche, 
1877—1899. 

There  were  ninety  families  in  connection,  but  some  have  withdrawn  to  the 
Lutheran  church  in  Sterling.  There  is  German  preaching  in  the  morning, 
but  no  evening  service,  as  so  many  of  the  people  are  farmers.  The  pastor,  E. 
Hafermann,  as  we  gleaned  in  an  interview,  came  from  North  Germany,  was 
educated  at  a  gymnasium,  came  to  America  in  1888,  and  after  thirteen  years 
in  Kansas  and  Wisconsin,  accepted  this  place  in  1903. 

THE  FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH. 

This  was  organized  Dec.  26,  1875,  by  the  following  charter  members: 
Richard  and  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Arey,  W.  J.  Rice  and  wife,  Augustus  Edgerton, 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  221 

Mrs.  Delia  L.  James  and  Mrs.  Allpress,  James  and  Mrs.  Mary  Arey,  Mrs. 
Sarah  E.  Phelps,  Miss  Hattie  L.  Arey,  Mi's.  Sophia  E.  Wright,  Mrs.  Emeline 
A.  Dyer,  Miss  Fannie  Wright,  and  Rev.  S.  D.  Belt.  Certificate  of  incorpora- 
tion filed  July  27,  1876.  The  services  were  held  in  the  fourth  district  school- 
house  until  Dec.  3,  1876,  when  the  first  service  was  held  in  the  church  build- 
ing, on  the  corner  of  First  avenue  and  west  Third  street,  Rock  Falls.  The 
Sunday  school  was  organized,  Jan.  2,  1876,  with  a  membership  of  one  hun- 
dred, Rev.  S.  D.  Belt,  Supt.  A  long  succession  of  Ministers :  Rufus  Apthorp, 
W.  Cone,  0.  W.  Fay,  C.  B.  Ludwig,  J.  R.  Kaye,  A.  W.  Safford,  E.  A.  Freden- 
hagen,  H.  A.  Kearn,  S.  S.  Healey,  R.  W.  Purdue,  W.  A.  Elliott,  E.  W.  Mur- 
ray now  in  charge.  The  present  membership  is  143,  S.  school,  183,  Y.  P.  S. 
C.  E.,  25.  Junior,  20.  There  are  24  members  in  the  Woman's  Miss.  Society, 
Mrs.  S.  Atkins,  president.  In  the  Ladies'  Mite  Society,  60,  Mrs.  Ella  Limerick, 
president.  The  officers  of  the  church  consist,  besides  the  pastor,  of  four  dea- 
cons, James  Arey,  J.  Meckling,  Aaron  Fluck,  E.  Slater.  Trustees,  E.  R.  Nims, 
F.  Lukins,  F.  H.  Geyer,  Fred  Shuler,  G.  Fields.  Treasurer,  John  L.  Newton, 
clerk,  G.  H.  Jennings,  supt.  of  S.  school,  J.  H.  Meckling.  The  church  is  built 
of  frame,  neatly  painted,  and  occupies  a  conspicuous  position  in  the  heart  of 
Rock  Falls. 

THE  BROWNING  CLUB. 

Grow  old  along  with  me ! 

The  best  is  yet  to  be, 

The  last  of  life  for  which  the  first  was  made. — Rabbi  Ben  Ezra. 

The  Browning  club  celebrated  the  tenth  anniversary  of  its  organization 
at  the  home  of  0.  E.  Maxson,  Tuesday,  Jan.  8,  1908.  The  house  was  beauti- 
fully decorated  with  festoons  of  club  colors,  purple  and  gold. 

The  club  was  organized  January  7,  1898,  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  A.  J.  Mc- 
Neil with  Mrs.  McNeil  president,  Mrs.  Robert  McNeil  vice-president,  Mrs.  C. 
C.  Woodworth  secretary  and  Miss  Mary  Geyer  treasurer.  The  membership 
was  limited  to  twenty.  The  object  was  the  study  of  Browning  and  other  poets. 
Of  recent  years  the  membership  limit  has  been  placd  at  thirty.  About  twenty 
of  the  charter  members  are  still  members,  and  during  the  ten  years  over  sixty 
ladies  have  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  study  the  poets.  The 
club  is  essentially  a  study  class  and  in  the  past  ten  years  has  studied  the  Brown- 
ings, Scott,  Tennyson,  Homer,  Emerson,  Lowell  and  Shakespeare.  Over  four 
hundred  study  classes  have  been  held  besides  the  evening  meetings  for  gentle- 
men and  afternoon  socials. 

On  the  occasion  of  this  anniversary  the  members  and  their  guests  to  the 
number  of  fifty  assembled  at  1  o'clock  when  an  elaborate  four  course  luncheon 
was  served.  Several  of  the  young  lady  daughters  of  the  members  assisted. 
Each  guest  received  a  beautiful  souvenir  in  the  shape  of  a  folder  prettily  deco- 
rated and  containing  a  striking  photograph  of  the  esteemed  leader,  Miss  Gould, 
and  the  names  of  the  present  members.  This  was  a  surprise  to  the  leader  and 
shows  the  love  and  reverence  in  which  she  is  held  by  those  who  have  been 
helped  and  cheered  by  her  close  companionship  during  these  ten  years  while 
she  has  given  so  freely  of  herself  to  meet  their  varied  needs. 


222  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

* 

After  luncheon  the  president,  Mrs.  Mae  Smith,  called  the  meeting  to 
order  and. in  a  neat  speech  offered  a  toast  to  "The  Brownings — may  their 
shadows  never  grow  less  and  may  they  live  to  celebrate  their  one  hundredth 
birthday."  Miss  Farena  Hubbard  opened  the  program  with  a  difficult  selec- 
tion on  the  piano.  Miss  Gould  read  one  of  her  scholary  papers  entitled  "Lit- 
erature; its  place  in  Civilization."  Under  the  general  title  "People  Whom  We 
Have  Met,"  the  following  characters  were  discussed : 

"Aurora  Leigh,"  Mrs.  Charles  Hubbard. 

"Romney  Leigh,"  Mrs.  A.  S.  Goodell. 

"Caponsacchi,"  Mrs.  William  Wells. 

"Ulysses,"  Mrs.  Charles  Geeting. 

"Penelope,"  Mrs.  Frank  Anthony. 

"A  Winter's  Tale,"  Miss  Lizzie  Coe. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Emmons  read  a  very  brief  and  witty  history  of  the  club. 

Miss  Clara  McCune  sang  several  beautiful  selections.  She  was  accom- 
panied by  Miss  Emma  Sheldon. 

These  circles  in  which  ladies  meet  to  discuss  literary  subjects  and  at  the 
same  time  enjoy  social  recreation  cannot  be  too  highly  commended.  After- 
noons at  cards  leave  no  valuable  thoughts  to  occupy  the  mind,  and  waste  time 
that  should  be  more  profitably  employed.  The  name,  too,  is  full  of  inspira- 
tion. None  of  the  nineteenth  century  poets  have  done  more  to  ennoble  and 
sweeten  the  thought  of  the  world  than  have  the  Brownings,  Robert  and  Eliza- 
beth Barrett. 

THREE  PIONEER   MOTHERS. 

A  mother's  love — how  sweet  the  name ! 

What  is  a  mother's  love? 
A  noble,  pure,  and  tender  flame, 

Enkindled  from  above. — Montgomery. 

"Mother  Wright"  is  a  remarkably  strong  and  cheerful  woman  for  eighty- 
eight.  She  gave  the  writer  a  cordial  reception.  Mary  Mahaffey  was  born  near 
Belfast,  Ireland,  1819.  Queen  Victoria's  year,  for  whom  she  has  a  warm  ad- 
miration. Her  grandfather  was  a  Scotchman.  She  was  married  in  Philadel- 
phia in  1847  to  Hugh  Wright,  who  died  at  51.  She  has  lived  31  years  in 
Rock  Falls.  A  loyal  Presbyterian.  No  matter  what  the  weather,  she  crosses 
the  river  to  attend  the  church  of  her  fathers  in  Sterling,  shaming  the  younger 
people  who  are  afraid  to  turn  out.  Somewhat  older  and  also  quite  bright  is 
Mrs.  Asa  Emmons,  or  "Aunt  Nancy,"  who  occupies  a  room  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Hewitt.  She  was  born  June  22,  1814,  at  Beverly,  West  Virginia.  Her 
father,  William  Booth,  was  in  the  War  of  1812.  She  came  with  her  father 
to  Albany,  this  county,  in  1837,  and  was  there  married  to  Asa  Emmons,  an 
expert  stair-builder.  A  devout  Methodist,  and  happy  in  her  religious  hopes. 
She  prefers  to  receive  callers  in  her  own  apartments,  where  she  reads,  sews, 
writes,  and  meditates.  In  pleasant  weather,  she  takes  a  walk.  This  paragraph 
appeared  in  a  Sterling  paper: 

Mrs.  Asa  Emmons,  Rock  Falls,  ninety-three  last  June,  1814-1907,  in  a 
conversation  yesterd'ay  with  W.  W.  Davis  related  an  incident  that  gives  her 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  223 

a  remote  connection  with  1776.  Her  mother's  father,  Edward  Hart,  was  a 
brother  of  John  Hart,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  was 
from  New  Jersey,  and  the  Hessians  in  1777  burned  his  property.  Singular 
enough,  Mr.  Davis  happens  to  have  among  his  curios,  a  piece  of  Continental 
Script  with  the  signature  of  John  Hart. 

One  morning  in  February,  1908,  the  writer  called  upon  Mrs.  Phebe 
Worthington,  doubtless  the  oldest  woman  in  the  county.  She  was  born  on 
Long  Island,  July,  1812,  and  was  in  her  98th  year.  The  venerable  lady  was 
sitting  in  a  low  chair  by  the  window,  and  readily  engaged  in  conversation. 
Her  sight  is  failing  so  that  she  is  no  longer  able  to  read  the  Bible,  but  her 
hearing  is  perfectly  good.  She  retires  at  nine,  and  rises  at  eight,  partakes  of 
three  meals  a  day,  enjoys  oatmeal  for  breakfast,  uses  tea  instead  of  coffee.  In 
earlier  years,  she  attended  the  Baptist  church  in  the  pastorate  of  Elder  Mason 
in  Sterling.  She  came  with  her  husband  in  1839,  who  died  long  ago,  and  is 
now  living  with  her  son  Alf,  on  the  original  homestead.  A  gracious  picture 
with  her  kindly  face  and  loving  manner. 

DEATH   OF  A  PIONEER. 

Josiah  S.  Scott,  mentioned  in  the  history  of  Hume  township,  died  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bernard  Miller,  in  Rock  Falls,  Jan.,  1907.  As 
he  was  born  in  Ohio  in  May,  1819,  he  was  in  his  89th  year.  After  carrying 
on  his  farm  in  Hume  for  nearly  forty  years,  in  1883  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott 
removed  to  Rock  Falls,  where  she  died  in  1899.  Josiah  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Van  Buren  in  1840,  but  in  1860  he  voted  for  Lincoln  and  was  a  Republican 
ever  since.  A  carpenter  in  early  manhood.  His  father  had  thirteen  chil- 
dren, and  he  had  twelve.  Dr.  F.  J.  Scott  is  a  prominent  physician  in  Rock 
Falls.  Josiah  united  with  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  every  relation  of  life 
was  an  honored  citizen.  A  broken  hip  some  months  before  his  death  increased 
the  weakness  of  his  advanced  age. 

THE  G.  A.  R. 

There  are  thirty-two  members.  It  is  known  as  Will  Enderton  Post,  No. 
729,  and  is  named  for  its  first  commander  in  1891,  of  the  34th  Illinois  regi- 
ment. It  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Will  Robinson  Post,  Sterling,  but  for 
convenience,  the  comrades  withdrew,  and  organized  their  own.  The  writer 
met  two  of  the  boys  in  the  office  of  J.  G.  Limerick,  and  gathered  several  inci- 
dents from  their  career.  H.  L.  Brewer,  present  commander  of  the  post,  be- 
longed to  the  12th  Illinois  Infantry,  Col.  John  McArthur,  afterwards  general. 
He  was  a  Scotchman,  had  the  boys  wear  Scotch  caps,  and  the  slogan  was  "Mc- 
Arthur and  his  men."  Hard  fighting.  They  were  in  the  assault  at  Fort 
Donelson,  at  Shiloh,  Atlanta,  the  march  to  the  sea.  Mr.  Brewer  was  in  the 
grand  review  at  Washington,  May  24,  1865,  the  military  pageant  of  the  war 
and  the  century.  Adam  Brown  joined  a  battery  in  Pennsylvania,  Capt.  Stev- 
ens was  at  Stone  River,  Franklin,  Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain.  He 
spoke  of  Grant's  marching  the  21st  Illinois  regiment  to  St.  Louis  to  break  them 
in.  He  remembers  seeing  above  a  shop  door  in  Greenville,  Tennessee,  the  sign 
"A.  Johnson,  Tailor."  This  should  be  in  some  Historical  Society. 


224  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  latest  member  of  the  post  to  answer  the  solemn  roll  call  was  Captain 
William  Parker,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Rock  Falls,  Dec.,  1907.  Like  Lin- 
coln, he  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  spent  most  of  his  life  in  Illinois,  as  editor 
of  papers  in  different  towns  of  the  state.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
postmaster,  and  shortly  before  had  sold  his  interest  in  the  Rock  Falls  News. 
He  enlisted  as  second  lieutenant  of  Co.  A,  75th  Illinois  Infantry,  was  promoted 
to  captaincy,  and  served  until  mustered  out.  A  brave  soldier.  Public  funeral 
.services  at  the  Congregational  church,  conducted  by  Rev.  Edwin  Weary  of  the 
Episcopal,  and  Rev.  F.  W.  Nazarene,  of  the  Methodist.  Burial  at  the  Rock 
Falls  cemetery  in  charge  of  the  Masonic  order,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
He  was  born  in  1835. 

THE  PUBLIC   SCHOOL. 

From  a  humble  beginning  thirty  years  ago,  the  school  has  kept  pace  with 
the  development  of  the  city.  It  was  started  in  the  brick  building  now  used  for 
city  purposes,  corner  of  Second  street  and  Third  avenue.  The  present  main 
edifice,  containing  eight  rooms,  was  erected  in  1888.  The  other  building  on 
the  side  was  erected  in  1895.  It  contains  the  high  school  and  the  seventh  and 
eighth  grades.  In  the  year  1907-1908  there  were  525  pupils  enrolled,  with 
ten  subordinate  teachers  and  one  musical  director.  The  Board  of  Education 
consists  of  Ward  Lincoln,  president,  A.  A.  Thome,  J.  W.  Hatch,  P.  G.  Kelsey, 
•C.  L.  Hubbard,  A.  L.  Coe,  and  Dr.  F.  G.  Scott,  secretary.  An  excellent  corps 
•of  teachers.  E.  0.  Phares,  superintendent.  Mathematics  and  biology,  and 
principal,  Etta  E.  Grunewald.  Latin  and  German,  Madge  V.  Knevels.  Eng- 
lish and  General  History,  Nellie  H.  Davison.  U.  S.  History,  civics  and  science, 
E.  0.  Phares.  In  the  grades  are  principal,  Mrs.  Ella  Brown,  Myra  E.  Jen- 
nings, Margaret  Hax,  Josephine  Dundon,  Harriet  Scott,  Maude  E.  William- 
son, Bessie  McNeill,  Louise  Pfulb,  Mrs.  Genevieve  Pierce,  Blanche  Emmons, 
Urs.  Nellie  Halsted.  Music,  Miss  Muriel  Price,  Sterling.  Drawing  teacher  to 
be  supplied.  Janitor,  M.  J.  McAllister. 

"High  Life,"  the  new  publication  of  the  Rock  Falls  high  school,  is  a 
four  page  folder  containing  some  interesting  reading  matter  for  pupils  and 
patrons  of  the  school,  and  no  advertising.  The  paper  is  to  be  published  once 
a  month  during  the  school  year. 

Two  quartettes  have  been  organized  in  the  Rock  Falls  high  school  and 
-will  be  in  charge  of  the  musical  director,  Miss  Muriel  Price. 

In  the  form  of  maps,  globes,  charts,  apparatus,  the  school  is  gradually 
increasing  its  equipment  as  means  will  allow.  In  1907  the  Turner  Art  Loan 
realized  $184,  which  were  invested  in  pictures  for  the  decoration  of  the  various 
rooms.  The  school  steadily  increases  in  numbers  and  efficiency,  and  already 
ranks  among  the  best  in  the  county. 

Prof.  Phares,  who  succeeds  Prof.  Haney,  began  his  career  in  a  country 
school  in  Indiana,  and  after  graduating  from  the  Greentown  high  school, 
took  a  four  years'  course  at  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute, 
graduating  in  the  spring  of  1901.  He  spent  the  summer  at  Cornell  Uni- 
versity. He  has  taught  in  all  thirteen  years,  and  is  in  his  second  year  at  Rock 
Falls. 


SECOND  STREET,  ROCK  FALLS 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  225 


THE   CEMETERY. 

There  is  a  calm  for  those  who  weep, 

A  rest  for  weary  pilgrims  found, 
They  softly  lie,  and  sweetly  sleep, 

Low  in  the  ground. — Montgomery. 

On  the  eastern  edge  of  Rock  Falls,  picturesque  with  evergreens,  ready  to 
receive  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  is  the  burial  ground  with  its  rows  of  granite 
monuments.  We  were  struck  with  the  number  of  aged  people.  John  L.  Mor- 
rill,  1823-1898.  William  Ramsay,  1815-1900.  George  Adair,  1827-1906.  <GL 
Rosengreen,  1835-1905.  Ramsel  Brooks,  1838-1905.  Helen  Nims,  1835-1888, 
and  John  W.,  1831-1895.  John  E.  Durstine,  1842-1900.  Lyman  Baker, 
1818-1892.  J.  B.  Mingle,  1834-1896.  Allen  Hayes,  1825-1905.  Henry 
Price,  1830-1892. 

That  familiar  name,  L.  H.  Woodworth,  pioneer  of  1839,  has  the  widest 
record  from  1806-1902,  being  ninety-six  at  his  death.  Also,  P.  P.  Wood- 
worth,  1807-1844,  and  A.  H.,  1820-1902.  The  names  appear  of  various  old 
families:  Worth,  Glassburn,  McFalls,  Payson,  James  Mason,  Paisley,  Scot- 
land, 1830-1892,  and  his  wife,  Lois.  William  Rae,  Scotland,  1818-1894,  and 
wife,  1898.  Several  soldiers.  J.  E.  Van  Densen,  sergeant  Co.  F,  Third  Michi- 
gan Infantry.  George  Rae  with  flag  on  grave.  Also,  D.  G.  Lindsley.  Charles 
Lahram,  London,  England,  1830-1871,  no  regiment  given.  L.  H.  Linn, 
Swede,  Henshaw's  Battery.  The  freshest  heroic  mound  strewn  with  wreaths 
is  that  of  Capt.  Wm.  Parker,  75th  Illinois,  1835-1907. 

In  its  stanch  weekly,  the  young  city  has  always  had  an  ardent  supporter. 
The  Rock  Falls  News  was  established  by  Captain  William  Parker  in  1882, 
and  was  first  located  in  rooms  over  the  postoffice,  still  in  the  same  place.  In 
1884,  his  daughter,  Anna  F.,  became  his  associate.  On  her  marriage  two 
years  later  to  Charles  Lee  Mentzer,  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness. They  then  bought  the  building  on  the  corner  of  Third  avenue  and 
Second  street,  which  was  burned  with  all  its  contents,  Jan.  3,  1896.  A  new 
outfit  was  at  once  secured,  and  business  was  resumed  in  the  Industrial  build- 
ing, until  the  new  office  was  erected  on  First  avenue,  the  present  site.  Here 
they  moved  in  the  summer  of  1897,  with  a  new  equipment.  The  business 
was  carried  on  by  Parker  and  Mentzer  until  Oct.  1,  1907,  when,  on  account 
of  failing  health,  Capt.  Parker  sold  his  interest  to  Emery  L.  Bond,  Mr.  Ment- 
zer still  retaining  his  interest.  The  next  change  was  the  formation  of  the 
News  Publishing  Company,  E.  L.  Bond,  president  and  treasurer,  and  Anna 
F.  Mentzer,  secretary.  The  capital  stock  is  $7,000.  With  new  job  type,  an 
improved  press,  and  steam  heating  plant,  the  operations  will  be  conducted 
on  a  larger  scale  than  ever  before. 

THE  FACTORY  DISTRICT. 

In  every  rank,  or  great  or  small, 
'Tis  industry  supports  us  all.- — Gay. 

'Tis  a  bad  wind  blows  nobody  good,  for  when  Gait  and  Tracy  lost  their 


226  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

« 

factory  by  fire  near  the  railroad  in  Sterling  in  the  summer  of  1867,  and  at 
once  crossed  the  river  to  Rock  Falls  and  laid  the  foundation  of  new  works, 
they  put  the  young  town  upon  its  feet,  gave  it  a  place  on  the  map,  and  made 
the  beginning  of  that  conglomeration  of  shops,  chimneys,  and  warehouses 
that  are  crowded  along  the  river  bank.  Gait  and  Tracy  grew  into  the  Key- 
stone Company  in  1871,  whose  cornplanters  and  other  farm  machinery  had 
an  astonishing  popularity  for  years  throughout  the  west.  After  the  death  of 
George  Tracy,  several  changes  occurred,  and  now  the.  commercial  title  is  the 
International  Harvester  Company.  Among  the  machines  made  are  corn 
shelters,  mowers,  harrows,  side-delivery  rakes.  The  plant  covers  seven  acres, 
and  the  buildings  proper,  averaging  three  stories,  occupy  five.  The  yearly 
production  is  between  45,000  and  50,000  machines  of  various  kinds.  The 
foundry  makes  yearly  1,500,000  castings,  or  eight  million  pounds  of  iron. 

The  trollsy  hanger,  made  by  Lawrence  Brothers,  is  the  best  article  of 
the  kind  sold  in  the  trade  in  the  United  States.  It  is  intended  for  stable  or 
"barn  doors,  by  which  they  roll  smoothly  to  the  side,  without  binding,  stick- 
ing, or  scraping.  In  the  manufacture  of  door  butts  they  rank  second,  and 
for  hinges  of  another  type,  third,  in  the  entire  country.  The  Messrs.  Law- 
rence, John  and  Edwin,  began  operations  in  1876,  and  have  steadily  enlarged 
until  there  is  now  a  floor  space  of  74,000  square  feet  in  the  shops.  Both  in 
the  prime  of  life,  and  reside  in  Sterling. 

One  of  the  newest  works  is  fast  growing  into  huge  proportions.  That  is 
the  branch  of  Russell,  Birdsall  and  Ward  Bolt  and  Nut  Company,  of  Port 
Chester,  N.  Y.  In  1896  the  business  started  here  on  a  small  scale  in  the 
Industrial  building,  and  four  years  ago  was  moved  into  a  new  factory  built 
for  the  purpose,  with  60,000  feet  of  floor  space.  The  business  has  increased 
ten  fold  in  a  decade,  a  hundred  men  are  employed  the  year  round,  and  an 
enlargement  of  space  will  be  necessary.  The  product  of  this  factory  is  confined 
to  rivets  and  bolts  of  small  sizes,  as  can  be  made  cold. 

Besides  the  agricultural  implements  made  by  the  Keystone  branch  of  the 
International  Harvester  company,  there  is  the  Sterling  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, who  manufacture  a  large  line  of  corn  planters,  disc  harrows,  stalk  cutters, 
hay  rakes  and  loaders,  feed  grinders,  bob  sleds.  A.  J.  Platt  company  turn  out 
a  superior  potato  planter,  one  of  the  most  efficient  on  the  market,  and  which 
has  a  gratifying  sale  everywhere.  Of  the  five  carriage  works  in  the  two  cities, 
the  Eureka  company  is  the  most  extensive,  turning  out  yearly  5,000  light 
vehicles  in  the  form  of  buggies,  surreys  and  light  Concord  wagons.  Their 
trade  extends  over  the  United  States  and  to  foreign  countries. 

One  of  the  heaviest  concerns  is  the  Illinois  Straw  Products  Company  in 
the  west  end.  Eleven  and  a  half  tons  of  straw  is  used  daily  in  making  Manila, 
rag,  and  straw  wrapping  paper,  300  tons  a  month,  3,600  tons  a  year.  Besides 
straw,  twenty-one  tons  of  paper  stock  is  daily  consumed.  A  welcome  opening 
for  the  waste  paper  of  offices,  stores,  houses.  A  market  for  the  collections 
gathered  by  the  ladies  in  various  towns,  of  odds  and  ends.  Although  water 
power  is  used  some  months  of  the  year,  the  average  daily  consumption  of 
coal  is  fifty  tons,  or  18,250  tons  annually.  The  yearly  output  is  between  4,200 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  227 

and  5,000  tons.  Seventy-five  hands  are  employed,  and  the  mill  runs  day  and 
night. 

The  Northwestern  Barbed  Wire  Company,  of  which  W.  M.  Dillon  is  a 
prominent  member,  manufactures  a  great  variety  of  ingenious  and  convenient 
goods  in  the  shape  of  square  mesh  field  fence,  diamond  mesh  fence,  diamond 
poultry  fence,  plain  and  ornamental  gates,  portable  chicken  coops,  and  other 
articles  handled  by  the  wire  trade. 

Among  the  new  concerns  is  the  Evan  Reed  Manufacturing  Company, 
occupying  the  stone  mill  of  the  old  Dillon  Milling  works.  Their  list  is  vari- 
ous  and  desirable,  comprising  rat  and  mouse  traps,  racks,  cracker  box  covers, 
automatic  pulleys.  Thirty  men  will  be  employed  during  the  next  year,  with 
an  expected  output  of  over  $100,000. 

The  First  National  Bank  has  a  capital  of  $25,000,  and  does  a  general 
banking  business.  Four  per  cent  is  paid  in  the  savings  department,  as  well 
as  interest  on  time  deposits.  Hours  from  9  to  4.  C.  L.  Hubbard  is  prasident, 
and  0.  E.  Maxson,  cashier. 

The  Odd  Fellows  with  the  customary  forethought  and  thrift  of  the  order, 
purchased  a  lot  two  years  ago,  corner  of  Second  avenue  and  Third  street,  and 
are  considering  the  erection  of  a  handsome  structure,  three  stories  high. 

The  city  of  Rock  Falls  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  towns  for  sidewalks  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  It  now  does  not  have  a  board  walk  or  a  wooden  cross- 
ing within  the  city  limits. 

The  bridge  over  Rowland  creek  east  of  Rock  Falls  was  completed  in  1908. 
The  floor  is  of  concrete  and  the  remainder  is  of  stone  and  steel.  It  is  said 
that  the  bridge  is  one  of  the  best  in  this  section  of  the  state.  It  was  erected 
by  the  Clinton  Bridge  &  Iron  works  and  the  work  was  under  the  supervision 
of  John  Rosengren. 

THE  OLD  BRICK  SCHOOL. 

In  Boston,  the  Old  South  church  is  still  standing,  but  the  Old  Brick 
School,  east  of  Rock  Falls,  on  the  Dixon  road,  is  only  a  dream.  On  its  site 
is  a  white  frame,  1906,  with  cupola  and  bell,  vestibule  and  furnace.  Miss  Etha 
Scanlan,  with  23  pupils,  is  teaching  her  second  year.  She  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Rock  Falls  high  school.  In  the  Historical  Society  is  a  large  photograph 
of  the  early  brick,  taken  at  a  picnic  of  the  old  patrons  in  1897.  There  are 
twenty-eight  men  and  women,  patrons  and  pupils  of  the  institution,  all  stand- 
ing or  sitting  in  front.  Grove  Wright  presented  the  picture,  and  has  indi- 
cated by  numerals  the  different  people.  The  faces  are  life-like,  and  you  can 
pick  every  one  at  a  glance.  .  Among  them  are  Deacon  Arey  and  James  Arey, 
L.  L.  Emmons,  Henry  Batchellor,  Bird  Emmons,  Robert  McNeill,  Alf  Worth- 
ington,  Ed  Macomber,  Nettie  Yeoward,  Alice  Shirley,  Mary  King,  Mary  Ninis, 
Walter  Fox.  Some  have  already  fallen  into  the  shadow.  The  old  brick  had 
three  windows  with  blinds  on  each  side,  and  a  roof  projecting  in  front  for 
a  portico,  supported  by  four  square  columns.  What  associations  this  build- 
ing and  this  spot  have  for  these  silver  heads.  Here  they  studied,  played,  and 
enjoyed  many  a  spelling  match.  Whittier  must  have  gone  to  just  such  a  place. 


228  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Within,  the  master's  desk  is  seen, 

Deep  scarred  by  raps  official; 
The  warping  floor,  the  battered  seats, 

The  jack-knife's  carved  initial. 

On  the  back  of  the  photograph  is  a  poem  of  26  stanzas,  written  by  Grove 
Wright,  and  read  by  Mrs.  Nancy  Macomber  at  this  merry  picnic.  We  give 
the  first  and  last: 

This  is  the  lot,  and  this  is  the  spot 

Assigned  to  education ; 
And  here  was  laid  without  parade,    . 

The  old  brick  school  foundation. 
****** 

Whate'er  befalls,  long  may  these  walls, 

With  reverence  still  impress  you, 
Then  will  your  years  have  scanty  tears, 

And  children's  children  bless  you. 

John  Arey  says  the  Old  Brick  was  erected  in  1853,  and  at  nineteen  he 
taught  the  school  that  winter. 
This  tells  its  own  story : 

First  Annual  Statement  of  the 

ROCK  FALLS  BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATION 
of  Rock  Falls,  Illinois. 

Incorporated  February,  1887.    Authorized  capital,  10,000  shares  of  $100  each. 
Officers:     A.  C.  Stanley,  pres. ;  Robt.  McNeil,  vice-pres. ;  Isaac  I.  Bush, 

sec. ;  James  Pettigrew,  treas. ;  Walter  N.  Haskell,  attorney. 
Directors:    A.  C.  Stanley,  F.  W.  Wheeler,  H.  Sterling,  W.  B.  Price,  Jas. 

Pettigrew,  J.  M.  Bickford,  Robert  McNeil,  T.  Culver,  C.  M.  Worth. 

Regular  meetings  are  held  the  Third  Monday  of  each  month  for  the  payment 

of  installments  and  loaning  of  money. 

The  city  officers  are  A.  A.  Thome,  mayor.  Aldermen  in  first  ward.  Joseph 
Wright  and  Henry  Longfellow;  in  second,  E.  L.  Adams  and  Charles  Grady; 
in  third,  Samuel  Lowry  and  John  Goeffroy.  Henry  Longfellow  claims  no  rela- 
tionship with  the  popular  poet.  Joseph  Wright  is  a  son  of  Mother  Wright, 
the  most  active  octogenarian  in  Rock  Falls.  City  attorney,  Jacob  Cantlin; 
treasurer,  John  Kadel;  city  marshal,  Charles  Billings;  superintendent  streets, 
Richard  Arey;  health  officer,  Dr.  F.  J.  Scott;  chief  fire  department,  John  L. 
Washburn ;  electric  light,  0.  M.  Aarvig. 

Population  about  3,000. 

LODGES  IN  ROCK  FALLS. 

I.  0.  0.  F. — Hall  corner  Third  avenue  and  E.  Third  street. 
Ark  Encampment  No.  143 — Meets  first  and  third  Friday  of  each  month. 
E.  J.  Pierce,  secretary. 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  229 

Advance  Lodge  No.  590 — Every  Wednesday.    E.  J.  Pierce,  secretary. 

J.  H.  Montague  Lodge  No.  202,  Daughters  of  Rebekah — Second  and 
fourth  Mondays.  Mrs.  Lida  Woods,  secretary. 

American  Stars  of  Equity.  Rock  Falls  Lodge  No.  16 — Meets  at  call. 
Dr.  C.  M.  Frye,  secretary. 

A.  0.  U.  W.     Industrial  lodge  No.  5 — Meets  at  call.     J.  A.  Kadel,  Jr., 
secretary. 

B.  of  A.  Yoemen — Meets  at  call.    Dr.  C.  M.  Frye,  secretary. 
Fraternal  Reserve  L.  A.    Rock  Falls  Lodge  No.  83 — Third  Wednesdays, 

McNeil  hall.    Dr.  F.  J.  Scott,  secretary. 

G.  A.  R.  Will  Enderton  Post  No.  729— First  and  Third  Saturdays,  Mc- 
Neil hall.  J.  V.  McCarty,  Adj. 

W.  R.  C.  Will  Enderton  Corps  No.  193— Meets  first  and  third  Thursday 
afternoon  in  McNeil  hall.  Mrs.  Amelia  Brewer,  secretary. 

Home  Fraternal  League.  Rock  Falls  Lodge  No.  18 — Meets  at  call.  J. 
G.  Limerick,  secretary. 

Keystone  Relief  and  Aid — Meets  third  Thursday,  201  W.  Second  street. 
E.  J.  Pierce,  secretary. 

Knights  of  the  Globe.  Union  Garrison  No.  21 — Second  and  fourth  Tues- 
day, McNeil  hall.  R.  B.  McNeil,  Adj. 

Eminent  Ladies.  Betsy  Ross  Garrison  No.  5 — Second  and  fourth  Mon- 
days. McNeil  hall.  Fay  Rodemyer,  Adj. 

Juvenile  K.  of  G.  Cara  McNeil  Garrison  No.  1 — Second  Mondays,  Mc- 
Neil hall.  Dorman  Emmons,  Adj. 

Modern  Woodmen.  Rapids  Camp  No.  151 — Second  and  fourth  Fridays, 
McNeil  hall.  Wm.  Hansen,  clerk. 

Royal  Neighbors.  Holly  Camp  No.  100 — First  and  third  Fridays,  McNeil 
hall.  Mrs.  Susie  Hamblock,  clerk. 

Mystic  Workers.  Rock  Falls  Lodge  No.  32 — Meets  first  and  third  Tues- 
days McNeil  hall.  Dr.  C.  M.  Frye,  secretary. 

GERMANS  AND  HOLLANDERS. 

Our  oath  resounds,  the  river  flows, 

In  golden  light  our  banner  glows, 

Our  hearts  will  guard  thy  stream  divine, 

The  Rhine,  the  Rhine,  the  German  Rhine. — Carl  Wilhelm. 

The  Germans  and  the  Dutch  form  a  large  element  in  the  population  of 
Whiteside.  They  are  not  the  same,  but  are  often  confounded.  The  Ger- 
mans are  from  Germany,  the  land  of  Goethe,  Schiller,  Humboldt,  and  Unser 
Fritz.  The  Dutch  are  from  Holland,  the  country  of  canals,  William  of  Orange, 
and  Admiral  Tromp.  Sometimes  called  Low  Dutch,  by  way  of  distinction. 

The  Germans  are  most  numerous  in  Jordan,  Hopkins,  and  Genesee, 
eastern  Whiteside.  Many  have  come  since  the  Civil  war.  Indeed,  they  were 
soldiers,  and  were  anxious  to  settle  down  after  years  of  march.  Most  came 
directly  from  the  old  country  with  little  means,  and  worked  as  day  laborers 


230  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

until  they  secured  enough  to  make  first  payment  on  the  land.  After  twenty 
or  thirty  years  they  owned  their  farm,  often  two  or  more,  and  were  able  to 
spend  their  declining  days  in  comfort.  Their  children  struggled  with  the 
old  people,  and  are  cultivating  the  same  soil,  or  perhaps  land  they  bought  for 
themselves.  No  race  suicide,  but  families  generally  like  Jacob's. 

The  German  takes  to  the  soil  as  a  duck  to  water.  He  is  a  natural  farmer. 
It  seems  to  be  in  the  blood.  He  is  thrifty.  Wife  goes  to  the  field,  and  husks 
corn  in  busy  times.  The  children  are  put  to  work  as  soon  as  they  are  able. 
No  waste,  everything  turned  to  account.  They  live  well,  plenty  of  plain"  food, 
no  luxuries,  work  early  and  late,  no  rest  or  visiting  except  on  Sundays. 

Plow  deep  while  sluggards  sleep, 
And  you'll  have  corn  to  sell  and  keep. 

They  believe  in  large  barns,  spacious  corn  cribs,  warm  shelters  for  stock.  Red 
is  a  favorite  color.  Both  men  and  women  are  portly  and  ruddy  because  of 
outdoor  life  and  generous  larders.  The  smoke  house  and  the  cellar  stored 
with  abundance  of  meat  and  vegetables. 

Next  to  his  comfortable  home,  the  German  has  a  high  regard  for  religion. 
As  a  child  he  was  baptized  in  the  church,  received  catachetical  instruction, 
and  must  have  a  place  of  worship  on  Sunday.  Jordan,  Genesee,  and  Hopkins, 
all  have  their  churches,  where  services  are  regularly  held.  Part  of  the  time, 
English  service  is  given  in  obedience  to  the  desires  of  the  younger  generation. 
It  is  surprising  how  soon  the  children  become  Americanized,  speaking  our 
language  as  fluently  and  as  correctly  as  the  native^  of  the  east.  To  show  the 
steadiness  of  the  German,  the  son  of  a  tenant,  who  cultivated  a  farm  25  years, 
west  of  Sterling,  and  left  for  one  of  his  own,  has  married,  and  taken  his 
father's  place  on  the  boyhood  farm. 

The  Hollanders  are  invading  Whiteside  from  the  west.  They  started  in 
Fulton,  and  have  advanced  to  Morrison.  Their  church,  the  Dutch  Reformed, 
is  larger  than  any  of  the  other  denominations  in  Fulton,  and  the  same  condi- 
tion is  true  in  Morrison.  The  sermons  are  preached  in  Dutch  morning  and 
evening  at  the  request  of  the  people.  Like  the  Germans,  they  are  farmers,  and 
drive  with  their  families  long  distances  to  church.  They  have  brought  from 
the  mother  country  that  excessive  neatness  which  distinguishes  Holland  above 
the  rest  of  the  world.  They  set  abundant  tables,  dress  well,  and  are  a  very 
estimable  class  of  citizens.  Like  the  Germans  they  are  thriving,  and  manage 
to  get  ahead  rapidly  in  the  battle  of  life. 

WHITESIDE  IN  THE  WARS. 

In  peace,  there's  nothing  so  becomes  a  man, 

As  modest  stillness  and  humility; 

But  when  the  blast  of  -war  blows  in  our  ears, 

Then  imitate  the  action  of  the  tiger: 

Stiffen  the  sinews,  summon  up  the  blood. — King  Henry  V. 

When  the  South  trained  her  batteries  on  Fort  Sumter  in  1861,  she  fired 
the  heart  of  the  nation.  An  electric  current  of  patriotism  seemed  to  spread 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  231 

from  ocean  to  ocean,  from  city  to  hamlet.  The  flag  was  assailed,  and  millions 
of  freemen  rose  in  its  defense. 

Our  county  as  everywhere  else,  caught  the  spirit  of  loyal  enthusiasm, 
and  young  men  and  old  men  were  eager  to  rally  around  the  banner  of  the 
Union.  The  Board  of  Supervisors  met  promptly  in  April,  1861,  and  passed 
stirring  resolutions  to  voice  the  sentiment  of  the  people.  After  several  reso- 
lutions endorsing  the  action  of  the  government  to  sustain  the  integrity  of 
the  constitution  and  maintain  the  unity  of  the  states,  they 

Resolved,  That  the  people  of  Whiteside  County  do,  without  regard  to 
party,  unanimously  pledge  to  the  ggvernor  of  the  state  the  entire  resources  of 
our  county  for  the  defense  of  our  state  and  the  Union,  and  that  we  pledge 
the  entire  credit  of  our  county  to  furnish  men  or  money  as  the  government 
may  require. 

Resolved,  That  we  hereby  appropriate  a  fund  of  $20,000  to  be  placed 
in  the  hands  of  five  commissioners,  to  be  appointed  by  our  chairman,  to  be 
used  for  the  support  of  needy  families  of  volunteers  while  said  volunteers  are 
engaged  in  the  service  of  their  country. 

As  the  war  progressed,  and  men  were  wanted,  the  secretary  of  war  ordered 
an  enrollment  of  the  militia,  to  make  a  draft  if  necessary.  To  secure  volun- 
teers, the  supervisors  passed  an  order  offering  each  man  a  bounty  of  sixty 
dollars.  Private  citizens  offered  premiums,  rousing  meetings  were  held,  and 
our  quota  of  359  was  filled  with  many  additional  men  offering  their  services. 
This  was  August,  1862.  Proud  Illinois!  Some  states  had  repeated  drafts. 

By  August,  1862,  the  county  had  furnished  1,600  men  for  the  war.  To 
provide  for  the  bounties  of  the  soldiers  and  meet  the  necessary  expenses,  the 
supervisors  sent  a  committee  to  Chicago  to  make  a  loan  of  $40,000.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1864,  a  bounty  of  $200  was  offered,  and  $10,000  appropriated  for  the 
families  of  volunteers.  By  Sept.  27,  1864,  eighty-seven  men  were  due  on  the 
county's  quota,  and  a  draft  was  appointed  for  Oct.  5.  Much  money  was  raised 
by  private  subscription  to  add  to  the  public  bounty,  and  avoid  a  draft.  This 
was  successful  in  all  the  townships  except  Hahnaman,  with  a  small  popula- 
tion, where  three  citizens  were  drafted,  the  only  case  during  the  war. 

Whiteside's  quota  under  the  last  call  for  300,000  men,  Dec.  19,  1864,  was 
250  men.  At  the  December  term,  the  supervisors  voted  a  bounty  of  $500, 
and  in  February,  $100  more.  The  townships  voted  $100  additional  to  each 
volunteer,  and  the  quota  was  secured.  Several  men  were  recruited  for  the 
old  regiments  in  the  field. 

Of  Whiteside's  noble  contribution  to  the  armies  of  her  country,  the 
excellent  history  of  Bent  and  Wilson  furnishes  the  following  summary:  In 
1860  the  population  of  the  county  was  18,729.  In  1863,  the  enrollment  was 
3,328;  in  1864,  3,338;  in  1865,  3,338.  The  quota  of  the  county  in  1861  was 
525  men;  in  1862,  359;  in  March  4,  1864,  726  men;  July  18,  1864,  519. 
Total  quota  prior  to  Dec.  31,  1864,  2,129  men.  Total  credits  prior  to  Dec. 
31,  1864,  2,019  men.  Deficit  then  was  110  men.  Dec.  31,  1865,  assigned 
quota  was  520  men.  Total  quota  of  county  Dec.  31,  1865,  2,539.  Total 


232  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

credit  under  last  call,  516.  Entire  credit  during  the  war,  2,535  men.  Deficit 
under  all  calls,  only  four  men.  The  total  indebtedness  of  the  county  caused 
by  the  war  was  $529,402.  Immediate  steps  were  taken  to  reduce  the  obliga- 
tions, by  September,  1867,  seventy  per  cent  was  paid,  and  a  few  years  after- 
wards not  a  dollar  of  indebtedness  remained. 

FIFTY-SECOND  ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 

The  Union  forever,  hurra,  boys,  hurra! 

Down  with  the  traitor,  up  with  the  star! 
While  we  rally  round  the  flag,  boys, 

Rally  once  again, 
Shouting  the  battle  cry  of  freedom ! — George  F.  Root. 

This  regiment  had  its  first  severe  experience  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
April  6-7,  1862,  where  it  lost  170  men,  and  next  at  Corinth  in  May,  where 
seventy  were  swept  from  the  ranks.  In  an  expedition  to  intercept  Forrest, 
the  boys  marched  one  hundred  miles  in  four  and  a  half  days.  Jan.  9,  1864, 
three-fourths  of  the  men  re-enlisted,  and  returned  home  on  furlough.  After 
Chattanooga,  they  marched  with  Sherman  through  Georgia,  fought  the  rebels 
at  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw,  Decatur,  Atlanta,  continued  the  march  to  the 
sea  through  the  Carolinas,  participated  in  the  triumphal  procession  at  Wash- 
ington in  May,  grander  than  any  martial  pomp  Roihe  ever  saw  in  the  proud- 
est days  of  the  Caesars.  J 

For  company  F  of  the  Fifty-second,  sixty-six  men  were  enlisted  from 
Whiteside,  mostly  from  Fulton  and  Albany.  Nine  recruits  were  received, 
afterwards.  The  captains  were  Nathan  P.  Herrington  and  Oscar  Summers. 
First  lieutenants,  Lucien  S.  Kinney  and  Luther  A.  Calvin.  Second  lieuten- 
ants, John  Dyer  and  Stephen  Withrow.  The  regiment  was  mustered  into 
service  Nov.  19,  1861,  with  945  men,  moving  first  to  St.  Louis,  then  to  Cairo 
and  Fort  Donelson.  It  was  mustered  out  July  5,  1865. 

ONE  HUNDRED  FORTY-SEVENTH  ILLINOIS. 

We're  tenting  tonight  on  the  old  camp  ground, 

Give  us  a  song  to  cheer, 
Our  weary  hearts,-  a  song  of  home, 

And  friends  we  love  so  dear. — Kittredge. 

This  regiment  enlisted  forybne  year,  was  mustered  into  service  Feb.  19, 

1865.  Company  B  was  from  AVhiteside,  and  a  large  part  of  company  G. 
George  H.  Fay  was  captain  of  B,  and  W.  H.  H.  Jones  and  Charles  Bent, 
lieutenants.    A.  C.  Bardwell  was  captain  of  G.    Frank  Clendenin  of  Morrison, 
was  major.     For  its  short  term,  the  regiment  had  numerous  skirmishes  and 
passed  through  many  historic  points  in  the  Southland,  Chattanooga,  Dalton, 
Ringgold,  Marietta,  Andersonville,  Savannah.     It  was  mustered  out  Jan.  20, 

1866,  one  of  the  last  Illinois  regiments  discharged. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  233 

ONE  HUNDRED  FORTIETH  ILLINOIS. 

Strike  till  the  last  armed  foe  expires; 
Strike  for  your  altars  and  your  fires; 
Strike  for  the  green  graves  of  your  sires ; 
God  and  your  native  land ! — Halleck. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  President  Lincoln  issued  a  call  for  100,000  men 
to  do  garrison  duty  at  various  points,  and  relieve  the  veterans  for  the  grand 
forward  movement  in  preparation.  The  time  was  for  one  hundred  days.  Two 
full  companies  and  part  of  a  third  were  recruited  in  Whiteside.  Company  A 
had  81  men,  company  B  had  83,  and  company  D  the  cadets  from  Fulton 
college.  The  regimental  officers  from  this  county  were:  Michael  W.  Smith, 
lieutenant-colonel;  L.  E.  B.  Holt,  adjutant;  W.  A.  Lipe,  chaplain.  Officers 
of  company  A  were  J.  A.  Morgan,  captain ;  Charles  M.  Worthington  and  Ben- 
jamin Gurtisen,  lieutenants,  all  of  Sterling.  Lipe  was  pastor  of  the  Lutheran 
church  there.  In  company  B,  Charles  W.  Hills  was  captain;  George  H.  Fay 
and  Erastus  Fuller,  lieutenants.  The  regiment  was  mustered  into  service  at 
Dixon,  June,  1864,  and  sent  to  Memphis.  From  this  point,  companies  were 
sent  to  different  posts  on  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  railroad  to  relieve  the 
veteran  troops.  The  rebel  general  Price  was  in  Missouri,  and  St.  Louis  needed 
the  presence  of  Union  troops  to  assure  her  safety.  For  weeks  the  regiment 
was  stationed  along  the  Iron  Mountain  railway,  and  was  finally  discharged 
Oct.  29,  1864.  As  a  pleasing  and  precious  memento  of,  their  readiness  to 
serve  their  country  in  this  emergency,  an  engraved  certificate  of  elegant  design, 
signed  by  President  Lincoln  and  Secretary  Seward,  was  presented  to  each 
member  of  the  regiment. 

ONE    HUNDRED    FIFTY-SIXTH     ILLINOIS. 

John's  body  lies  moldering  in  the  grave, 
But  his  soul  goes  marching  on. 

This  regiment  was  in  service  six  months  of  the  one  year  for  which  it 
enlisted,  being  discharged  Sept.  20,  1866.  It  was  chiefly  engaged  in  garrison 
duty  and  the  escort  of  prisoners.  Company  G  with  100  men  was  from  White- 
side.  Captain,  Chauncey  B.  Hubbard.  Lieutenants,  Wm.  H.  Shears  and 
Peter  R.  Boyd.  Several  of  the  boys  died  from  disease. 

FORTY-SIXTH  ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 

0  Columbia,  the  gem  of  the  ocean, 
The  home  of  the  brave  and  the  free, 

The  shrine  of  each  patriot's  devotion, 
A  world  offers  homage  to  thee! 

This  regiment  had  its  share  of  hard  fighting  and  hard  luck.  At  the 
slaughter  of  Shiloh,  April  6-7,  1862,  with  Hurlburt's  Fourth  Division  under 
Grant,  one-half  of  its  officers  and  men  were  killed,  wounded  and  missing. 
They  were  at  Corinth  in  May  when  Beauregard  retired  before  Halleck,  and 


234  HISTORY    OF    WH1TESIDE    COUNTY 

at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  when  Grant  starved  Pemberton  into  surrender,  July 
4,  1863.  In  May  previous,  five  companies  were  captured  by  the  rebels  while 
on  picket. 

After  the  unsuccessful  Peninsular  campaign,  the  regiment  returned  to 
Alexandria,  and  Sept.  4,  1862,  moved  across  the  Potomac,  and  entered  upon 
another  series  of  lively  engagements.  At  Monocacy  church  they  captured  the 
colors  of  the  Twelfth  Virginia  Cavalry.  At  South  Mountain  a  hand-to-hand 
fight  with  Fitzhugh  Lee's  troopers.  Then  came  Antietam,  Sept.  17,  1862, 
when  Lee,  after  repeated  onsets  upon  McClellan's  army,  was  driven  after  a 
stubborn  resistance  across  the  Potomac.  Over  the  gallant  men  who  fell  here 
the  national  monument  has  this  sublime  inscription : 

Not  for  Themselves,  but 
For  their  Country. 

The  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Butler,  Springfield,  Dec.  28,  1831, 
by  Col.  John  A.  Davis/ of  Stephenson  county,  who  was  mortally  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Hatchie.^  Company  E  was  from  Whiteside.  Wm.  Lane,  of  Mor- 
rison; Wm.  N.  Haney  of  Hopkins,  Albert  Seizick  of  Morrison,  and  Samuel 
V.  Boyer,  of  Fulton,  were  lieutenants.  At  the  close  of  the  service,  only  thirty- 
one  was  left,  and  thirty  of  these  re-enlisted.  About  twenty  of  the  company 
perished  during  the  war. 

He  sleeps  his  last  sleep, 
He  has  fought  his  last  battle, 
No  sound  can  awake  him 
To  glory  again. 

FORTY-SIXTH   ILLINOIS  VETERAN  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 

By  B.  T.  St.  John. 

In  the  fall  of  1861  an  attempt  was  made  to  raise  a  regiment  from  White- 
side  and  adjoining  counties,  under  John  Dement,  of  Dixon,  as  Colonel,  and 
was  called  the  Dement  Phalanx.  Enlistments  were  very  slow  at  that  time, 
but  the  few  that  did  enlist  were  rendezvoused  at  Dixon,  in  tents  on  the  river 
bank  north  of  where  the  College  now  stands.  When  the  weather  became  too 
cold  they  were  moved  to  the  building  that  is  now  the  Grand  Detour  plow  works, 
being  the  first  soldiers  to  occupy  the  building.  Late  in  December  this  nucleus- 
of  several  companies  were  organized  into  four  companies,  and  were  then  con- 
solidated with  the  Forty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry,  then  at  Camp  Butler,  and 
were  lettered  D,  E,  N  and  I.  Colonel  Dement  dropping  out  and  retiring. 

These  companies  remained  in  Dixon  until  Feb.  5,  1862,  drilling  in 
company  drill  and  manual  of  arms,  as  best  they  could,  officers  and  men  being 
very  green  in  military  affairs.  On  Feb.  5th  joined  balance  of  regiment  at 
Camp  Butler,  under  Colonel  John  A.  Davis,  of  Stephenson  county.  On  Feb. 
llth  started  for  Fort  Donelson,  only  just  having  received  their  arms,  con- 
sisting of  old  Harper  Ferry  muskets,  and  without  having  any  battalion  drill. 
Embarked  at  Cairo  and  were  part  of  that  fleet  that  followed  Foote's  gunboats- 
up  the  Cumberland  river  to  Fort  Donelson.  The  regiment  saw  long  and  hon- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  235 

orable  service.  Participated  in  the  following  engagements,  and  sieges:  Fort 
Donelson,  Feb.  15  and  16,  1862;  Shiloh,  April  6-7,  1862;  Siege  of  Corinth; 
Hatchie,  or  Metamora,  Oct.  5,  1862;  Siege  of  Vicksburg;  Siege  of  Jackson, 
Miss;  Jackson's  Cross  Roads,  July  5-6,  1864;  Siege  of  Mobile,  including  Span- 
ish Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  April  9,  1865,  the  latter  being  the  last  general 
engagement  of  the  war.  Besides  these  engagements  the  regiment  was  almost 
/constantly  moving  from  place  to  place,  never  having  any  "soft  snap"  or  easy 
V  duty.  In  Dec.,  1863,  and  Jan.,  1864,  the  Forty-sixth  was  organized  into  a 
veteran  regiment,  a  large  portion  of  the  men  remaining  at  that  time,  re-enlist- 
ing for  three  years  more  service.  Later  it  received  many  recruits  at  various 
times.  The  regiment  with  others  was  sent  up  Red  River  at  the  time  of  the 
surrender  of  the  rebel  forces,  under  General  Kirby  Smith,  and  remained,  to 
keep  order,  until  1866,  being  mustered  out  at  Baton  Rouge  Jan.  20,  1868, 
and  discharged  at  Camp  Butler  Feb.  2,  1866.  The  veterans  having  served 
four  years  and  from  three  to  five  months,  according  to  date  of  enlistment. 

The  following  named  soldiers  from  Whiteside  Co.  enlisted  at  original 
organization. 

Abbreviations :     Vet.  for  Veteran,  Dis.  for  discharged,  Trans,  for  trans- 
ferred. 

•    John  J.  Jones,  Fulton.     Lieutenant  Colonel,  *Vet.  promoted  to  Brevet 
Colonel.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Jasper  M.  Cadmus,  Fulton,  First  Sergeant.    Died  May  6,  1862. 

Andrew  F.  Echelberger,  Erie.    Killed  at  Shiloh,  April  7,  1862. 

Porter  Benjamin,  Phophetstown.    Trans,  to  Co.  I.    Vet,  Dis.  Feb.  2, 1866. 

James  Balmer,  Prophetstown.    Dis.  Mar.  24,  1862. 

Samuel  E.  Crawford,  Fulton.    Trans,  to  Co.  I.    Died  Mar.  12,  1863. 

John  Conoway,  Fulton.    Dis.  Apr.  28,  1882. 

Dennis  Donovan,  Newton.    Trans,  to  Co.  I.    Dis.  1864. 

Benj.  P.  Echelberger,  Erie.    Trans,  to  Co.  I.    Dis.  1864. 

Truman  Hill,  Fulton.    Died  Oct.  22,  1862. 

Jacob  P.  Miller,  Erie.    Trans.  Co.  I.    Dis.  Sept.  21,  1863,  as  Sergeant. 

Josiah  B.  Sweet,  Prophetstown.     Killed  at  Shiloh. 

Lewis  Waterhouse,  Prophetstown.    Died  Mar.  2,  1862. 

John  B.  Winebrenner,  Erie.     Trans,  to  Co.  I.     Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Thomas  Wier,  Fulton.    Trans,  to  Co.  I.    Trans,  to  Vet.  Reserve  Corps. 

Franklin  Case,  Prophetstown.    Dis.  Oct.  18,  1862. 

William  Lane,  Morrison.    First  Lieutenant.    Dis.  Sept.  11,  1862. 

William '  N.  Haney,  Hopkins.     Promoted  Sergt,  and  First  Lieut.     Vet. 
Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Albert  Seizick,  Morrison.    Promoted  First  Sergt.  and  Second  Lieut.    Vet. 
Resigned  June  27,  1864. 

Samuel  V.  Boyer,  Union  Grove.     Promoted  Sergt,,  First  Sergt.,  Second 
Lieut.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

William  Morton,  Morrison.    Sergt.,  died  June  6,  1862. 


*  The  word   Veteran  as  used  here  means  a  soldier  who  had  served  two  or  more  years,  and  then  re-enlisted  in  the  field 
for   three  years   more. 


236  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Wilson  Lenhart,  Fenton.    First  Sergt.,  Dis.  Dec.  1,  1864. 
Samuel  Roberts,  Clyde.    Sergt.,  Dis.  May  20,  1862. 
John  McClintock,  Morrison.    Corporal,  died  Oct.  16,  1862. 
James  T.  Jackson,  Morrison.    Corporal,  Dis.  May  5,  ,1862. 
Elliott  E.  Pollard,  Union  Grove.  Corporal,  Sergt.,  Vet.,  Dis.  Feb.  2, 1866. 
David  Evans,  Genesee.    Corporal  Sergt.  Vet.  Dis.  1866. 
Julius  Bosley,  Union  Grove.    Vet.    Deserted  Dec.  31,  1865. 
Charles  H.  Burdsell,  Hopkins.    Trans,  to  Vet.  Res.  Corps  1863. 
Douglass  D.  Blodgett,  .Morrison.    Died  Mar.  6,  1862. 
George  0.  Cooper,  Fenton.    Dis.  Dec.  1,  1864. 
James  M.  Cole,  Fenton.    Vet.  Deserted  Dec.  31,  1865. 
Henry  Creighton,  Ustick.    Died  July  13,  1862. 
Columbus  Dodge,  Morrison.    Died  May  4,  1862. 
Jonathan  Eades,  Ustick.    Died  May  12,  1862. 
Samuel  L.  Evans,  Genesee.    Sergt,  Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 
David  Frazier,  Fulton.     Deserted,  May  13,  1863. 
John  F.  Frank,  Ustick.    Died  June  10,  1862. 

Peter  Gillespie,  Morrison.    Vet.  Trans,  to  Co.  K,  Dis.  May  22,  1865. 
David  Hays,  Union  Grove.     Died  April  9,  1862. 
Jesse  Hill,  Clyde.    Dis.  Aug.  15.  1862. 
Robert  Imlay,  Ustick.    Vet.  killed  in  battle  July  7,  1864. 
William  T.  Hopkins,  Genesee.     Dis.  Dec.  25,  1862  of  wounds,  battle  of 
Shiloh. 

August  Johnson,  Genesee.     Vet.  Dis.     Feb.  2,  1866. 

Lafayette  J.  Justus,  Morrison.    Vet.  Corporal,  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Joseph  R.  Kennedy,  Clyde.    Corporal,  died  Sept.  9,  1863. 

Silas  N.  Lenhart,  Fenton.    Died  May  2,  1862. 

David  Laidley,  Albany.    Dis.  Sept.  29,  1862. 

Carlo  Lathrop,  Lyndon.    Died  May  4,  1862. 

Alexander  McNeil,  Morrison.     Dis.  Dec.  1,  1864. 

John  Morton,  Morrison.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

James  S.  Martin,  Ustick.    Died  May  16,  1862. 

Frank  Mann,  Mt.  Pleasant.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Mathew  McGee,  Morrison.    Dis.  Sept,  5,  1862. 

John  B.  Mellinger,  Clyde.    Dis. .Nov.  11,  1862. 

James  H.  Newton,  Fenton.    Dis.  Dec.  1,  1864. 

Alonzo  B.  Noble,  Genesee.    Deserted  Nov.  18,  1863. 

Addison  Newton,  Union  Grove.    Dis.  Sept.  29,  1862. 

William  Palmer,  Sterling.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Charles  N.  Peck,  Mt.  Pleasant-.    Died  July  19,  1863. 

John  Reimer,  Fenton.    Sergt.  Trans,  to  Vet,  Reserve  Corps,  wounded. 

Michael  Ryan,  Morrison.    Vet.  Dis.  June  24,  1865. 

Alanson  H.  Russell,  Morrison.     Vet,  Dis.  1866. 

Benjamin  Switzer,  Clyde.    Vet.  Corporal,  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Michael  Sheehy,  Morrison.    Deserted  Mar.  18,  1863. 

Bela  T.  St.  John,  Genesee.    Vet.  First  Sergt.,  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  237 

John  Still,  Morrison.    Dis.  May  5,  1862. 

Alfred  M.  Trefethen,  Ustick.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Elmore  Y.  Titus,  Clyde.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Edward  C.  Vennum,  Mt.  Pleasant.    Dis.  Mar.  30,  1863,  wounded. 

John  T.  S.  Wilbur,  Ustick.    Died  May  13,  1862. 

Ephraim  Wetherbee,  Genesee.    Trans.  Vet.  Reserve  Corps. 

Patrick  O'Neal,  Sterling.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

William  McDonald,  Fulton.    Corporal,  deserted  Nov.  6,  1863. 

George  M.  Blaker,  Sterling.    Deserted  July  15,  1862. 

Peter  Foy,  Fulton.    Died  April  4,  1862. 

Shepard  P..Parker,  Fulton.    Deserted  Aug.  1,  1862. 

Michael  Roach,  Fulton.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Peter  Ready,  Fulton.    Vet.  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

James  Whalen,  Fulton.     Vet.  Dis.  July  21,  1865. 

Rothchild  N.  Clark,  Prophetstown.    Died  June  22,  1862. 

The  following  were  recruits,  that  joined  later,  from  Whiteside  county: 

Franklin  Case,  Prophetstown.    Dis.  Oct.  18,  1862. 

Merrill  Buckley,  Fulton.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Warren  E.  Buckley,  Fulton.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

James  Butler,  Fulton.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Albert  H.  Colcord,  Genesee.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Ivory  A.  Colcord,  Genesee.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Ralph  L.  Carpenter,  Fulton.    Died  Jan.  9,  1865. 

Columbus  D.  Evans,  Genesee.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

James  T.  Hill,  Fulton.    Dis.  May  22,  1865. 

William  W.  Johnson,  Coloma.    Deserted  Dec.  31,  1865. 

Michael  Keenan,  Union  Grove.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1865. 

John  E.  Middaugh,  Morrison.    Deserted  July  16,  1864. 

Patrick  O'Brien,  Fulton.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Thomas  Pike,  Fulton.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Edward  Quinn,  Genesee.    Deserted  Nov.  4,  1865. 

Charles  W.  Roberts,  Hopkins.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866  as  Corporal. 

Willis  A.  Randall,  Fulton.    Dis.  Feb.  20,  1866. 

William  Shaw,  Fulton,  Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Stephen  Shaw,  Fulton.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

John  Shumake,  Fulton.    Died  Aug.  17,  1865. 

Robert  W.  Turney,  Fulton.    Died  Oct.  20,  1864. 

Isaac  N.  Thorp,  Genesee.    Drowned  Jan.  3,  1865. 

Charles  0.  White,  Fulton.    Died  of  wounds  July  22,  1864. 

William  J.  White,  Fulton.    Dis.  June  14,  1865. 

Albert  Wilson,  Fulton.    Dis.  July  16,  1864. 

Martin  Powers,  Fulton.    Dis.  Aug.  19,  1865. 

George  W.  Benjamin,  Prophetstown.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Daniel  E.  Lee,  Jordan.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Thomas  J.  Osborn,  Clyde.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 

Thomas  Daws,  Whiteside  Co.    Dis.  Feb.  2,  1866. 


238      -  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

NINETY-THIRD    ILLINOIS    INFANTRY. 

Just  before  the  battle,  mother, 

I*am  thinking  most  of  you, 
Comrades  brave  are  round  me  lying, 

Filled  with  thoughts  of  home  and  God, 
For  well  they  know  that  on  the  morrow, 

Some  will  sleep  beneath  the  sod. — Geo.  F.  Root, 

This  was  another  of  the  regiments  that  passed  through  the  Vicksburg 
campaign  with  Grant,  climbed  Mission  Ridge  at  Chattanooga,  drove  the  Con- 
federates at  Dalton  and  Allatoona,  marched  to  the  sea,  and  through  the  Caro- 
linas  to  Washington,  participating  in  the  memorable  review  at  the  capital. 
/  The  regiment  was  organized  in  September,  1862  by  Col.  Holden  Putnam, 
|  of  Freeport,  afterwards  killed  at  Mission  Ridge,  1863.  Whiteside  contributed 
\company  F  of  ninety  men,  recruited  from  Garden  Plain,  Fulton,  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Newton,  Albany,  Erie,  and  Fenton.  Alfred  F.  Knight,  who  died  April,  1863, 
Wm.  A.  Payne,  and  Wm.  M.  Herrold,  were  captains.  John  Dyer  and  Henry 
M.  Eddy,  first  lieutenants.  Second  lieutenant,  Robert  A.  Adams,  who  died  of 
wounds.  Dr.  C.  A.  Griswold,  of  Fulton,  was  surgeon.  He  is  still  living  there 
in  the  enjoyment  of  his  books  and  the  practice  of  his  profession.  The  Ninety- 
third  was  discharged  July  7,  1865.  By  the  official  record,  the  casualties  were 
446  killed,  one  officer  and  31  men  accidentally  wounded.  The  men  marched 
2,554  miles,  traveled  by  water,  2,296  miles,  by  rail,  1,237  miles,  a  total  of 
6,087.  By  death,  company  F  lost  18  of  its  soldiers. 

EIGHTH    ILLINOIS    CAVALRY. 

My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty, 

Of  thee  I  sing ! 
Land-  where  my  fathers  died, 
Land  of  the  Pilgrims'  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side, 

Let  Freedom  ring! — S.  F.  Smith. 

No  other  branch  of  the  army,  east  or  west,  saw  so  much  strenuous  service 
as  the  Eighth  Illinois  cavalry.  It  was  aggressive,  always  on  the  move.  Gen. 
Sumner  once  remarked,  "Go  as  far  to  the  front  as  you  dare,  and  you  will  find 
the  Eight  Illinois  ahead  stealing  horses." 

The  regiment  was  recruited  in  northern  Illinois,  and  mustered  in  Sep- 
tember 18,  1861,  at  St.  Charles.    John  F.  Farnsworth,  from  1857  to  1861,  our 
representative  in  congress,  was  the  first  colonel,  but  he  soon  resigned  to  form     , 
another  regiment.     Company  C  was  raised  by  D.  R.  Clendenin  of  Morrison,  » 
afterwards  major  and  lieut.  colonel.    Companies  G,  H  and  I  also,  had  members 
from  the  county.    Alpheus  Clark,  of  Lyndon,  commanded  Company  C  till  May  ^ 
24,  1863,  when  he  was  made  major.     He  died  July  5,  1863,  from  the  effects 
of  a  wound  at  Beverly  Ford.    Daniel  D.  Lincoln  and  Porteus  J.  Kennedy  suc- 
ceeded  Clark   in    command.      The   first   lieutenants   were   John  C.  Mitchell, 
Truman  Culver,  and  Delos  P.  Martin. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  239 

After  two  months'  drill  in  Washington  which  they  reached  in  October, 
the  winter  was  passed  in  camp  in  Alexandria.  Here  Company  C  lost  by 
disease  Asa  W.  Shelby,  Joy  T.  Canfield,  W.  J.  Davis,  John  Porter,  and  Rollin 
C.  Sholes. 

A  soldier  of  the  legion  lay  dying  in  Algiers, 
There  was  lack  of  woman's  nursing, 
There  was  dearth  of  woman's  tears. 

When  spring  came,  the  Eighth  entered  upon  four  years  of  steady  and 
splendid  heroism  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  They  were  with  Stoneman's 
Light  Brigade  at  Williamsburg,  May  5,  1862,  when  Hooker's  single  division 
held  the  whole  rebel  army  in  check.  They  were  at  Games'  Hill,  Malvern,  and 
in  a  continuous  skirmish  with  the  Confederate  cavalry. 

When  Burnside  made  his  disastrous  attack  on  Lee's  strong  entrench- 
ments under  Longstreet  and  Jackson,  at  Fredericksburg,  Dec.  13,  1862,  the 
Eighth  crossed  the  pontoons  over  the  Rappahannock,  exposed  to  a  heavy  fire. 
The  loss  of  the  regiment  to  this  time  is  given  at  twenty-seven  killed,  seventy- 
one  wounded,  twenty  missing. 

The  campaign  of  1863  was  one  long  succession  of  raid,  skirmish,  and 
battle  from  Sulphur  Springs,  Warrenton,  Rapidan  to  Gettysburg,  July  1-3, 
where  Lee  met  his  Waterloo,  and  Meade  was  Wellington.  In  this  campaign, 
the  loss  was  twenty-three  killed,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  wounded,  thirty-seven 
missing.  In  1864,  the  regiment  assisted  in  the  defenses  of  Washington,  and 
in  the  pursuit  of  the  assassins  of  President  Lincoln. 

The  Eighth  was  mustere'd  out  at  Benton  Barracks,  Missouri,  July  17, 
1865.  It  was  a  good  training  school  for  military  supplies,  furnishing  twemy- 
two  officers  for  colored  regiments,  three  colonels,  two  majors,  two  surgeons, 
for  other  Illinois  regiments,  two  brigadiers  and  five  brigadiers  by  brevet. 
Clendenin  became  major  in  the  regular  army.  The  aggregate  strength  was 
2,412  men.  The  original  Company  C  had  ninety-seven  men,  and  in  1864, 
forty-nine  re-enlisted.  Eighty-six  were  recruited  during  the  war.  The  total 
enlistment  from  Whiteside  for  the  company  was  172  men  exclusive  of  officers. 
Besides  those  killed,  several  died  subsequently  of  wounds  received. 
How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest, 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blest. 

THIRTEENTH     ILLINOIS    INFANTRY. 

Yes,  we'll  rally  round  the  flag, 

Boys,  we'll  rally  once  again, 
Shouting  the  batle  cry  of  Freedom  ! 
We  will  rally  from  the  hillside, 

We'll  gather  from  the  plain, 
Shouting  the  battle  cry  of  Freedom ! 

How  the  Lumbard  Brothers,  of  Chicago,  as  they  sang  this  famous  song 
of  George  F.  Root,  used  to  rouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  mass  meetings  in  the 
first  years  of  the  war.  It  was  the  American  Marseillaise  for 


240  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Ye  sons  of  France,  awake  to  glory ! 

No  finer  regiment  in  personnel  and  gallantry  ever  wore  uniform  than  the 
(Thirteenth.  Always  ready,  always  efficient.  Two  of  its  best  companies  were 
furnished  by  Whiteside,  B  from  Sterling,  G  from  Morrison.  On  Saturday 
•evening,  April  20,  1861,  a  week  after  Sumter  was  attacked,  a  meeting  was 
called  in  Wallace  Hall,  Sterling,  to  organize  a  company.  Fifty  men  signed 
the  roll.  D.  R.  Bushnell  was  elected  captain,  and  Cooper  Berry,  first  lieutenant. 
Captain  Beattie,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war,  was  appointed  drill  master,  and 
day  after  day  the  boys  under  his  direction  went  through  the  evolutions  on  the 
green  in  the  center  of  the  city.  The  citizens  furnished  blankets  and  uniforms, 
and  on  Thursday  afternoon,  May  9,  the  company  now  numbering  ninety  men, 
left  on  the  train  for  Dixon.  Here  in  Camp  Dement  they  met  nine  other  com- 
panies from  Dixon,  Amboy,  Rock  Island,  Sandwich,  Morrison,  Sycamore, 
Aurora,  Chicago,  and  Naperville.  As  no  rations  were  ready,  the  officers  of. 
•Company  B  gave  the  agreeable  order  for  the  boys  to  inarch  to  the  Nachusa 
House  for  supper.  A  vote  taken  the  next  day,  May  10,  resulted  in  the  choice 
of  John  B.  Wyman  of  Amboy  for  Colonel,  B.  F.  Park  of  Aurora  for  Lieut. 
Col.,  and  Adam  B.  Gorgas  of  Dixon  for  Major.  Joseph  C.  Miller,  a  Baptist 
minister  of  Amboy,  was  appointed  Chaplain.  Hev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  of  Dixon, 
Pres.  pastor,  preached  a  sermon  in  camp  on  the  first  Sunday. 

Company  G  came  from  Morrison,  and  was  formed  from  a  troop  of  cavalry 
that  had  been  started  in  the  western  part  of  the  county.  Several  rousing  meet- 
ings were  held  until  there  was  an  enrollment  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  men. 
George  M.  Cole  from  Fenton  was  elected  captain,  William  M.  Jenks  first 
lieutenant,  and  Silas  Jackson  second  lieutenant.  The  monotony  of  camp  life 
was  broken  on  the  night  of  June  12  by  the  death  of  Berry,  then  acting  as 
sergeant-major.  Going  outside  the  camp  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  some  dis- 
turbance, he  was  shot  through  the  neck  by  one  of  the  guards,  and  instantly 
killed.  His  body  was  taken  to  Sterling  for  burial. 

Farewell,  my  friends,  farewell,  my  foes ! 
My  peace  with  these,  my  love  with  those! 

After  five  weeks  at  Dixon,  orders  at  last  came  to  move,  and  marching  to 
the  Illinois  Central,  twenty-two  cars  of  men  and  baggage  started  for  the  long 
campaign  in  the  South.  Passenger  cars,  too,  writes  the  historian  of  the 
Thirteenth,  but  the  last  style  of  that  genteel  transportation  the  boys  enjoyed 
in  the  service.  This  was  June  16,  1861.  Caseyville  near  St.  Louis,  their  first 
stop,  and  next  Rolla,  Missouri.  Here  they  were  held  for  nearly  eight  months, 
July  7,  1861,  to  March  6,  1862.  The  boys  grew  very  tired  of  the  "masterly 
inactivity"  and  in  their  letters  home  always  closed  with,  "we  are  spoiling  for 
a  fight."  It  came  soon  enough.  The  winter  at  Rolla,  too,  was  snowy  and  dis- 
agreeable, and  it  required  much  engineering  to  make  their  tents  comfortable. 

Now  began  a  terrible  march  of  over  a  thousand  miles  to  Helena, 
Arkansas.  When  summer  came  on,  the  sun  was  scorching,  the  dust  blinding. 
Their  throats  were  parched.  Few  wells.  Two  dollars  offered  for  a  canteen  of 
water.  At  Helena,  the  regiment  was  embarked  on  the  steamer  John  Warner, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  241 

and  sailing  up  the  Yazoo,  was  landed  on  the  Johnson  plantation  near  Vicks- 
burg.  Sherman's  army  at  this  point,  consisted  of  four  divisions,  the  fourth 
commanded  by  Brig.-Gen.  Frederick  Steele.  The  first  brigade  of  the  latter 
was  under  Gen.  Frank  P.  Blair,  and  its  first  regiment  was  the  Thirteenth 
Illinois.  On  Dec.  28,  1862,  the  brigade  had  a  hot  engagement  with  the  enemy 
at  Chickasaw  Bayou,  and  Col.  Wyman,  while  surveying  operations  with  a 
field-glass,  was  killed  by  a  sharp-shooter,  the  ball  passing  through  his  breast. 

When  elected  colonel,  Wyman  was  division  superintendent  of  the  Illinois 
Central  at  Amboy.  He  was  fond  of  military  tactics  from  a  youth,  and  enjoyed 
the  warm  regard  of  his  associates.  Over  his  grave  in  Rose  Hill  Cemetery, 
Chicago,  the  men  of  his  regiment  erected  a  handsome  monument  to  his 
memory. 

The  next  day,  Dec.  29,  the  brigade  made  an  attack  upon  the  Confederate 
works,  but  was  repulsed.  Then  followed  the  expedition  against  Arkansas 
Post,  and  various  movements  about  Vicksburg  until  its  surrender,  July  4,  1863. 
Decisive  events  followed  in  quick  succession.  The  pursuit  of  Gen.  J.  E.  John- 
ston, the  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain,  Rossville,  the  fierce  engagement  at  Ring- 
gold,  where  Major  Bushnell  received  a  bullet  in  the  brain. 

Major  Douglas  R.  Bushnell  was  from  Connecticut,  a  civil  engineer  by 
profession,  and  had  superintended  the  construction  of  various  railroads  in  the 
east  and  the  west,  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  was  residing  with  his  family 
in  Sterling.  An  ideal  home.  A  wife  of  rare  culture,  and  three  young  daugh- 
ters to  gladden  a  father's  heart.  It  was  a  precious  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  his 
country. 

Home  they  brought  her  warrior  dead ; 
She  nor  swooned,  nor  uttered  cry; 
All  her  maidens,  watching,  said, 
She  must  weep  or  she  will  die. 

Sergeant  Samuel  Harvey  was  detailed  to  take  the  body  to  his  desolate 
home,  and  Riverside  cemetery  holds  all  that  is  mortal  of  a  fond  husband  and 
father. 

General  Hooker  in  speaking  of  the  fight  at  Ringgold  calls  the  Thirteenth, ' 
"that  brave  regiment",  and  Osterhaus  says  they  "executed  the  order  in  mag- 
nificent style". 

New  Years,  1864,  terribly  cold,  after  steady  rains,  found  the  regiment  at 
Woodville,  Alabama,  preparing  to  stay  for  the  winter.  The  boys  decided  to 
be  comfortable,  and  made  genuine  log  cabins  with  fire  places  and  shingle 
roofs.  Checkers  and  chess  men  were  constructed  for  games,  schools  held  for 
the  negro  children  who  were  eager  to  learn,  pipes  whittled  out  of  laurel  root, 
foraging  expeditions  undertaken  for  corn  and  pork,  every  device  employed  to 
keep  minds  and  hands  in  healthful  activity. 

When  can  their  glory  fade? 
Oh,  the  wild  charge  they  made! 

The  end  of  three  years'  faithful  service  came  at  last,  and  on  Thursday, 
May  26,  1864,  the  Thirteenth  started  for  the  north  by  way  of  Decatur,  Nash- 


J 
f 


242  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

ville,  down  the  Cumberland,  to  Cairo,  up  the  Illinois  Central,  to  Springfield 
and  Camp  Butler,  where  the  boys  were  mustered  out.  The  Fourteenth,  Fif- 
teenth, and  Eighteenth  Illinois  were  there,  also,  and  the  ladies  of  Springfield 
and  the  state  officers  invited  the  regiments  to  a  picnic  on  the  grounds  of  the 
new  state  house.  Governor  Yates,  Adjutant  Gen.  Fuller  and  Major  Gen. 
Oglesby  made  addresses  of  welcome.  On  Saturday,  June  18,  the  boys  received 
back  pay  and  bounty  in  full,  and  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  of  Illlinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  became  again  plain  and  honored  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

Of  the  original  members  of  Company  B  who  enlisted  at  Sterling,  only 
three  are  left  in  Sterling,  Andy  Haberer,  Gordon  Pierce,  and  John  Aurr.ent;' 
and  three  in  Rock  Falls,  John  Davis,  James  Arey  and  Richard  Arey. 

Tabular  view  of  the  Thirteenth: 

ABCDEFGHIK    Total 

Total  Enrollment 118  106  106  102  107  103  110  109  111  112    1084 

Mus't  out  end  of  service  44     53     52     51     55     49     43     54     43     37      482 

Dis.    for  Disability 19     14     17     11     13     19       6     19     24     22      164 

Trans,  to  other  Reg'ts..  32  14  4  6  33  7  16  8  17  21  128 
Woun.,  Killed  in  Battle  13  16  14  21  22  16  27  18  12  16  175 

Deserted    1       3       6       6     11       5     13       3     12       6        59 

Resigned    2       2       2  2       1       1       2       2       1        15 

Andy  Haberer  has  the  original  pay  roll  of  Company  B  which  the  writer 
has  had  the  privilege  of  examining.  It  is  on  heavy  paper,  and  in  good  pres- 
ervation. Here  it  is 

ORIGINAL  MUSTER  ROLL  OF  COMPANY  B. 

D.  R.  Bushnell,  captain,  civil  enginer,  Conn. 

N.  Cooper  Berry,  1st  lieut.,  bookkeeper.  Ohio. 

W.  M.  Kilgour,  2nd  lieut.,  lawyer,  Penn. 

J.  M.  Patterson,  1st  sergt,,  merchant,  Penn. 

G.  P.  Brown,  2d  sergt.,  civil  engineer,  N.  Y. 

J.  J.  Bupill,  3rd  sergt.,  lawyer,  Mass. 

M.  R.  Adams,  4th  sergt.,  farmer,  Ohio. 

A.  J.  Stowell,  1st  corp.,  blacksmith,  N.  Y. 

Gideon  Bower,  2d  coip.,  clerk,  Penn. 

S.  C.  Harvey,  3d  corp.,  clerk,  N.  Y. 

John  Buyers,  4th  corp.,  farmer,  Penn. 

A.  W.  Adams,  private,  farmer,-  Vermont. 

Jas.  Simmons,  private,  farmer,  Canada. 

Richard  Arey,  private,  farmer,  111. 

John  Aument,  private,  wagon  maker,  Penn. 

Warner  Banes,  private,  clerk,  Penn. 

Howard  Burket,  private,  farmer,  Penn. 

David  B.  Brink,  private,  farmer,  111. 

George  A.  Blinn,  private,  engraver,  Conn. 

Harvey  Brink,  private,  farmer,  111. 

John  Bartholomew,  private,  farmer,  Penn. 

Samuel  D.  Chamberlain,  private,  farmer,  Canada. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  243 

John  Coba,  private,  harness,  N.  Y. 

Solon  Chamberlain,  private,  farmer,  Canada. 

Alfred  Carpenter,  private,  farmer,  N.  Y. 

Edward  E.  Dunham,  private,  farmer,  N.  Y. 

John  D.  DavLs,  private,  farmer,  Mass. 

Edward  Dickinson,  private,  farmer,  N.  Y. 

Richard  Evans,  private,  farmer,  England. 

Augustus  Dickinson,  private,  mechanic,  N.  Y. 

John  A.  Euston,  private,  clerk,  N.  Y. 

M.  V.  B.  Farrington,  private,  farmer,  111. 

M.  W.  Finnarvan,  private,  confectioner,  Canada. 

Levi  Gilbert,  private,  farmer,  Penn. 

William  H.  Gavitt,  private,  manufacturer,  R.  Island. 

Roscoe  Green,  private,  clerk,  Mass. 

Fletcher  Galloway,  private,  farmer,  N.  Y. 

William  Hagey,  private,  clerk,  Penn. 

J.  J.  Hollslander,  private,  carpenter,  N.  Y. 

Rora  Herchnon,  private,  wagon  maker,  Canada. 

R.  Heffelfinger,  private,  clerk,  Ohio. 

Oliver  Harnisher,  private,  farmer,  Ohio. 

Andrew  Haberer,  private,  farmer,  Germany. 

Newton  How,  private,  teacher,  N.  Y. 

Lucius  E.  Hawley,  private,  farmer,  Conn. 

William  Irons,  private,  farmer,  ill. 

Benjamin  Judd,  private,  farmer,  111. 

Edward  B.  Joslin,  private,  farmer,  Mass. 

Prince  King,  private,  mechanic,  N.  Y.  , 

Rudolph  Kauffman,  private,  wheelwright,  Penn. 

Warren  Lukens,  private,  farmer,  Ohio. 

John  Lewis,  private,  linguist,  England. 

Henry  J.  Madison,  private,  printer,  England. 

Amos  H.  Miller,  private,  farmer,  Penn. 

Charles  Mann,  private,  printer,  N.  Y. 

M.  H.  McMillan,  famer,  Ohio. 

Wm.  Morgaridge,  private,  faTmer,  Ohio. 

John  G.  Manahan,  private,  lawyer,  Peiin. 

Chas.  M.  Mack,  private,  printer,  Penn. 

Frank  McCarty,  private,  farmer,  N.  Y. 

Simeon  Morgaridge,  private,  farmer,  Ohio. 

John  M.  Mabbie,  private,  agent,  Maine. 

Henry  C.  Osgood,  private,  merchant,  Vermont. 

David  Over,  private,  cooper,  Ohio. 

Henry  Plant,  private,  farmer,  N.  Y. 

Marcus  Potts,  private,  clerk,  N.  Y. 

'David  Parsons,  private,  clerk,  Mich. 

Gordon  Pierce,  private,  carpenter,  N.  Y. 

William  Pollingto;i,  private,  tailor,  England. 


244  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

George  Russell,  private,  farmer,  Ohio. 
John  Rhodes,  private,  farmer,  Ind. 
0.  D.  Reed,  private,  farmer,  N.  Y. 
Jesse  Rood,  private,  farmer,  England. 
Cyrenius  Stewart,  private,  farmer,  Penn. 
Nathaniel  Sipes,  private,  farmer,  Ohio. 
John  H.  Sulsh,  private,  shoemaker,  Germany. 
James  B.  Smith,  private,  farmer,  Canada. 
Homer  Sillanton,  private,  mason,  111. 
Calvin  Smith,  private,  farmer,  Mass. 
Lake  Tuttle,  private,  farmer,  Conn. 
William  Thomas,  private,  farmer,  Maine. 
George  F.  Tobie,  private,  R.  R.  R.  Island. 
David  Ustis,  private,  farmer,  Penn. 
Henry  Weaver,  private,  clerk,  Penn. 
Horatio  Wells,  private,  farmer,  Mass. 
Francis  Willard,  private,  farmer,  Mass. 

THE    SEVENTY-FIFTH    ILLINOIS. 

To  arms,  to  arms,  ye  brave ! 
The  avenging  sword  unsheathe? 
March  on,  march  on,  all  hearts  resolved 
On  victory  or  death. — Marseillaise. 

On  August  15,  1862,  Capt.  Wm.  M.  Kilgour  received  orders  from  Gov. 
Yates  to  take  command  of  the  volunteers  who  were  to  assemble  at  Dixon  for 
organization  and  drill.  In  due  time  the  several  companies  reported. 

Company  A  was  enlisted  at  Dixon  and  composed  of  men  principally 
frofn  Dixon,  Palmyra,  and  Nelson. 

v    Company  B  was  formed  at  Lyndon  of  recruits  from  Lyndon,  Fenton, 
Garden  Plain,  Newton,  Round  Grove,  and  Prophetstown. 

J  Company  C  at  Morrison  with  members  from  Morrison,   Prophetstown, 
Round  Grove,    Newton,  Clyde,  and  Portland. 

Company  D  was  started  under  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade, 
x/but  returned  to  Sterling.     It  was  composed  of  men  from  Sterling,  Coloma, 
Genesee,  Hume,  Hahnaman,  Hopkins,  Montmorency,  Portland,  and  Prophets- 
town. 

Company  E  was  raised  almost  wholly  from  the  towns  of  Lee  Center  and 
Sublette.    Companies  F,  G  and  K  also  from  Lee  county, 
/y  Company  H  was  recruited  in  Sterling,  Como,  Genesee  Grove,  and  Jordan. 
V        Company  I  was  enlisted  principally  in  the  townships  of  Sterling,  Erie, 
Fulton,  and  Ustick. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Seventy-fifth  was  preeminently  a  Whiteside 
regiment,  from  the  strong  preponderance  of  our  county  boys  in  its  member- 
ship. In  the  other  regiments,  Whiteside  being  represented  simply  by  one  or 
two  companies.  Kilgour  was  well  qualified  for  drill  master,  having  already 
had  a  year's  service  in  Missouri  with  the  Thirteenth  Illinois. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  245 

On  Sept.  2,  1862,  George  Ryan  of  Co.  K  was  elected  colonel,  John  E. 
Bennett  of  Co.  C,  lieutenant  colonel,  and  Wm.  M.  Kilgour,  major.  The^. 
were  sworn  in  for  three  years  or  the  war  by  Capt.  Barri  of  the  U.  S.  army. 

Camp  Dement  now  became  a  schoolof  instruction.  Several  other  com- 
panies were  assembled,  and  there  was  regular  drill  in  the  whole  round  of  mili- 
tary tactics,  in  everything  pertaining  to  camp,  garrison,  the  march,  the  field. 
Like  pupils  at  school,  the  boys  had  to  practice  every  motion  connected  with  the 
manual  of  arms,  position  and  step,  loading  and  firing,  facing  and  wheeling,  the 
order  of  company,  battalion,  and  brigade.  This  was  well,  and  as  events 
speedily  proved,  the  noble  boys  needed  all  their  discipline.  Orders  came  for  a 
movement  to  the  seat  of  war,  and  on  Sept.  27  the  regiment  left  Camp  Dement 
for  the  South.  The  route  was  by  Chicago  and  Indianapolis,  and  on  Sept.  29 
they  reached  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  meeting  thousands  of  other  new  troops 
to  repel  the  threatened  capture  of  Louisville. 

At  this  stage  of  the  war  the  border  states  seemed  to  be  the  battle  ground, 
and  the  rebels  prepared  to  resist  the  advance  of  our  troops  from  the  north. 
Buell  was  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  with  three  army  corps.  The 
Seventy-fifth  was  assigned  to  the  Thirtieth  Brigade,  ninth  Division,  of  the 
Third,  commanded  by  Gen.  Gilbert.  Bragg  had  posted  his  army  on  a  range 
of  low,  wooded  hills  in  front  of  Perryville.  The  battle  was  opened  on  the 
morning  of  October  8  by  an  artillery  fire  from  a  rebel  battery,  but  the  des- 
perate fighting  began  in  the  afternoon  and  raged  till  dark.  The  carnage  was 
awful.  Men  fought  like  demons.  Rousseau's  division,  after  being  engaged  for 
three  hours  with  dreadful  loss,  was  appealing  for  help,  and  a  fresh  brigade, 
Col.  Gooding,  from  Mitchell's  division,  was  rushed  to  the  rescue. 

When  this  brigade  formed  in  line  of  battle,  the  Seventy-fifth  was  in  the 
center.  Soon  the  tremendous  conflict  raged  fiercer  than  ever.  The  roar  of 
cannon  and  musketry  was  deafening.  A  sheet  of  fire  blazed  between  the 
opposing  lines.  Now  it  was  a  hand  to  hand  grapple,  now  a  charge  with  fixed 
bayonets.  But  our  boys  never  wavered,  although  their  ranks  were  thinned. 

Hundreds  of  instances  of  heroism.  James  Blean,  wounded,  refused  to  be 
carried  off  the  field,  exclaiming,  "I'll  take  care  of  myself;  fight  on;  give  the 
rebels  the  best  you  have."  Crawling  to  the  rear,  he  was  again  wounded,  and 
expired  the  next  day. 

Make  way  for  liberty !  he  cried. 
Make  way  for  liberty!  and  died. 

Among  the  wounded  were  Major  Kilgour,  and  Captains  Whallon,  Frost, 
and  Roberts,  and  Lieutenants  Barber,  Thompson,  Irwin,  and  Blodgett.  Lieut. 
Col.  Bennett  commanding  the  regiment,  had  a  horse  shot,  but  was  himself 
unhurt. 

Compared  with  their  other  home  regiments,  the  Thirteenth  and  the 
Thirty-fourth,  the  Seventy-fifth  had  a  cruel  experience.  Those  two  were  in 
camp  or  on  the  march  for  six  months  before  a  battle.  Six  months  of  soldier- 
ing had  what  may  be  called  military  acclimation,  while  the  Seventy-fifth  was 
rushed  from  the  plow  or  the  shop  in  five  weeks  to  the  bayonet  thrust  and  the 


246  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

cannon's  mouth.     Even  now  the  survivors  speak  of  the  misfortune  with  a 
shudder. 

Forward,  the  Light  Brigade! 

Was  there  a  man  dismayed? 

Not  though  the  soldier  knew 
Some  one  had  blundered; 

Theirs  not  to  make  reply, 

Theirs  not  to  reason  why, 

Theirs  but  to  do  and  die ; 

Into  the  valley  of  death 
Rode  the  six  hundred. 

It  was  certainly  a  calamity.  Forty-three  of  the  boys  were  left  dead  on  the 
field,  nine  mortally  wounded,  one  hundred  and  fifty  received  hospital  treat- 
ment, twelve  taken  prisoners.  All  through  the  night  the  injured  soldiers  were 
brought  from  the  field,  and  the  surgeons  were  kept  busy  dressing  their  wounds. 
Thus  thro'  the  night  rode  Paul  Revere. 

Our  regiment's  next  encounter  was  with  their  former  antagonist  of  Perry- 
ville,  Braxton  Bragg,  decidedly  one  of  the  busiest  warriors  of  the  Confederacy. 
It  was  the  fierce  fight  of  Murfreesboro,  in  which  the  34th  Illinois  made  a  bril- 
liant record,  and  where  Kirk  received  his  mortal  wound.  When  the  smoke 
of  battle  lifted,  the  ground  was  covered  with  mangled  masses  of  men  and 
horses,  dead  and  wounded.  For  eight  hours  the  conflict  raged,  and  no  regi- 
ment did  more  valiant  service  than  the  Seventy-fifth.  Finally  on  Jan.  3, 
1863,  Bragg  retreated,  and  our  army  occupied  the  town.  Here  the  losses  of 
the  regiment  were  two  killed,  25  wounded,  and  21  prisoners,  among  the  latter, 
Capt.  McMoore  of  Co.  D. 

After  Chickamauga  the  regiment  had  its  share  in  the  famous  campaign 
at  Chattanooga.  Bragg  was  on  the  heights,  and  controlled  the  railroads, 
while  our  army  was  in  the  town,  suffering  for  supplies.  When  Gen.  Grant 
telegraphed  Thomas  to  hold  the  place,  Thomas  replied,  "I  will  hold  the  town 
until  we  starve."  Food  was  scarce.  The  half-famished  soldiers  ate  moldy 
bread,  picked  coffee  and  rice  from  the  mud,  devoured  greedily  offal  from  the 
slaughter  yards.  Provision  trains  could  not  reach  the  beleagured  city.  But 
all  this  ceased  when  the  stars  and  stripes  on  Nov.  25,  1863,  floated  from  Old 
Lookout  and  Missionary  Ridge,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  brave  men  who  had 
stormed  the  rebel  entrenchments. 

Barbara  Frietchie's  work  is  o'er. 

And  the  rebel  rides  on  his  raids  no  more. 

Winter  of  1863-64  was  spent  at  Whiteside,  on  the  Charleston  and  Mem- 
phis railroad.  Meantime  Grant  and  Sherman  had  arranged  their  chessboard. 
Grant  was  to  move  towards  Richmond,  and  at  the  same  time,  Sherman  was 
to  strike  for  the  heart  of  the  Confederacy.  This  was  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
and  the  Seventy-fifth  was  in  it.  A  series  of  stubborn  fights,  Buzzard  Roost, 
Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw,  Peach  Tree  Creek.  September  2  saw  Hood  in  re- 
treat, and  Sherman  in  possession  of  Atlanta.  This  was  one  of  the  strategic 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  247 

movements  of  the  war,  perhaps  the  longest  running  conflict  of  modern  war- 
fare. Napoleon's  invasion  of-  Russia  was  a  failure.  Think  of  an  army  on 
forward  move  for  four  months,  and  one  hundred  days  under  fire. 

While  Sherman  started  on  his  spectacular  march  to  the  sea,  Hood  began 
a  counter  movement  into  Tennessee.  The  Seventy-fifth  was  now  with  Gen. 
Schofield,  who  had  a  fierce  fight  with  Hood  at  Franklin.  At  the  battle  of 
Nashville,  Dec.  16,  1864,  the  regiment  was  in  the  command  of  Gen.  Grose, 
and  after  a  bloody  assault,  Hood's  army  was  a  wreck,  and  fled  across  the  Ten- 
nessee. Gen.  George  H.  Thomas,  the  hero  of  the  day,  commanding  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  issued  an  order  congratulating  the  soldiers  on  the  glorious 
results  of  the  long  campaign. 

Give  us  a  song,  the  soldiers  cried, 
The  outer  trenches  guarding. 

Hail,  happy  day!  White  the  Fourth  Army  Corps  was  lying  at  Nash- 
ville, orders  came  for  the  payment  and  mustering  out  of  the  veteran,  troops, 
and  on  June  13  the  Seventy-fifth  was  en  route  for  Chicago.  July  1  they  were 
paid  and  discharged,  departing  for  home  to  resume  the  common  duties  of  the 
American  citizen,  after  two  years  and  nine  months  in  the  Southland. 

Then  they  rode  back,  but  not — 
Not  the  six  hundred. 

Of  the  regiment,  sixty-four  were  killed,  thirty-one  died  of  wounds,  ninety-one 
of  disease.  Besides,  216  were  discharged  for  disability,  and  184  wounded.  A 
grand  total  of  586,  or  nearly  57  per  cent. 

Many  of  the  prominent  officers  were  spared  to  enjoy  the  peace  of  the 
land  they  struggled  to  save.  Col.  John  E.  Bennett,  Brevet  Brigadier-General, 
who  afterwards  accepted  a  lieutenancy  in  the  regular  army.  General  William 
M.  Kilgour  died  in  1887  in  California.  Dr.  Henry  Utley,  second  assistant 
surgeon,  practiced  his  profession  in  Sterling  until  his  death  a  few  years  ago. 
William  Parker  published  the  Rock  Falls  Progress  until  his  death  in  Dec., 
1907.  Andy  McMoore  was  a  merchant  in  Sterling,  and  then  removed  to  the 
south.  F.  A.  Caughey  is  still  living  in  Sterling.  There  are,  of  course,  others 
in  the  county  and  elsewhere  of  whom  we  have  no  knowledge. 

THIRTY-FOURTH    ILLINOIS    INFANTRY. 

On  Fame's  eternal  camping  ground, 

Their  silent  tents  are  spread, 
And  Glory  guards  with  solemn  round, 

The  bivouac  of  the  dead. — Theodore  O'Hara. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1861,  Mr.  and,  Mrs.  Kirk  gave  a  party  on  the 
lawn  of  their  elegant  home,  now  the  property  of  Wash  Dillon,  opposite  the 
Hennepin  dam.  As  the  writer  and  Mr.  Kirk  stood  on  the  piazza,  he  remarked, 
"It  does  not  seem  right  to  be  quietly  at  home  while  men  are  needed  at  the 
front."  He  soon  was  to  put  his  thought  into  execution. 

Authorized  by  Governor  Richard  Yates  to  raise  a  regiment,  Kirk  at  once 


248  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

proceeded  to  make  arrangements,  muster  rolls  were  opened,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  companies  had  their  complement.  vEdwin  N.  Kirk  was  commissioned 
Colonel,  Amos  Bosworth  of  the  Grand  Detour  Plow  Works,  Lieut.  Colonel,  and 
Charles  N.  Levanway,  of  Dixon,  Major.  David  Leavitt,  of  Sterling,  Adjutant, 
and  Francis  McNeil  of  Rochelle,  Surgeon.  The  various  companies,  except 
H,  G  and  K,  assembled  at  Dixon,  September  3,  1861,  took  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral, and  the  next  day  arrived  at  Camp  Butler,  near  Springfield.  The  other 
companies  came  later. 

While  on  a  trip  to  Springfield  that  autumn,  the  writer  visited  Camp 
Butler,  and  found  the  boys  in  excellent  spirits.  They  spoke  in  the  highest 
terms  of  Mrs.  Kirk,  who  had  accompanied  the  Colonel,  and  took  a  motherly 
interest  in  the  quality  of  the  coffee  and  food  that  were  furnished. 

After  a  month  of  drill,  the  regiment  started,  October  3rd,  on  box,  coal 
and  stock  cars,  with  soft  planks  laid  across  for  seats,  for  Cincinnati.  Crossing 
the  Ohio  river  to  Covington,  Kentucky,  they  enjoyed  a  bountiful  supper 
provided  by  the  citizens.  At  Frankfort  hot  coffee  and  lunch  were  served  by 
the  best  ladies  of  the  city.  They  reached  Camp  Nevin,  near  the  Louisville 
and  Nashville  railroad,  Oct.  11,  in  the  midst  of  a  chilly  rain. 

Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  with  headquarters  at  Louisville,  was  in  command 
of  the  Union  army  in  Kentucky,  having  relieved  Gen.  Robert  Anderson,  of 
Fort  Sumter  fame,  who  was  in  poor  health.  Sherman  was  soon  succeeded  by 
Buell.  At  Camp  Nevin  the  boys  suffered  from  various  diseases  induced  by 
the  rainy  season  and  the  change  in  diet,  and  twenty  per  cent  of  the  regiment 
were  unfit  for  duty.  Even  both  of  the  assistant  surgeons  were  sick.  Inter- 
mittent fever  and  measles  were  the  prevailing  ailments.  Camp  Nevin  was 
evacuated  Dec.  9  for  Mumfordsville  to  the  south  on  Green  river,  where  the 
regiment  remained  to  Feb.  14,  1862,  when  the  advance  of  Grant's  army  on 
Forts  Henry  and  Donelson  made  necessary  a  move  in  another  direction. 

Few,  few  shall  part  where  many  meet, 
The  snow  shall  be  their  winding  sheet, 
And  every  turf  beneath  their  feet, 
Shall  be  a  soldier's  sepulchre. 

Events  henceforth  moved  rapidly,  and  two  terrific  battles  were  ahead. 
Past  Mammoth  Cave,  across  the  Cumberland  at  Nashville,  Columbia,  Savanna, 
up  the  Tennessee  river  on  boats  to  -Shiloh,  where  the  men  landed  at  sunrise 
on  the  morning  of  April  7.  They  had  marched  27  miles  the  day  before,  and 
were  very  tired,  but  forming  their  lines  they  were  soon  in  the  midst  of  a 
deadly  conflict  which  had  begun  the  day  previous.  Gen.  Albert  Sidney  John- 
ston had  marched  with  an  army  of  50,000  from  Corinth  and  attacked  Grant 
with  32,000  troops,  driving  the  Union  army  towards  Pittsburgh  Landing. 
Johnston  was  killed  on  the  first  day,  and  Beauregard  was  in  command  of  the 
rebels.  Gunboats  on  the  river  and  artillery  on  land  covered  our  line  of 
defense,  the  Confederates  fell  back,  and  when  Buell  came  on  the  morning  of 
the  7th  with  13,000  fresh  troops,  the  battle  was  renewed,  a  general  assault 
made,  and  the  rebels,  after  a  tremendous  conflict,  driven  from  the  field.  It 
was  one  of  the  fiercest  contests  of  the  war,  both  sides  losing  in  killed  and 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  249 

wounded  from  10,000  to  12,000  men.  Major  Levanway  was  killed  by  a  can- 
ister shot  in  the  neck,  and  Col.  Kirk  was  severely  wounded.  The  regiment 
lost  35  killed  and  92  wounded. 

Shortly  after  this  a  recruiting  squad  was  sent  north  to  secure  men  for 
the  ranks  which  by  battle  and  disease  had  been  lessened  twenty  per  cent  in 
seven  months.  Capt.  Miller  of  Company  H,  Adjutant  Leavitt,  and  a  Sergeant 
from  each  company  formed  the  detail.  Gen.  Bragg  was  now  the  foe  in  front. 
After  the  battle  of  Perryville,  where  the  75th  Illinois  lost  so  heavily,  he  had 
retreated  southward,  and  taken  position  along  the  railroad  at  Murfreesboro, 
his  cavalry  operating  between  that  point  and  the  outposts  of  Rosecran's 
forces,  covering  the  pikes  south  of  Nashville.  Gen.  R.  W.  Johnson 'was  in 
command  of  our  Second  Division  of  McCook's  corps,  and  Gen.  Kirk  in  com-  _ 
mand  of  the  Second  Brigade.  No  Christmas  for  the  boys,  for  an  hour  before 
daylight,  Dec.  26,  1862,  the  bugles  rang  out,  and  in  cold  and  rain,  the  forward 
movement  began  from  Camp  Andy  Johnson. 

Soon  after  breakfast  on  the  morning  of  Dec.  31,  the  advance  of  the 
enemy  in  overwhelming  force  moved  on  the  pickets  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Illi- 
nois, the  batteries  on  both  sides)  opened,  and  in  five  minutes  the  contest  was 
terrific.  The  rebels  charged  with  a  yell  and  with  the  dash  of  a  tidal  wave. 
For  the  Thirty-fourth  it  was  a  hand-to-hand  conflict.  With  twelve  men  killed, 
sixty  wounded,  five  color  bearers  falling  in  quick  succession,  the  regiment 
still  struggled  to  maintain  its  line.  Kirk  had  a  second  horse  killed,  and 
although  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh,  continued  cheering  his  men,  until 
his  strength  failed,  and  he  was  borne  bleeding  to  the  rear.  Col.  Dodge  o£ 
Thirtieth  Indiana,  then  took  command.  After  an  operation  in  the  hospital 
in  July,  to  gain  relief,  Gen.  Kirk  seemed  to  rally  and  smoked  a  cigar,  but 
he  soon  sank  into  the  last  sleep. 

Not  a  drum  was  heard,  not  a  funeral  note, 

As  his  corse  to  the  rampart  we  hurried, 
Not  a  soldier  discharged  his  farewell  shot, 

O'er  the  grave  where  our  hero  we  buried. 

y  Edwin  N.  Kirk  was  born  in  Ohio,  1828,  and  was  in  the  prime  of  life. 
Tall  and  handsome  with  black  hair  and  beard,  an  agreeable  presence,  of  im- 
petuous bravery,  his  early  loss  was  sincerely  lamented. 

Meantime  the  battle  waged  everywhere  over  the  field.  Bragg  was  on  Stone 
river,  with  Breckinridge  holding  the  right,  Polk  the  center,  Hardee  the  left. 
On  the  first  day,  Rosecrans  lost  28  pieces  of  artillery,  and  was  forced  from  his 
position,  on  Jan.  1  there  was  a  lull,  but  on  the  second  the  Confederates  were 
repulsed  with  dreadful  slaughter.  There  was  no  fighting  on  the  third,  and 
on  Jan.  4,  Bragg  evacuated  Murfreesboro.  Of  354  men  in  the  regiment  at 
the  beginning  of  the  battle,  36  were  killed,  92  wounded,  74  taken  prisoners. 

Another  change  of  scene.  After  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  Sept.  19-20, 
1863,  Rosecrans  had  retired  before  Bragg  and  Longstreet  to  Chattanooga, 
and  here  in  October  Gen.  Grant  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Union 
forces.  The  camp  of  the  Thirty-fourth  was  at  Moccasin  Point,  made  by  a 
bend  of  the  Tennessee.  The  troops  who  had  been  there  before,  left  some  log 


250  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  pole  cabins,  whkh  after  some  repair  the  boys  pronounced  the  best  quar- 
ters they  had  during  their  whole  experience.  Bragg  was  on  Missionary  Ridge, 
Grant's  army  in  the  town  and  valley  to  the  north.  When  the  camp-fires  of 
both  armies  were  lighted  at  night,  gleaming  like  myriads  of  stars,  from  the 
Ridge,  from  Old  Lookout  mountain,  from  every  hill  and  outpost,  it  was  a 
weird  panorama  of  almost  celestial  splendor,  weird,  awful,  for  beneath  all 
that  splendor  of  night,  lurked  the  demons  of  destruction. 

While  on  picket  duty  at  Moccasin  Point,  the  Thirty-fourth  saw  the  last 
act  of  the  Chattanooga  drama.  On  the  afternoon  of  Nov.  25,  Grant  ordered 
Thomas  to  advance,  and  take  the  first  line  of  rifle  pits  at  the  foot  of  Mission- 
ary Ridge.  Sheridan's  and  Wood's  divisions  were  put  in  motion,  and  with 
wild  enthusiasm  they  swept  up  the  slope,  driving  Bragg  into  disastrous  and 
rapid  retreat,  with  immense  loss  of  prisoners  and  munitions  of  war.  It  was 
no  longer  a  fight  but  a  footrace.  For  three  miles  our  boys  witnessed  a  battle 
picture  of  gleaming  gun  barrels  and  waving  colors  in  the  light  of  dying  day. 

On  Linden  when  the  sun  was  low. 

The  regiment  had  now  served  the  term  of  three  years,  and  those  who  re-en- 
listed were  mustered  in  as  Veterans,  Jan.  3,  1864,  and  184  new  recruits  were 
received  during  the  return  of  the  veterans  on  furlough  to  Illinois. 

Then  followed  the  long  tramp  through  Rome,  Atlanta  to  Savannah, 
northward  up  the  Atlantic  coast,  through  Columbia,  Raleigh,  Richmond  to 
Alexandria,  which  they  reached  May  18.  The  Thirty-fourth  led  the  Division 
in  platoons  through  the  streets  of  Richmond.  At  Washington  occurred  the 
most  magnificent  military  pageant  the  world  ever  saw.  On  the  23d  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  marched  in  review,  and  on  the  24th  Sherman's  Army  from 
its  march  to  the  sea.  Cromwell  nor  Napoleon  never  headed  such  troops.  The 
men  were  bronzed,  the  flags  were  stained,  but  it  was  a  march  of  heroes.  For 
over  six  hours,  Sherman  stood  by  ,the  President  as  the  veterans  with  swing- 
ing step  passed  before  the  reviewing  stand  amid  the  cheers  of  the  surging  multi- 
tudes. Pennsylvania  avenue  will  never  again  witness  so  patriotic  a  parade. 

Hail  to  the  chief  who  in  triumph  advances ! 

After  the  arrival  in  Washington,  by  enlistments,  assignments  and  trans- 
fers, the  regiment  numbered  451,  one  hundred  more  than  were  in  the  ranks 
at  Stone  River.  After  some  delay,  the  regiment  broke  camp,  and  by  rail  and 
boat  reached  Louisville  on  June  18.  Eight  months'  pay  and  $50  bounty  were 
paid  the  men,  and  on  July  12,  1865,  the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry  was  mustered  out  after  three  years,  ten  months  and  five  days  of 
actiy.e  service.  From  Louisville  to  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago,  where  the  pay 

were  signed,  and  on  Monday,  July  17,  the  boys  hastened  to  their  firesides. 

Home  again,  home  again, 
From  a  foreign  shore! 

Companies  A  and  B,  and  a  part  of  D,  I  and  K  were  from  Whiteside.  Com- 
pany A  was  enlisted  at  Sterling,  and  numbered  98  men.  E.  Brooks  Ward  was 
captain,  but  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health ;  Will  C.  Robinson  went  as  ser- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  251 

geant  but  became  captain ;  Peter  Ege  was  first  lieutenant  but  became  colonel ; 
Lorenzo  D.  Wescott,  Benjamin  Gurtisen,  Richard  J.  Heath,  went  as  ser- 
geants, but  rose  to  lieutenancies.  Jonathan  A.  Morgan  resigned  as  first  lieu- 
tenant in  1862,  and  in  1864  was  made  captain  of  Co.  A,  140th  111.  Volunteers. 
Company  B  was  enlisted  at  Morrison,  known  as  the  Whiteside  Blues, 
and  numbered  100  men.  Hiram  W.  Bristol  was  captain,  afterwards  lieut. 
colonel;  Cornelius  Quackenbush,  first  lieutenant;  John  A.  Parrott,  second 
lieutenant ;  David  Cleaveland  rose  from  sergeant  to  captain ;  Leland  L.  Johnson 
from  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant  and  acting  adjutant. 

STATISTICS   OF   THE   THIRTY-FOURTH. 

Enrollment  1,551' 

Promoted  from  company  or  resigned 44 

Transferred    47 

Killed  in  battle  70 

Died  of  wounds  61 

Died  of  disease  or  accident 100 

Discharged  on  account  of  wounds 62 

Discharged  for  disability   176 

Mustered  out  in  1864 132 

Mustered  out  in  1865 749 

Unaccounted  for   69 

Deserted  41 


1,551 
Wounded,  not  including  those  died  of  wounds 222 

LETTER  OF  GEN.   E.    N.   KIRK. 

The  following  letter  is  in  the  Whiteside  Historical  Society,  and  explains 
itself.  It  was  written  as  may  be  seen,  before  Kirk  entered  the  service,  and 
was  still  at  home: 

Col.  Wilson, 

Dear  Friend:  I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  are  well,  and  engaged  in 
earnest  in  defense  of  the  capital.  I  suppose  now  that  WTashington  is  filled 
with  troops,  you  are  relieved  of  some  of  your  labors.  It  is  time  now  for  men 
to  prove  what  stuff  they  are  made  of,  and  for  the  government  to  prove,  too, 
that  it  has  vitality  enough  to  maintain  itself,  and  it  will  do  it. 

I  have  no  fear  of  this  administration.  I  believe  that  Lincoln  and  his 
cabinet  are  the  men  for  the  occasion,  and  equal  to  it.  You,  of  course,  being 
on  the  ground,  must  know  from  actual  observation  what  is  going  on.  Some 
of  our  restless  men  here  are  dissatisfied  because  they  think  the  government 
moves  too  slowly.  The  people  demand  of  the  government  prompt  and  vig- 
orous action.  They  will  tolerate  no  compromise,  no  patching  up  of  this 
matter,  nothing  short  of  unconditional  submission  on  part  of  the  rebel  states, 
and  the  extirpation  of  treason  and  traitors.  I  think  Lincoln  has  done  mira- 
cles, almost,  in  the  short  time  he  has  been  there. 


252  HISTORY   OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

We  have  two  tip-top  companies  here,  and  one  at  Morrison.  I  am  hop- 
ing every  day  to  hear  of  your  receiving  some  good  office,  as  I  have  no  doubt 
you  will.  Write  when  you  can.  Your  letters  coming  right  from  head- 
quarters at  such  a  time,  are  of  peculiar  interest.  With  many  kind  wishes 
for  your  success,  I  am  Yours  truly, 

Sterling,  May  4,  1861.  -  E.  N.  KIRK. 

THIRTY-FOURTH   ILLINOIS. 

Roster  of  soldiers  who  served  in  the  34th  Illinois  Regiment,  Volunteer 
Infantry,   during  the  Civil   war,   enrolled  in   Whiteside   county,    from   the       i 
records  of  Colonel  Peter  Ege,  Albany,  Illinois.  / 

In  compliance  with  order  of  War  Department,  the  Sterling  Rifles,  Capt. 
E.  B.  Ward,  and  the  Newton  Guards,  Capt.  Peter  Ege,  were  consolidated  Aug. 
25,  1861,  and  designated  as  Co.  A,  Capt.  Ward,  as  ranking  captain  of  the 
regiment.'  He  left  the  regiment  at  Duck  river,  March  7,  1862,  and  died 
at  Sterling.  The  Whiteside  Blues,  Capt.  H.  W.  Bristol  and  the  Prophets- 
town  Rifles,  Capt.  John  A.  Parrott,  were  consolidated,  and  designated  as  Co. 
B.  Capt.  Bristol  as  second  ranking  .captain  of  the  regiment.  He  died  at  S 
Urbana,  Ohio.  .  yr 

The  regiment  was  mustered  into  U.  S.  service,  Sept.  7,  1861,  Col.  E.  N. 
Kirk  in  command.  He  was  wounded  at  Shiloh,  April  7,  1862,  promoted 
Brig.  Gen.  Nov.  29,  1862,  wounded  at  Stone  River,  Dec.  31,  1862,  and  died 
/at  Sterling,  June  29,  1863,  death  resulting  from  wounds.  Total  service, 
I/  one  year  ten  months.  David  Leavitt  was  adjutant,  resigned  July  10,  1863. 
He  died  at  Sterling,  after  a  service  of  one  year  ten  months.  Surgeon  was  A. 
S.  Hudson,  who  resigned  March  11,  1862,  and  died  in  California.  Lieut. 
Col.  H.  W.  Bristol,  was  ranking  captain  with  regiment  when  Major  Levan- 
way  fell  at  Shiloh  and  took  command  of  the  regiment.  He  was  promoted 
fo  major  and  lieut.  col.  He  commanded  regiment  during  siege  of  Corinth, 
March  to  Stevenson,  Ala.  A  long  march  of  over  500  miles  by  way  of  Louis- 
ville and  Franklin  to  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.  During  this  march  the  regiment 
received  the  name  of  McCook's  foot  cavalry.  Col.  Bristol  resigned,  Feb.  14, 
1863.  His  time  in  service,  two  years  six  months.  Sergeant  major  L.  E.  B. 
Holt,  in  service  one  year. 

J  COMPANY  A. 

Capt.  E.  B.  Ward,  Ranking  Capt.  of  Rgt.    With  Rgt.   Six  Mo. 

Vet.  Capt.  Peter  Ege.    Promoted  Maj.,  Lieut.  Col.  and  full  Col. 

Vet.  Capt.  W.  C.  Robinson.  Prisoner  Eight  Mo.  Aid  Brig.  Staff.  Died 
at  Sterling,  111.  Total  time  in  service,  three  years  and  ten  months. 

First  Lieut.  J.  A.  Morgan.  Res.  May  16,  1863.  In  service,  one  year 
and  nine  months. 

Vet.  First  Lieut.  L.  D.  Westcott.  Res.  April  2,  1864.  In  service  two 
years  and  seven  months. 

Vet.  First  Lieut.  R.  J.  Heath.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three 
years  and  ten  months.  In  command  of  Co.  A.  March  to  sea.  Never  a  day 
off  duty. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  253 

Vet.  Second  Lieut.  E.  W.  Payne.  Dec.  muster.  In  service  three 
years  and  eight  months.  Wounded  at  Jonesboro  Sept.  1,  1864.  Right  arm 
amputated. 

Vet.  Second  Lieut.  Edward  Whitcomb.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In 
service  three  years  and  ten  months.  Injury  to  knee  while  on  march  to  sea. 

SERGEANTS    COMPANY   A. 

L.  D.  Westcott.  Pro.  First  Lieut.  Vet.  In  service  two  years  and  seven 
months. 

Benj.  Gustisen.  Dis.  Disability  Feb.  15,  1862.  Died  Sterling.  In 
service  six  months. 

W.  C.  Robinson.  Pro.  Capt.  Vet.  Died  Sterling.  In  service  three 
years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  R.  J.  Heath.  Pro.  First  Lieut.  In  service  three  years  and  ten 
months. 

Vet.  E.  W.  Payne.  Pro.  Second  Lieut.  In  service  three  years  and 
eight  months. 

Vet.  Edward  Whitcomb.  Pro.  Second  Lieut.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Vet.    J.  B.  G.  Hill.    Trans,  to  regular  army.     In  service  three  years. 

Vet.  E.  C.  Winters.  M.  0.  First  Sergt.  Wd.  Jonesboro.  Died 
Rock  Falls.  In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Henry  H.  Miller.  Killed  Jonesboro  Sept.  1,  1864.  In  service 
three  years. 

Vet.  John  Gibner.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  John  T.  Bryson.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  W.  H.  Enderton.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Vet.  S.  T.  Miller.  M.  0.  Wd.  in  jaw,  Aversboro,  March  16,  1865. 
In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

CORPORALS COMPANY    A. 

Frank  Morrill.  Died  March  7,  1863.  Mursfreesboro.  Typhoid.  In 
service  one  year  and  seven  months. 

W.  T.  Abbey.  Died  Dec.  19,  1861.  Camp  Nevin.  Typhoid.  In  serv- 
ice four  months.  First  child  born  in  Newton  Twp.  Buried  in  Newton,  White- 
side  County. 

J.  N.  Beard.  Wd.  Shiloh.  Leg  Amp.  Died  Morrison.  In  service  one 
year. 

Vet.  J.  S.  Crow.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Prk  6  Mo.  Died  in  Neb. 
In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Chas.  P.  Rarey.  Wd.  Rome.  Killed  Kenesaw.  In  service  two 
years  and  ten  months. 

_Vet.  John  Crichton.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Prison  six  months.  In 
service  three  years  and  ten  months. 


254  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

.  Vet,  Geo.  B.  Brandt,  Killed  Jonesboro.  Prison  six  months.  In 
service  three  years. 

Vet.  Lewis  T.  Babcock.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Kenesaw.  Finger 
amp.  In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.    John  Stallsmith.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  three  years  and 

ten  months. 

Vet.  Moses  Deep.  M.  0.  Wd.  Kenesaw,  also  Nov.  9,  1864.  In  serv- 
ice, three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.     A.  H.  Phillips.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  three  years  and 

ten  months. 

Vet.     Patrick  Lynch.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  three  years  and 

ten  months. 

Vet.  Erastmus  Hanson.  M.  0.  Wd.  May  9,  1864.  Died  Whiteside 
County.  In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

MUSICIANS COMPANY  A. 

Vet.  J.  D.  Irons.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865  In  service  three  years  and  ten 
months.. 

Vet.     E.  R.  Richmond.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  three  years 

and  ten  months. 

COLOR    GUARDS SHILOH. 

James  L.  Worrell.  Wd.  Shiloh.  Dis.  Feb.  8,  1863.  In  service  one 
year  and  six  months. 

Charles  A.  Haines.  Wd.  Shiloh.  Eyesight  damaged.  M.  0.  1864.  In 
service  three  years. 

COLOR    GUARD KENESAW. 

Vet.  Geo.  Phipps.  Wd.  severely  planting  flag  on  enemy's  works,  Kene- 
saw. In  service  three  years  and  eleven  months. 

PRIVATES COMPANY   A. 

Allison,  John.     Dis.  Aug.  27,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  one  year. 

Vet.  Blair  Jonas.  Dis.  Jan.  25,  1865.  Disability.  In  service  three 
years  and  five  months. 

Bradley,  Robt.    Killed  Shiloh,  April  7,  1862.    In  service  seven  months. 

Baxter,  George.  Killed  Shiloh,  buried  at  Fulton,  111.  In  service  seven 
months. 

Burt,  Delos  C.  Died  Aug.  7,  1862,  Battle  Creek,  Tenn.  In  service  one 
year. 

Barber  J.  E.     Died  March  14,  1862,  Nashville.     In  service  six  months. 

Bunley,  J.  M.    Died  Dec.  31,  1862.   In  service  one  year  and  four  months. 

Brooks,  Erastus  0.  Wd.  severely  in  right  arm,  Kenesaw.  M.  0.  Nov.  21, 
1864.  In  service  three  years  and  three  months. 

Vet.  Cozzell,  Henry.  M.  0.  June  15,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
nine  months.  Wd.  severely;  both  thighs;  Kenesaw;  prisoner  six  months. 

Vet.  Cherry,  Sydney.  Wd.  Aug.  5,  1864.  Died  of  wounds.  In  serv- 
ice three  years. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  255 

Vet.  Colburn,  Geo.  W.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  year* 
and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Cain,  Thos.  C.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Aug.  7,  1864.  In 
service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Crichton,  Charles.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Prisoner  six  months. 
In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Cohenour,  Jos.  Dis.  Oct.  27,  1862.  Disability.  In  service  one  year 
and  two  months. 

Conners,  Timothy.  Dis.  Dec.  22,  1862.  Disability.  In  service  one 
year  and  four  months. 

Vet.  Clements,  Jesse' N.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Pro.  Adjt,  In  serv- 
ice three  years  and  ten  months. 

Clemmons,  Freeman.     M.  0.  Sept.  17,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Cox,  F.  C.     M.  0.  April  17,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Chamberlin,  T.  C.  M,  0.  Sept.  17,  1864.  Wd.  hip,  Eome,  Ga,  In 
service  three  years. 

Durstin,  John  E.  M.  0.  Sept.  17,  1864.  Orderly  Brigade.  In  service 
three  years.  Wd.  left  thigh,  severely,  Stone  River.  Died  at  Rock  Falls. 

Duntin,  Harvey.  M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.  Died  at  Rock  Falls.  In  serv- 
ice three  years. 

Deep,  G.  W.     M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Ellis,  Clark.    Dis.  April  17,  1862.    Disability.    In  service  eight  months. 

Vet.  French,  Harris.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

French,  W.  W.    M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.    Blind.    In  service  three  years. 

Vet.  Garwick,  George.  Died  Oct..  24,  1864,  of  wounds,  Kenesa,w.  In 
service  three  years  and  two  months. 

Gorgas,  John.  Dis.  May  7,  1863.  Severely  wounded  Stone  River.  In 
service  one  year  and  eight  months. 

Hagermin,  David.     Killed,  Shiloh.     In  service  seven  months. 

Vet.  .Henry,  David.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  March  19,  1865.  In 
service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Harvey,  W.  H.  H.    M.  0.  Sept,  9,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Heifer,  G.  W.     M.  0.  Sept.  9,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Hill,  Geo.    A.    M.  0.  Sept.  9,  1864.    Sore  eyes.    In  service  three  years. 

Hanks,  W.  S.  M.  0.  Sept.  9,  1864.  Prisoner  six  months.  In  service 
three  years. 

Hanks,  Enos  S.     Dis.  Aug.  19,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  one  year. 
Hayes,  Isaac  W.     Died  Camp  Nevins,  Ky.,  Dec.  16,  1861.     In  service 
four  months. 

Hawthorn,  W.  J.  Dis.  March  11,  1863.  Sunstroke.  In  service  one 
year  and  seven  months. 

Hostetter,  Benj.  E.  Died  Dec.  18,  1862.  Nashville.  In  service  one 
year  and  four  months. 

Husens,  W.  C.  Died  July  14,  1862.  Stevenson,  Ala,  In  service  eleven 
months. 


256  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Vet.  John,  Abia  C.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Hospital  Steward.  In  serv- 
ice three  years  and  ten  months. 

Jones,  D.  P.    Dis.  May  5,  1862.    Disability.    In  service  nine  months. 

Vet.  Morse,  Charles.  Died  March  18,  1864.  Smallpox.  In  service 
two  years  and  seven  months. 

Meriden,  James.  M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.  Wd.  Stone  River.  In  service 
three  years. 

Murry,   H.  Judson.     Dis.  May  27,   1862.     Disability.     In  service   one 

year  and  five  months. 

McCartney,  W.  H.    Died  May  31,  1862.     In  service  nine  months. 

Myers,  J.  L.  M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.  Prisoner  eight  months.  In  service 
three  years. 

Penrose,  R.  F.    Died  May  16,  1862.    Nashville.    In  service  nine  months. 

Penrose,  N.  L.    Dis.  Aug.  9,  1862.    Disability.    In  service  eleven  months. 

Pittmas,  Z.     Dis.  Nov.  16,  1861.     Disability.     In  service  three  months. 

Pinkney,  Elijah.  Dis.  May  14,  1862.  Disability.  In  service  eight 
months. 

Peacock,  George.  Killed  Nov.  29,  1862.  In  service  one  year  and  three 
.months. 

Palmer,  H.  B.  M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.  Died  Erie,  111.  In  service  three 
years. 

Payne,  L.  A.  M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.  In  service  three  years.  Head  Quar- 
termaster Clerk.  Carried  a  gun  in  battles. 

Vet.  Palmer.  Irwin  W.  Wd.  Resaca.  Killed  Aversboro.  In  service 
three  years  and  seven  months. 

Vet.  Rexroad,  S.  A.  Killed  Rome,  Ga,,  May  17,  1864.  In  service  two 
years  and  nine  months. 

Rouse,  Robt.  E.     M.  O'.  Sept.  7,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Roderick,  Thos.  Dis.  May  14,  1862.  Disability.  In  service  eight 
months. 

Vet.  Schick,  Charles.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Roll  of  Honor.  In  serv- 
ice three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Slocumb,  Chas.  H.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Prisoner  six  months. 
In  service  three  years  and  ten  months.  Wd.  June  25,  1863,  arm,  May  9, 
1864,  shoulder,  Aug.  11,  1864,  face. 

Vet.  Summers,  Cloys.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Dec.  30,  1862.  Pro. 
Com.  Sergt.  In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Scoville,  E.  F.    Dis.  Nov.  1,  1861.     Disability.     In  service  two  months. 

Smith,  H.  H.  Killed  Stone  River,  Dec.  31,  1862.  In  service  one  year 
and  four  months. 

Smith,  Joseph  R.  Died  at  Nashville,  Tenn,,  1862.  In  service  nine 
months. 

Winters,  Geo.  C.    Died  Dec.  27,  1861,  Louisville.    In  service  four  months. 

Woodworth,  G.  L.  Wd.  arm,  Shiloh.  Killed  Stone  River.  In  service 
one  year  and  four  months. 

Vet.  Wilson,  Chas.  B.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Prisoner  six  months.  In 
service  three  years  and  ten  months.  Wd.  Shiloh,  left  hip ;  Kenesaw,  right  leg. 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  257 

Vet.  West,  Edwin  W.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Woodin,  Harry  J.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

COMPANY   B. 

Capt.  H.  W.  Bristol.  Pro.  Maj.  and  Lieut.  Col.  In  service  two  years 
and  six  months. 

Vet.  Capt.  John  A.  Parrott.  Killed  Resaca,  May  14,  1864.  In  service 
two  years  and  nine  months.  Buried  at  Prophetstown,  111. 

Capt.  David  Cleaveland.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

First  Lieut.  C.  Quackenbush.  Resigned  March  10,  1862.  Died  Morri- 
son. In  service  seven  months. 

First  Lieut.  L.  L.  Johnson.  M.  0.  Nov.  7,  1864.  In  service  three  years: 
and  two  months. 

Vet.  First  Lieut.  David  L.  Eagle.  M.  O.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three 
years  and  ten  months.  Commanded  Co.  B  on  march  to  sea. 

Vet.  Second  Lieut.  Thos.  Marshall.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Dec,  Mus- 
ter. In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.    Second  Lieut  Phillip  S.  King.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    Wd.  Kenj 
saw.     In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

SERGEANTS COMPANY    B. 

L.  E.  B.  Holt.    Pro   Sergt.  Maj.     In  service  one  year. 

Frank  W.  Chapman.  Dis.  Feb.  15,  1863.  Disability  In  service  one 
year  and  six  months. 

Vet.     David  Cleaveland.     Pro.  Capt. 

L.  L.  Johnson.     Pro.  First  Lieut. 

Vet.  Chas.  Spatz.  Pro.  Com.  Sergt.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  serv- 
ice three  years  and  ten  months. 

Thomas  C.  Rhoads.     Wd.  Shiloh.     Dis.  Sept.  7,  1862.     In  service  one    - 
year. 

Oscar  Olmstead.     M.  0.  Sept  12,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Wilburn,  N.  F.     M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Vet.     D.  L.  Eagles.     Pro.  First  Lieut. 

Vet.     Thos.  Marshall.     Pro.  Second  Lieut. 

Edmond  W.  Holton.  Dis.  April  16,  1862.  Disability.  In  sendee 
seven  months. 

William  Fay.    M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.    Dead.    In  service  three  years. 

Vet.  C.  A.  Gaylord.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Shiloh.  In  service 
three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Chas  W.  Wood.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  Jeremiah  Bottorf.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 


258  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Vet.  Ransom  Foss.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Geo.  H.  Fay.     Dis.  Sept.  19,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  one  year. 

CORPORALS COMPANY  B. 

Vet.  Sylvester  C.  Lyon.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Died  Morrison.  In  serv- 
ice three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  W.  E.  Cox.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  Geo.  Hahn.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  R.  B.  Kelly.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  J.  W.  Keefer.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  Peter  Martin.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  Rich  Martin.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.  J.  R.  Blaisdell.  M.  O.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

PRIVATES COMPANY    B. 

Vet.  Butler,  T.  S.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Brankuder,  S.  Died  May  4,  1864.  In  service  two  years  and  eight 
months. 

Brown,  J.  J.  M.  O.  Sept.  12,  1864.  Wd.  Shiloh.  In  service  three 
years. 

Brown,  Saml.    M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Boyd,  William.     M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Conlin,  James.  M.  0.  Sept,  12,  1864.  Died  Prophetstown.  In  service 
three  years. 

Vet.  Crump,  W.  P.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Cross,  Williams.     M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Cleaveland,  Cyrus.  Dis.  May  29,  1862.  Disability.  In  service  nine 
months. 

Cox,  Cornelius.  Died  July  21,  1862.  Huntsville,  Ala.  In  service  eleven 
months. 

Cline,  A.  G.  Dis.  July  18,  1862.  Wd.  Shiloh.  In  service  eleven 
months. 

Court,  J.  W.     Dis.  Chicago,  111.     Disability. 

Clark,  J.  C.     M.  0.  Sept,  7,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Dow,  W.  H.     M.  0.  Sept.  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Dennis,  W.  A.    M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.    In  service  three  years 

Evers,  T.  P.    Dis.  June  24,  1862.   Disability.   In  service  ten  months. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  259 

Farnsworth,  J.  E.  Dis.  Oct.  8,  1862.  Disability.  In  service  one  year 
and  two  months. 

Green,  Isaiah.    Dis.  Sept.  7,  1862,  failing  eyesight.    In  service  one  year. 

Garrison,  W.     Dis.  June  9,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  nine  months. 

Vet.  Gardner,  Geo.  W.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Glasby,  William.  Died  Dec.  8,  1861.  Camp  Nevins.  In  service  three 
months. 

Giles,  H.  M.  Dis.  Sept.  5,  1862.  Wounded  May  29,  1862.  In  service 
one  year. 

Vet.  Griffin,  Theodore.  Killed,  Resaca,  May  14,  1864.  In  service 
two  years  and  nine  months. 

Hubbard,  0.  K.  Dis.  Nov.  21,  1861.  Disability.  In  service  three 
months. 

Hubbard,  G.  H.    Dis.  Sept.  7,  1862.    Wd.  Shiloh.     In  service  one  year. 

Vet.  Houp,  A.  J.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Johnson.  C.  E.     Dis.  Sept.  8,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  one  year. 

Knox,  Allen.     Dis.  May  9,  1862.     Disability.     In  servce  eight  months. 

Lovett,  Sam'l.    Dis.  June'  14,  1863.     Disability.     In  service  ten  months. 

Latham,  A.  W.     Dis.  Sept.  7,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  one  year. 

Laurence,  Geo.    Dis.  June  9,  1862.    Disability!    In  service  nine  months. 

Vet.  Lansing,  J.  H.  Left  Co.  Feb.  25,  1864.  In  service  two  years 
and  six  months. 

Lansing,  C.  H.    Dis.  Sept.  7,  1862.    Disability.    In  service  one  year. 

Myers,  Joseph.     M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Vet.  Murry,  Robert.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Murry,  Thomas.  Died  Sept.  24,  1863.  Stevenson,  Ala.  In  service 
two  years. 

McDonald,  P.  M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.  Wrd.  Shiloh.  In  service  seven 
months. 

Marfleet,  G.  T.    Dis.    Louisville.    Disability. 

Messnure,  WT.  Wd.  in  thigh,  Jan.  25,  1863.  M.  0.  1864.  In  service 
three  years. 

Mellen,  S.  A.    Dis.  June  18,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  ten  months. 

Vet.  Mosier,  C.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and  ten 
months. 

Vet.  Marshall,  Frank.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Nesmith,  M.  S.    Dis.  Feb.  17,  1863.    Disability.    In  service  six  months. 

Vet.  O'Connell,  P.  M.  0.  July  12,  1885.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Owen,  W.  L.     Died  May  9,  1862.  Wd.  Shiloh.     In  service  nine  months. 

Vet.  Oatman,  C.  E.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 


260  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Olson,  Orick.     M.  0.  Dec.  2,  1864.     Wd.  Kenesaw.     In  service  three 
years  and  three  months. 

Parkhurst,  C.  L.     M.  0.  Sept.  19,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

Palmer,  John.     Dis.  April  18,  1862.    In  service  eight  months. 

Parnell,  Nelson.    M.  0.  Sept.  8,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Vet.     Pascal,  Robt.  M.     M.  O.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Peasly,  Joseph.     Killed,  Shiloh.    In  service  seven  months. 

Riley,  John  J.    Killed,  Shiloh.     In  service  seven  months. 

Reynolds,  J.  T. 

Vet.     Russell,  B.  F.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Vet.     Robinson,  J.  B.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     Died,  Phophetstown.  In 
service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.     Richards,  Martin.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Vet.    Richards,  David.    Died  Aug.  16,  1864.    Wd.  Shiloh,  Wd.  Kene- 
saw.   In  service  three  years. 

Resser,  J.  G.    M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Resser,  P.  T.     M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Reynolds,  H.  N.    Killed,  Shiloh.    In  service  seven  months. 

Vet.     Reed,  W.  H.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     Wd.  Kenesaw.    In  service 
three  years  and  ten  months. 

Ritter,  A.  C.    Died  Tuscumbia,  July  6,  1862.    In  service  ten  months. 

Vet.     Shaw,  Moses.     M.  O.  July  12,  1865.     Wd.  Shiloh.     In  service 
three  years  and  ten  months. 

Stapleton,  W.  G.     Died  Dec.  6,   1861,  Nevins,  Ky.     In  service  three 
months. 

Spencer,  A.  J.     Dis.  June  16,  1862.    Disability.    In  service  ten  months. 

Smith,  Richard.     M.  0.  Sept.  12,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Stewart,  Alex.  R.     Died  April  21,  1862.     Wd.  Shiloh.     In  service  eight 
months. 

Stearns,  W.  L.     Dis.  Sept.  5,  1862.    Wd.  Shiloh.    In  service  one  year. 

Vet.     Shovett,  Lewis.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  three  years  and 
ten  months. 

Thomas,   Harry.     Killed  June  18,   1862.     Tuscumbia.     In  service  ten 
months. 

White,    David.     Died    July    1,    1862.     Wd.    Stone    River.     In  service 
eleven  months. 

Vet.     Young,  Walter  B.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

Corpl.     Wilburn,  F.  Nichols.     M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.     Wd.  Stone  River. 
In  service  three  years. 

Vet.     Musician.     Geo.   A.   Quckenbush.     M.   0.   July   12,   1865.     Pro. 
Reg.  Bugler.     In  service  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Musician.     Lucian,  House.     M.  0.  Sept.  7,  1864.     Fife  Maj.     In  ser- 
vice three  years. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  261 

Wagoner,  Geo.  H.  Stakes.    M.  0.  Sept,  7,  1864./ln  service  three  years. 


PRIVATES — CO.  E. 

Dinsmore,  John.  Dis.  Feb.  22,  1862.  Disability.  In  service  six 
months. 

Bennen,  Hiram  H.  M.  0.  Feb.  22,  1865.  Died  at  Vicksburg.  In 
service  three  years  and  six  months. 

Knox,  Allen..    Dis.  May  9,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  eight  months. 

Vet.  Squires,  William.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  ten  months. 

McCarty,  Jeremiah.  M.  0.  Sept.  17,  1864.  Wd.  Chickamauga  In 
service  three  years. 

RECRUITS CO.  E,  1861. 

Vet.  Gunder,  Jacob.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and 
seven  months. 

Vet.  Gunder,  Andrew.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  years 
and  seven  months. 

Mills,  Edward  L.  M.  0.  Oct.  10,  1864.  Pris.  Chickamauga.  In  service 
three  years. 

RECRUITS CO.  E,  1864. 

Barr,  Geo.  W.  M.  0.  July  12, 1865.  Wd.  April,  1865.  Died  Rock  Falls. 
In  service  nine  months. 

Baker,  B.  F.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Gunder,  Henry  F.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  five 
months. 

Gould,  W.  F.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 

Hudson,  0.  D.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Pro.  Corpl.  In  service  four 
months. 

Brown,  Sam'l.     Died  April  7,  1862.     In  service  six  months. 

Siples,  Gilbert.  Dis.  Feb.  24,  1865.  In  service/ one  year  and  two 
months. 

RECRUITS CO.   K. 

Capt.  R.  J.  Thompson.  M.  0.  Mar.  30,  1865.  Dec.  Muster.  In 
service  three  years. 

Vet,  First  Lieut,  C.  B.  Minchen.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service 
three  years  and  ten  months. 

Vet.  Second  Lieut.  E.  P.  Beardsley.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service 
three  years  and  seven  months. 

RECRUITS— CO.   K,  1861. 

First  Sergt.  R.  V  Stocking.  Dis.  July  3,  1862.  Disability.  In  service 
seven  months. 

Vet,  First  Sergt.  W.  H.  Stone.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service 
three  years  and  seven  months. 

Bosley,  Elisha.    M.  0.  Dec.  2,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Bartlett,  Sam'l.     M.  0.  Dec.  2,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 


262  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Culver,  Porter.  M.  0.  Jan.  10,  1865.  In  service  three  years  and  one 
month. 

Vet.  Eastman,  Reuben.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Pro.  Sergt.  In  service 
three  years  and  eight  months. 

Hawley,  Jesse.     Dis.  Jan.  5,  1861.     Disability.     In  service  one  month. 

Keefer,  John.     Dis.  May  2,  1862.     Disability.     In  service  five  months. 

Lyle,  Robert.     M.  0.  Dec.  2,  1864.    In  service  three  years. 

Mendell,  Dennis.  Died  Nov.  9,  1863.  Madison,  Ind.  In  service  two 
years. 

McKinley,  John.     M.  0.  Dec.  2,  1864.     In  service  three  years. 

McCumber,  H.  T.    M.  0.  Dec.  2,  1864.    In  service  three  years 

Newton,  W.  W.     Dis.  July  5,  1862.     In  service  seven  months. 

Norcutt,  W.  R.     Killed  Stone  River.     In  service  one  year. 

O'Hara,  D.  N.  M.  0.  Dec.  2,  1864.  Wd.  Stone  River.  In  service  three 
years. 

Vet.  Rankin,  William.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wagon  Master.  In 
service  three  years  and  seven  months. 

Sweeney,  Henry.  Dis.  Sept.  21,  1862.  Disability?  In  service  ten 
months. 

Reynolds,  P.  B.  Dis.  Sept..  21,  1862.    Disability.    In  service  ten  months. 

Thompson,  R.  J.     Pro.  Capt.     In  service  three  years. 

Thompson,  John.  Dis.  Dec.  6,  1862.  Wd.  Shiloh.  In  service  one 
year. 

RECRUITS — CO.   K,   1863-64. 

Beardsly,  E.  P.  Pro.  Second  Lieut.  In  service  three  years  and  seven 
months. 

Beardsly,  J.  D.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Resaca.  In  service  one 
year  and  seven  months. 

Gage,  0.  C.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Corpl.  Wd.  Jonesboro.  In  service 
one  year  and  seven  months. 

Hubbell,  W.  R.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  six 
months. 

Lee,  Francis  P.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  seven 
months. 

Reynolds,  A.  H.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Corpl.  In  service  one  year 
and  six  months. 

Stansboro,  D.  D.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Corpl.  In  service  one  year 
and  six  months. 

Spencer,  A.  J.     Killed  Resaca.     In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Underbill,  Ernest.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865,  Corpl.  In  service  one  year 
and  seven  months. 

RECRUITS CO.  B,  1864.  f 

Averill,  William.    Died  Jan.  11,  1865.    In  service  three  months. 
Averill,  Volney.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 
Adams,  W.  H.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  one  year    and    six 
months. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  263 

Burdick,  A.  A.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  six 
months. 

Clark,  Albert.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.   In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Casper,  T.  F.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  five  months. 

Dumars,  A.  J.     M.  O.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Foy,  C.  E.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Foy,  A.  F.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Foy,  A.  W.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Knox,  J.  H.  Dis.  April  7,  1865.  Acct.  Wds.  In  service  one  year  and 
two  months. 

Hawkins,  C.  E.  Dis.  May  30,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  four 
months. 

Murry,  John.  Dis.  June  13,  1865.  Wd.  Aug.  6.  Wd.  Dec.  16,  1864. 
In  service  one  year  and  four  months. 

McGrady,  Barney.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  four 
months. 

McGrady,  F.     Never  joined  Co.  Sick  in  hospital. 

Ohmert,  Jesse.    Dis.  May  7,  1865.    Disability.    In  service  seven  months. 

Quackenbush,  D.  J.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  ten  months. 

Richards,  A.  W.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  six 
months. 

Redington,,  John  C.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
five  months. 

Stone,  John  T.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  six 
months. 

Stone,  W.  E.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  one  year  and  five  months. 

Trembly,  W.  S.     Killed  at  Jonesboro.     In  service  six  months. 

Upton,  Geo.  Y.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  five 
months. 

Woolworth,  G.  A.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  six 
months. 

Welch,  John  E.  N.  Dis.  May  26,  1865.  Corpl.  Prisoner.  In  service 
one  year  and  two  months, 

Wilson,  Claudis.  Dis.  May  30,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and  three 
months. 

Vet.  Goodell,  L.  B.  Enrolled  Nov.  7,  1861.  M.  0.  Aug.  16,  1865.  In 
service  three  years  and  eight  months. 

Hubbard,  W.  L.  Enrolled  Oct.  29,  1861.  M.  0.  Dec.  13,  1864.  Wd. 
In  service  three  years  and  one  month. 

Johnson,  T.  F.  Enrolled  Dec.  26,  1863.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In 
service  one  year  and  seven  months. 

Kelly,  W.  R.  Enrolled  Dec.  26,  1863.  Dis.  June  4,  1865.  Wd.  In 
service  one  year  and  six  months. 

RECRUITS CO.   B,   1865.    * 

Butterbaugh,  Saml.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  four  months. 


264  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Butterbaugh,  Levi.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  four  months. 
Baldwin,  Edwin  H.     M.  O.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  four  months. 
Demis,  S.  H.     Died  May  6,  1865.    In  service  two  months. 
Logan,  H.  N.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 
Slawson,  E.  B.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 

RECRUITS— co.  A,  1861-62-63. 

Robinson,  R.  P.,  Oct.  16,  1861.  Dis.  June  16,  1862.  Died  at  Sterling. 
In  service  seven  months. 

Clark,  B.  F.,  Dec.  3,  1862.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Prisoner  six  months. 
In  service  two  years  and  eight  months. 

Chamberlain,  C.  W.,  Aug.  28,  1862.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Liberty 
Gap.  In  service  two  years  and  eleven  months. 

Chase,  Geo.  W.,  Aug.  30,  1862.  Died  Feb.  25,  1863.  Murfreesboro.  In 
service  six  months. 

Durstin,  Jacob,  Aug.  22,  1862.  Died  Feb.  4,  1863.  Murfreesboro.  In 
service  five  months. 

Grace,  Luke,  Sept.  9,  1862.  Dis.  May  9,  1863.  Disability.  In  service 
eight  months. 

Shannon,  Glasgo,  Sept  14,  1864.  M.  0.  June  10,  1865.  Disability.  In 
service  nine  months. 

Smith,  H.  C.,  Aug.  30,  1862.  M.  0.  Oct.  22,  1864.  Wd  Kenesaw. 
Died  1900.  In  service  two  years  and  two  months. 

Worrell,  A.  A.,  Aug.  15.  1862.  M.  0.  June  10,  1864.  Wd.  Atlanta. 
In  service  one  year  and  nine  months. 

RECRUITS CO.  A,  1864. 

Atkins,  Robert,  Feb.  10.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
five  months. 

Atkins,  A.  E.,  Feb.  29.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
four  months. 

Babcock,  Israel,  Feb.24.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
four  months. 

Burns,  Geo.  E.,  Feb.  25.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
four  months. 

Bush,  Ransom  H.,  Feb.  10.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  five  months. 

Conway,  Harvey,  Feb.  22.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Died  at  Genesee.  In 
service  one  year  and  four  months. 

Compton,  Ira,  Feb.  3.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
six  months. 

Connell,  Louis,  Feb.  3.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
six  months. 

Cole,  Peter,  Jan.  28.  M.  0.  April  20,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
four  months. 

Cassell,  David,  Oct.  8.     M.  O.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  eight  months. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  265 

Shannon,  Robert,  Feb.  20.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  four  months. 

Dunmore,  George  J.,  Feb.  22.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Dead.  In  service 
one  year  and  five  months. 

Deep,  M.  M.,  Oct.  5.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Dodd,  J.  L.,  Feb.  3.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
six  months. 

Ferguson,  B.  H.,  Feb.  22.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  five  months. 

Goell,  Michael,  Oct.  8.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  nine  months. 

Gillespie,  Edwin,  Sept.  14.     M.  0.  June  10,  1865.  In  service  ten  months. 

Hammersback,  P.  J.,  Oct.  10.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  nine 
months. 

Hacker,  E.  W.,  Feb.  3.  Killed  in  charge  at  Kenesaw.  In  service  five 
months. 

Jacobi,  Peter,  Oct.  8.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Kramer,  Sylvester,  Feb.  3.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Mar.  19,  1865. 
In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Kennedy,  W.  E.,  Feb.  12.  M.  0.  May  30,  1865.  Prisoner  one  month. 
In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Kulp,  Charles,  Oct.  10. .  M,  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  nine  months. 

Kascher,  Theodore,  Oct.  10.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  nine 
months. 

Kaufman,  Tobias,  Sept.  17.  M.  0.  June  10,  1865.  Wd.  Aversboro. 
In  service  ten  months. 

Leach,  C.  M.,  Feb.  8.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
six  months. 

Ledger,  Joseph,  Oct.  8.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Leedes,  H.  C.,  Oct.  8.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Langenour,  Levi,  Feb.  29.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  five  months. 

Markee,  R.  C.,  Feb.  22.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
five  months. 

Martin,  David,  Feb.  10,  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
five  months. 

McCannes,  W.,  Jan.  29.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Prisoner  one  year.  In 
service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Passmore,  J.  W.,  Feb.  22.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  five  months. 

Merrick,  D.  H.,  Feb.  25.  Died  May  15,  1864,  of  smallpox.  In  service 
three  months. 

Noonan,  Patrick,  Feb.  27.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  five  months. 

Palmer,  Geo.  W.,  Oct.  15.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  nine  months. 

Pettigrew,  John,  Oct.  8     M.  0.  July  12,  1865    In  service  nine  months. 

Pettigrew,  Monroe,  Feb.  22.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Kenesaw.  In 
service  one  year  and  five  months. 


266  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Pfimshine,  Joseph,  Oct.  10.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  nine 
months. 

Reinhart,  Christopher,  Oct.  5.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  nine 
months. 

Rexroad,  A.  F.,  Feb.  18.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  July  25,  1884.  In 
service  one  year  and  five  months. 

Snyder,  J.  F.,  Oct  5.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Sayers,  J.  W.,  Feb.  10.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  Wd.  Bentonville,  N.  C. 
In  service  one  year  and  six  months. 

Stewart,  W.  H.  H.,  Feb.  27.  M.  O.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  five  months. 

Stewart,  William  A.,  Jan.   28.     M.   0.   April  7,   1865.     Consumption,  - 
Goldsboro,  N.  C.    In  service  one  year  and  two  months. 

Scoville,  E.  F.,  Feb.  10.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
six  months. 

Trant,  George,  Feb.  4.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year  and 
six  months. 

Tombow,  Jacob,  Oct.  8.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Toohey,  Patrick,  Oct.  8.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Van  Curan,  W.  D.,  Feb.  3._  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  six  months. 

Williams,  H.  S.,  Oct.  8.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  nine  months. 

Wears,  Richard,  Feb.  22.  M.  0.  July  12,  4865.  In  service  one  year 
and  five  months. 

Wiseman,  C.  R.,  Feb.  3.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  one  year 
and  six  months. 

Wilfong,  George,  Feb.  10.  Died  June  22,  1864,  typhoid.  In  service 
four  months. 

RECRUITS CO.   A,    1865. 

Atkins,  Charles,  Mar.  7.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 

Beal,  Marcus,  Mar.  9.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 

Beal,  Alpheus,  Mar.  6.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  four  months. 

Chamberlin,  C.  J.,  Mar.  3.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  four  months. 

Cooper,  J.  J.,  Mar.  9.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  four  months. 

Crygin,  I.  R.,  Mar.  9.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  three  months. 

Crichton  A.,  April  11.    M.  0.  .July  12,  1865.     In  service  three  months. 

Deep,  Levi,  April  11.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  three  months. 

Deep,  Saml.  M.,  April  11.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three 
months. 

Emmons,  I.  B.,  April  7.  M.  O.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  three  months. 
A  pioneer  located  in  Whiteside  County,  1837.  Died  Garden  Plains. 

Kister,  Frederick,  Mar.  13.  M.  0.  July  12,  1865.  In  service  four 
months. 

Laner,  Geo.  A.,  Mar.  13.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 

Logan,  James,  Mar.  14.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 

Mallory,  A.  M.,  Feb.  27.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  five  months. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  267 

Monahan,  James,  Feb.  27.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865    In  service  five  months. 
Mason,  N.  S.,  Mar.  11.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  four  months. 
Miller,  Henry,  Jan.  26.     M.  0.  July  12,  1865.     In  service  six  months. 
Tuttle,  S.  A.,  Feb.  25.    M.  0.  July  12,  1865.    In  service  five  months. 
Passmore,  Ellis,  Mar.  2.     Killed  April  5,  1865.     In  service  one  month. 

Jan.  3,  1864,  there  were  320  of  the  regiment  mustered  as  veterans,  one- 
fourth  Whiteside  boys.  The  regiment  rejoined  brigade  at  Rossville,  Ga., 
March  7,  turning  over  their  old  Enfields,  and  drawing  new  Springfield  rifles. 
The  change  soon  showed  its  importance,  as  hard  work  ahead.  May  1  the 
whole  corps  was  on  the  move,  Forward  the  order  from  Pap  Thomas.  Skir- 
mishing, and  the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  on  the  fighting  line.  For  four 
months,  day  and  night,  never  out  of  hearing  the  rattling  musket  or  cannon's 
boom,  until  Atlanta  lay  in  ashes. 

Colonel  Peter  Ege  took  command  of  Regt,  at  Kingston,  Nov.  5,  1864. 
Staff  officers  from  Whiteside  Co.,  Lieut.  R,  Thompson,  Acting  Adjt. 
Jesse  H.  Clements,  Mustered  as  Adjt.  Mar.  30,  1865. 

J.  B.  Robinson,    Quarter  Master,  died  at  Prophetstown. 

Charles  G.  Spatz,  Quarter  Master  Sergt. 

Cloys  Summers,  Commissary  Sergt. 

Geo.   A.   Quackinbush,  Reg.  Bugler,  died.  Morrison. 

Abia  C.  John,  Hospital  Steward.    Died  in  Jordan,  Whiteside  Co. 

Dr.  John  never  tired  in  caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded.  Nov.  10, 
1864,  the  regiment  started  for  the  doomed  city,  and  helped  to  tear  up  rail- 
road track  from  Cartersville  to  Atlanta. 

Nov.  15,  1864,  at  the  dawn  of  day,  the  bugle  sounded,  Up  toys,  be  ready 
for  a  tramp  with  the  last  army  to  the  sea!  Col.  Ege  was  again  wounded  at 
Savannah,  Ga.,  and  returning  to  duty,  commanded  regiment  from  Benton- 
ville,  N.  C.,  to  Washington.  He  was  in  command  at  the  grand  review  at 
Washington,  May  24,  1865.  He  was  assigned  June  8,  to  command  of  second 
•brigade,  second  division  14  A.  C.  At  Louisville  Gen.  Sherman  reviewed  the 
second  division  for  the  last  time,  and  complimented  the  brigade  for  fine  ap- 
pearance and  soldierly  bearing  and  discipline.  He  recommended  Col.  Peter 
Ege  in  command  of  brigade  for  promotion. 

On  July  15,  the  last  regiment  of  second  brigade  was  homeward  bound. 
Col  Ege  turned  over  the  brigade  flag  to  U.  S.  quartermaster,  and  followed  his 
regiment  to  Chicago  for  final  discharge. 

His  total  in  service  as  officer  in  Civil  war  was  three  years  and  eleven 
months.  His  total  with  regiment — never  off  duty  a  day — three  years  and 
eight  months. 

Gen.  E.  N.  Kirk  was  the  Second  Brigade's  first  commander. 

Col  Peter  Ege  was  the  Second  Brigade's  last  commander. 
To  Respectfully  Submitted, 

W.  W.  Davis,  A.  M.  Col.  Peter  Ege, 

Sterling,  111.  Thirty-fourth  111.  Vet,  Vol.  Infty.,  Civil  War. 


268  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

IN    COMO     CEMETERY. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  soldiers  who  are  buried  in  the  old  Como 
Cemetery : 

Lieut.  Charles  Tobey,  Co.  A,  33d  111.  Iiift. ;  Timothy  Gardner,  13th  111. 
Inft, ;  Homer  Sillman,  13th  111.  Iiift. ;  William  Wilson,  13th  111.  Inft. ;  Gus- 
tavus  Sherman,  D,  75th  111.  Inft.;  William  Whitehead;  Frank  Morgaridge; 
Elkanah  Scott;  Levi  Clark;  Silas  Clark;  Dr.  E.  G.  Webster,  Assistant  Sur- 
geon ;  Alex  Moates ;  Charles  Knox,  Berdan  Sharpshooter. 

WAR  OF  1812-15. 

Jesse  Scott. 

MEXICAN    WAR. 

Isaac  Wheeler. 

BLACK   HAWK    WAR. 

Jason  Hopkins. 

THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 

For  Freedom's  battle  onc«  begun, 
Bequeathed  by  bleeding  sire  to  son, 
Though  baffled  oft,  is  ever  won. — Byron. 

When  a  bully  has  a  helpless  victim  by  the  throat,  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
nearest  strong  man  to  smite  the  wretch,  and  hurl  him  into  the  gutter.  This 
happened  in  1898.  Spain  was  the  bully,  Cuba  the  victim,  and  United  States 
the  strong  arm.  It  was  high  time.  It  should  have  been  done  long  before. 
Spain  has  a  bad  record.  For  four  hundred  years  she  has  played  the  part  of 
the  villain  in  the  world's  play.  Always  an  oppressor.  She  persecuted  the 
Dutch,  hindered  the  Reformation,  threatened  England,  encouraged  the  In- 
quisition, drove  out  the  Moors,  massacred  the  Indians.  Always  the  trail  of 
the  serpent. 

Cuba,  the  gem  of  the  West  Indies,  was  the  last  theater  of  her  wickedness. 
Never  can  be  (written,  never  will  be  known,  the  crimes  of  the  Spaniard  on  that 
isle,  fair  as  a  garden  of  the  Lord.  Visit  Havana,  and  see  the  gloomy  dun- 
geons of  the  forts,  the  execution  bullet  marks  on  the  castle  walls.  Cubans 
tortured  and  shot  because  they  sighed  for  freedom.  Cruelty  unspeakable, 
outrage  infinite! 

But  crimson  now-  her  rivers  ran 

With  human  blood— the  smell  of  death 

Came  reeking  from  those  spicy  bowers, 

And  man,   the  sacrifice  of  man, 

Mingled  his  taint  with  every  breath. 

But  the  blood  of  Cuban  martyrs  cried  from  the  ground,  and  the  call  for 
vengeance  arose  to  heaven.  The  explosion  of  the  Maine  and  the  destruction 
of  her  noble  crew  in  the  harbor  of  Havana,  Feb.  15,  1898,  was  the  last  straw, 
and  April  21,  congress  declared  war.  Spain  must  go.  The  dying  monarch- 
ies of  the  old  world  have  no  business  in  the  liberty-loving  atmosphere  of  the 
new.  President  McKinley  called  for  125,000  volunteers. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  269 

Washington.   April   25,   1898 
The  Governor  of  Illinois  :— 

The  number  of  troops  from  your  state  under  the  call  of  the  President, 
will  be  seven  regiments  of  infantry,  and  one  of  cavalry.  It  is  the  wish  of  the 
Prsident  that  the  regiments  of  the  National  Guard  or  State  Militia  shall  be 
used  as  far  as  their  numbers  permit,  because  they  are  already  armed,  equipped 
and  drilled.  R  A  Aiger!  Secretary  of  War. 

Shortly  after  twelve  on  the  morning  of  April  26,  Captains  Colebaugh 
and  Lawrie  received  telegraphic  instructions  from  Col.  D.  J.  Foster  to  report 
with  their  companies  at  State  Fair  Grounds,  Springfield,  not  later  than  noon 
of  April  27.  The  Illinois  National  Guard  was  to  mobilize  at  this  point. 
Company  I  with  three  commissioned  officers  and  eighty-five  men  left  Mor- 
rison at  ten  on  the  night  of  April  26,  Walter  Burritt,  Quarter-master  Sergeant 
of  the  First  Battalion  accompanying.  At  Sterling  they  were  joined  by  Com- 
pany E  with  three  commissioned  officers  and  eighty  men,  also  by  the  Sixth 
Regiment  Band  with  John  Prestine  and  Fred  Forbes,  chief  and  principal 
musicians.  Frank  Anthony,  regimental  surgeon ;  Captain  Ben  Eick,  Regi- 
mental Sergeant-Major;  Ned  Johnson  and  Hospital  Stewards  John  Kline, 
Fred  Brown,  and  Howard  Geyer,  of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  boarded  the  train 
at  Sterling.  A  halt  at  Dixon  to  await  the  coming  of  Company  M  from 
Galena.  Companies  E  and  I  headed  by  the  Sixth  Regiment  Band,  marched 
down  town  to  Company  G's  armory,  and  were  lunched  by  the  Dixon  people. 
At  four  on  April  27,  Cos.  I  and  E  with  G  of  Dixon  and  M  of  Galena,  started 
for  Springfield,  where  they  arrived  soon  after  eleven  the  same  day.  The  other 
state  troops  had  arrived  before.  April  29  in  a  preliminary  examination,  Co. 
E  stood  the  test,  but  Co.  I  had  seven  rejected.  On  Saturday  the  boys  had  a 
tiresome  five-mile  tramp  over  muddy  roads,  and  on  Sunday  they  reveled  on 
their  hard  tack  and  pork  under  the  curious  gaze  of  thousands  of  visitors. 

On  Monday,  May  9,  the  final  physical  examination  was  given  Co.  E  in 
the  senate  chamber  of  the  capital,  by  Col.  Senn,  Asst.  Surgeon  General  of  the 
U.  S.  army,  Major  Anthony,  and  others.  Only  two  men  were  rejected,  Wm. 
Deem  and  Lovier  Feigley,  and  their  places  were  supplied  by  two  volunteers 
from  Chicago.  Co.  I  was  not  so  fortunate,  and  only  fifty-four  boys  were  left 
of  the  original  eighty-five.  Five  accepted  at  the  re-examination  brought  the 
number  to  fifty-nine.  Finally  men  were  recruited  to  fill  the  vacancies,  and 
the  roll  was  again  complete. 

At  last  on  May  11,  Wednesday,  the  Sixth  Regiment  was  mustered  into  the         / 
U.  S.  service  by  Capt.  Cyrus  S.  Roberts,  of  the  Seventeenth  Infantry.   Co.  E  of    V 
Sterling  was  the  first,  and  Co.  I  of  Morrison  the  last,  of  the  twelve  companies 
of  the  Sixth  Regiment  to  be  sworn  in. 

The  manner  of  taking  the  last  step  in  entering  the  service  of  Uncle 
Sam  is  simple  and  impressive.  Capt.  Roberts  requested  the  men  to  take  their 
caps  in  the  left  hand,  and  raise  the  right  while  he  administered  the  follow- 
ing oath: 

I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will  bear  true  faith  and  allegiance  to  the 
United  States  of  America;  that  I  will  serve  them  honestly  and  faithfully 
against  all  their  enemies  whomsoever;  and  that  I  will  obey  the  orders  of  the 


270  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  orders  of  the  officers  appointed  over 
me,  according  to  the  rules  and  articles  of  war. 

As  they  were  mustered  into  the  United  States  service,  the  following  were 

officers  of 

* 

COMPANY   E. 

Captain,  William  F.  Lawrie;  First  Lieutenant,  G.  B.  Dillon;  Second  Lieuten- 
ant, Frank  Wahl ;  First  Sergeant,  S.  H.  Feigley ;  Q.  M.  Sergeant,  E.  A.  Nel- 
len;  Sergeant  John  W.  Cushman,  Joshua  H.  Wildasin,  all  of  Sterling,  and 
Sergeant  F.  E.  Wagley,  of  Rock  Falls.  Corporals,  C.  F.  Hoobler,  R.  W. 
Baker,  H.  R.  Grimes,  L.  C.  Sheldon,  H.  L.  Hankerson,  all  of  Sterling,  and 
M.  L.  Allpress,  of  Rock  Falls.  Musicians,  F.  Roy  Eshleman  and  L.  D. 
Myers,  of  Sterling. 

COMPANY  I. 

Captain,  Wm.  F.  Colebaugh;  First  Lieut.,  E.  C.  Lawton;  Second  Lieut., 
E.  J.  Weaver,  all  of  Morrison.  Q.  M.  Sergeant,  A.  F.  Mathews;  Sergeant, 
H.  A.  Weaver,  J.  L.  Rockey,  of  Morrison,  and  First  Sergeant  D.  E.  Crouch, 
Prairieville.  Corporals,  H.  H.  Rockey,  A.  J.  Osborne,  Erie.  Musicians, 
0.  M.  Colebaugh,  R.  E.  Davis.  Soon  afterwards,  Ernest  Weaver  tendered 
his  resignation  as  Lieutenant,  and  Capt.  Eick,  of  Sterling,  inspector  of 
rifle  practice  for  Sixth  Illinois  N.  G.,  received  the  appointment. 

Whiteside  had  four  good  representatives  in  the  roster  of  the  regiment: 
Colonel,  D.  J.  Foster,  Chicago;  Lieut.  Col.,  Edward  Kittilsen,  Moline;  Major, 
W.  T.  Channon,  Rock  Island,  D.  E.  Clark,  Monmouth,  W.  E.  Baldwin,  Dixon. 
Reg.  Adjutant,  J.  J.  Cairns,  Chicago.  Surgeon  Major,  Frank  Anthony,  Ster- 
ling; Asst.  Surgeons,  L.  Cole,  Monmouth,  Charles  A.  Robbins,  Dixon.  Chap- 
lain, A.  R.  Morgan,  Cuba,  111.  Reg.  Q.  Master,  F.  Barber,  Chicago.  First 
Lieut.  Bat.  Adjt.,  L.  R.  Gaylord,  Moline,  J.  W.  Clendenin,  Monmouth,  J. 
H.  Showalter,  La  Moille.  Sergeant  Major,  E.  S.  Johnson,  Sterling;  Q.  M. 
Sergeant,  R.  Hicks,  Gelena.  Chief  Musician,  John  C.  Prestine,  Sterling; 
Principal  Musicians,  F.  W.  Forbes,  Sterling,  T.  H.  Flynn,  Rock  Island. 
Hospital  Steward,  J.  L.  Kline,  Milledgeville,  H.  N.  Geyer,  Rock  Falls,  F. 
M.  Brown,  Sterling. 

A  happy  surprise  for  Company  I  on  Friday  after  muster.  They  were 
taken  to  the  Leland  hotel  in  street  cars,  given  an  elegant  banquet  at  the 
expense  of  Morrison,  and  addressed  by  L.  T.  Stocking,  Chaplain  Morgan, 
Judge  Ramsay,  and  others,  and  encouraged  to  maintain  the  honor  of  the 
state  with  its  sacred  record  of  Lincoln  and  Grant,  Oglesby  and  Logan.  Ster- 
ling, Rock  Falls,  Erie,  and  other  places  sent  boxes  of  delicacies  to  the  boys 
from  their  section,  and  the  good  things  were  always  generously  shared  with 
the  rest  of  the  company. 

Hats  off! 

Along  the  street  there  comes, 

A  blare  of  bugles,  a  rattle  of  drums, 

A  flash  of  color  beneath  the  sky, 
Hats  off! 

The  flag  is  passing  by ! 


HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  271 

On  Tuesday,  May  17,  the  regiment  left  Camp  Tanner  in  Wagner  sleep- 
ing cars,  Company  I  by  chance  having  the  "Maine."    The  route  was  by  the 
Wabash,   the   Baltimore   and   Ohio,   through   Virginia  to   Camp  Russell  A. 
Alger,  eight  miles  southwest  of  Washington.    It  contained  six  hundred  acres, 
bordered  by  timber  with  a  small  stream  coursing  through  the  edge.     Some 
complaint  at  first  as  rations  were  short,  and  the  water  bad,  but  this  was  soon 
remedied.     The  troops  at  Camp  Alger  were  designated  as  the  Second  Army    .  > 
Corps,  and  the  Sixth  Massachusetts,  Eighth  Ohio,  and  Sixth  Illinois  regi-    V 
ments  formed  the  Second  Brigade.     Two  events  threw  a  gloom   over  the 
camp.     Private  Louis  Bloodsoe  of  Company  A  from  Rock  Island  died  of 
typhoid  fever  the  first  night,  was  buried  with  military  honors  at  Falls  church, 
from  which  the  body  was  afterwards  removed  to  his  home.     On  the  follow-      S 
ing  day  word  was  received  of  the  death  of  Lieutenant  Cole,  of  Monmouth,  » 
assistant  surgeon,  who  died  at  the  hospital  in  Fort  Wayne,  of  pneumonia  con- 
tracted at  Camp  Tanner. 

Duncan  is  in  his  grave! 

After  life's  fitful  fever  he  sleeps  well. 

Mrs.  Electa  E.  Smith,  former  postmistress  of  Sterling,  now  in  the  Treas- 
ury Department  at  Washington,  who  has  given  repeated  instances  of  her 
sympathy  with  the  soldiers,  was  a  frequent  visitor,  and  on  the  first  Sunday 
in  camp  gave  the  boys  of  Company  E  a  royal  spread.  So,  too,  came  Sena- 
tors Cullom  and  Mason,  of  Illinois,  and  Representatives  Hitt  and  Marsh, 
to  see  that  the  Illinois  troops  had  every  needful  comfort. 

Major  Anthony  gave  the  boys  daily  thirty  minutes  of  instruction  in 
regard  to  treating  wounds  before  medical  assistance  could  be  secured.  Roy 
Eshleman  was  granted  a  discharge  on  account  of  failing  health,  and  returned 
to  Sterling  in  June.  As  the  government  decided  to  fill  every  regiment  to 
its  maximum,  officers  were  detailed  to  visit  the  home  stations,  and  recruit  each 
company  to  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  six.  First  Lieut.  Dillon  of 
Company  E  was  appointed  recruiting  officer  of  the  first  battalion  of  the  Sixth 
regiment,  and  Sergeant  Osborne  of  Company  I  and  private  Bensinger  of 
Company  E  were  detailed  to  accompany  him.  They  left  Camp  Alger  for  / 
Illinois,  June  7.  The  recruits  were  secured  at  Sterling  and  Morrison,  and 
Companies  E  and  I  had  their  full  complement. 


When  the  companies  were  increased  to  106  men,  new  appointments  of 
non-commissioned  officers  were  necessary.  Capt.  Lawrie  made  the  follow- 
ing promotions  on  June  23:  Privates  Deyoe,  Reese  Dillon,  Triggs,  Burk- 
hart,  Bert  Johnson,  and  Lineberry  to  be  corporals;  Clark,  musician  to  supply 
place  of  Eshleman,  discharged.  Private  Hess  was  appointed  company  artifi- 
cer, and  Smith  for  duty  at  the  regimental  hospital.'  Sergeant  Cushman  was 
detailed  to  assist  ordnance  officer  Eick  as  sergeant,  and  Corporal  Dillon 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  quartermaster's  department.  In  Company  I 
the  appointments  were:  Privates  Burr,  Hyatt,  Berry,  Everhart,  Sherwood, 
and  Snyder  as  corporals,  and  Willcox,  lance  corporal.  Jenks  was  given  spe- 
cial duty  at  post-headquaters,  and  Kingery  was  appointed  acting  veterinary 
surgeon  of  the  Sixth  regiment,  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  officers'  horses. 


-272  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  old  folks  at  home,  at  Lyndon,  Albany,  Prophetstown,  Erie,  Morri- 
son, Sterling,  Rock  Falls,  showed  their  affection  for  the  absent  boys  by  fre- 
quent consignments  of  cake,  pie  and  sweetmeats.  The  members  of  Company 
E,  to  show  their  appreciation  of  Mrs.  Smith's  kindness,  presented  her  a  sil- 
ver card  receiver,  which  she  gracefully  acknowledged.  On  July  4,  1898,  the 
members  of  Company  I  presented  Captain  Colebaugh  and  Lieutenant  Law- 
ton  each  a  gold-mounted  sword,  which  elicited  a  cordial  response.  Mean- 
while our  forces  elsewhere  on  the  map  were  driving  Spain  into  the  last  ditch. 
Dewey  on  May  1st  had  demolished  the  Spanish  fleet  at  Manila,  giving  us 
the  Philippine  archipelago  in  the  Pacific,  Shafter  carried  El  Caney  at  San- 
tiago, Cuba,  by  assault  July  1st,  and  on  the  morning  of  July  3rd,  Commodore 
Schley  knocked  Admiral  Cervera's  ancient  squadron  into  a  sorry  wreck.  It 
was  Perry  of  1813  over  again :  "We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are 
ours!" 

For  the  front  at  last.  July  5th  the  Second  Brigade  received  orders  to 
prepare  for  departure,  and  the  next  morning,  the  Sixth  Massachusetts  and 
the  Sixth  Illinois  boarded  day  coaches  and  box  cars  for  Charleston ,nhz  band 
playing, 

"The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me." 

July  8th,  Companies  E,  I  and  F  were  transferred  at  Charleston  to  the  Cruiser 
Columbia,  and  July  11  the  steamer  arrived  at  Santiago  just  after  the  bombard- 
ment had  ceased.  The  remaining  companies  of  me  regiment  with  the  band, 
Colonel  and  staff,  came  on  the  steamer  Rita  the  following  Friday. 

Now  came  a  great  disappointment.  The  boys  had  looked  forward  to 
marching  with  the  victorious  troops  into  the  Spanish  city. 

'Twas  ever  thus  from  childhood's  hour, 
I've  seen  my  fondest  hopes  decay. 

They  were  tired  of  their  cramped  quarters  on  the  boat,  disgusted  with 
their  rations  of  hash  and  weak  coffee,  and  longed  to  have  the  freedom  of      i 
the  shore.     At  noon,  July  21,  they  steamed  from  Santiago,  not  having  been   / 
permitted  to  land,  with  an  effective  force  of  about  3,300  infantry  and  artillery. 
Porto  Rico  was  occupied  by  8,233  Spanish  regulars,  and  9,107  volunteers, 
and  San  Juan  on  the  northeast  coast  was  their  destination.     At  ten  on  the 
morning  of  July  25th,  Company  E. landed  at  Guanica.     The  first  American 
troops  to  land  on  Porto  Hican  soil  were  a  company  of  marines  who  hoisted 
the  stars  and  stripes.      v 

It  proved  to  be  a  peaceful  occupation  of  the  island,  as  the  Spanish  troops 
did  not  act  on  the  offensive.  The  regiment  had  only  one  small  skirmish  with 
the  enemy.  Orders  were  given  to  proceed  to  Ponce,  and  on  July  30th,  Gen. 
Henry's  division,  of  which  the  Sixth  was  a  part,  broke  camp.  It  was  a  trying 
march.  The  roads  were  wretched  from  rain,  the  beef  not  fit  to  eat,  the  ground 
alive  with  centipedes,  half-ripe  bananas  fried  in  grease  a  luxury,  and  their 
outfit  so  heavy  that  even  ammunition  and  bayonets  were  thrown  away.  Eight 
days  in  Ponce  with  a  population  of  20,000  or  more.  Primitive  style  of  life. 
Everything  is  toted  on  the  head.  No  milk  in  bottles,  but  cows  milked  at 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  273 

the  door  of  the  customer.  Clothes  are  taken  to  a  stream,  pounded  on  a  flat 
stone,  and  spread  on  the  grass  to  dry. 

Gen.  Miles'  plan  was  to  drive  the  Spanish  troops  to  the  center  of  the 
island,   and   hemming  them   in,   force   a   surrender.      In   pursuance   of   this 
scheme,  our  boys  made  several  tiresome  marches,  to  Arecibo,  to  Adjuntas, 
*/ to  Utnado,  back  to  Ponce.    They  eventually  looked  the  worse  for  wear.   Some 
were   barefoot,   some   had   no  trousers,   all   had  beards,    and   all   were   half- 
starved.    Even  at  Ponce,  where  tons  upon  tons  of  supplies  were  in  store,  the 
regular  ration   was  hardtack  and  sowbelly.     But  the  campaign   was  at  an 
tt  end,  and  orders  were  given  to  turn  faces  homeward. 

No  rumor  of  the  foe's  advance, 
Now  swells  upon  the  wind. 

Clothing  was  issued  that  the  boys  might  make  a  respectable  appearance  on 
their  return,  and  on  Sept.  7th  they  sailed  on  the  Manitoba,  an  English  trans- 
port, after  a  stormy  experience  of  six  weeks  on  the  island  of  Porto  Rico. 

On  Tuesday  afternoon,  Sept.  13,  the  vessel  passed  the  statue  of  liberty 
in  the  harbor  of  New  York,  but  the  regiment  did  not  go  ashore  till  the  next 
day.  Our  Congressman  George  Prince  was  prompt  to  welcome  the  lads, 
and  gave  each  captain  ten  dollars  towards  furnishing  civilized  food.  Wed- 
nesday night  they  boarded  the  cars  for  Springfield,  and  on  Friday  night 
were  in  Camp  Lincoln.  On  the  Sunday  following  a  committee  of  citizen.? 
from  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  invited  Company  E  to  attend  a  banquet  at 
the  Leland.  How  good  the  steaks,  omelets,  and  coffee,  prepared  by  delicate 
cookery,  tasted  to  famished  appetites  after  coarse  arlny  rations.  Cigars  and 
toasts  were  in  order.  C.  L.  Sheldon  as  toastmaster  led  a  succession  of  speeches 
by  Col.  -Foster,  Chaplain  Ferris,  Captain  Colebaugh,  Major  Anthony,  Mayor 
Miller,  Ex-Mayor  Street,  Lieutenants  Dillon  and  Wahl,  and  Robert  McNeill 
for  Rock  Falls.  At  one  on  the  morning  of  Sept.  21,  the  train  with  the 
returning  soldiers  left  Springfield  over  the  Burlington,  and  reached  Sterling 
at  ten,  and  Morrison  a  little  later.  .  A  magnificent  welcome.  Bells  rang,  whis- 
tles blew,  crowds  lined  the  streets,  a  day  of  jubilee.  It  was  a  Roman  triumph 
without  barbaric  spoils. 

Home,  home,  sweet  home ! 
There's  no  place  like  home! 

Four  sick  privates  of  Company  E  were  left  in  hospital  at  Porto  Rico:  Fred 
Sneed,  Ernest  Kahl,  Leo  Bushnell,  and  George  Rounds.  Corporal  Luther 
Allpress  was  placed  on  board  a  hospital  ship.  Of  the  sick  members  of  Com- 
pany I,  fourteen  were  left  on  the  island:  Q.  M.  Sergeant  Mathews,  Ser- 
geants Osborne  and  Rockey;  Corporal  Berry;  and  privates  Brearton,  Sweeney,. 
Sears,  Andrews,  Freek,  Smith,  Lepper,  Lueck,  AVilkins,  Patterson.  Ralph 
Humphrey  of  the  hospital  corps  was  detained  in  the  mountains.  Four  mem- 
bers of  Company  I  died  on  ship  or  in  hospital:  Schuyler  Sweeney,  Ross 
Wilkins,  Thomas  Phillips,  and  Ralph  Humphrey. 


274  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Soldier,  rest!  thy  warfare  o'er, 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking; 

Dream  of  battlefields  no  more, 

Days  of  danger,  nights  of  waking. 

After  the  sixty  days'  furlough  expired,  the  boys  returned  to  Springfield,  signed 
payrolls,  received  two  and  a  half  months'  pay  with  balance  due  on  clothing 
and  rations,  and  on  Nov.  25th  were  again  citizens  instead  of  soldiers. 

While  the  Sixth  Illinois  regiment  led  no  forlorn  hope,  executed  no 
brilliant  charge,  they  did  their  duty  faithfully,  and  nobly  responded  to 
every  call  for  service.  During  their  short  term,  they  covered  3,000  miles 
by  rail,  three  thousand  on  the  sea,  besides  tramping  over  two  hundred  miles 
of  mud  and  hill  in  Porto  Rico.  A  general  told  Chaplain  Ferris:  "You. 
should  be  proud  of  your  men.  They  are  soldiers,  every  inch  of  them."  Gen- 
eral Miles  had  the  same  opinion:  "I  had  two  regiments  of  Illinois  volun- 
teers in  Porto  Rico,  and  in  justice  I  must  say  they  stood  the  fatigue  better 
than  the  eastern  troops.  The  Sixth  Illinois  was  brigaded  with  the  Sixth 
Massachusetts,  and  I  must  say  the  boys  from  the  prairies  stood  the  cam- 
paign better  than  the  boys  from  the  mills  of  New  England." 

A  second  company  was  organized  in  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  with 
Walter  N.  Haskell  as  captain.  W.  L.  Emmons,  first  lieutenant,  and  G.  A. 
McKelvey,  second  lieutenant,  to  be  part  of  a  provisional  regiment  organized 
by  Gen.  Clendenin,  of  Moline,  but  the  speedy  close  of  the  war  rendered  their 
services  unnecessary. 

Within  a  year  or  two  after  the  war,  several  of  the  boys  died  of  disease, 
doubtless,  of  exposure  in  camp.  Leo  H.  Bushnell,  Bugler  Roy  Eshleman, 
and  Frank  Aument,  all  of  Company  E,  and  Lieut.  Ed  Lawton  and  Albert 
Anstett,  of  Company  "I. 

Sleep,  soldiers,  still  in  honored  rest, 

Your  truth  and  valor  wearing! 
The  bravest  are  the  tenderest, 

The  loving  are  the  daring. 

A  few  were  so  enamored  of  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war 
that  they  joined  the  regulars:  Leslie  Sheldon,  Company  M,  Fourth  U.  S. 
Infantry,  Richard  0.  Jones,  Company  H,  Nineteenth  U.  S.  Infantry,  served 
in  the  Philippines.  Wilson  R.  Byers,  Company  E,  Eighth  U.  S.  Infantry, 
served  in  Cuba.  James  P.  Kereven,  of  Sterling,  was  at  Santiago  and  El 
Caney,  and  afterward  died  of  typhoid  fever  at  Montauk  Point.  Frank  D. 
Ely,  an  original  member  of  Company  E,  subsequently  graduated  from  West 
Point,  and  was  with  his  regiment  at  San  Juan  Hill  and  El  Caney.  Will  H. 
Allen,  Morrison,  was  a  lieutenant  on  the  Oregon  when  that  battleship  made 
her  memorable  run  from  the  Pacific  to  participate  in  Sampson's  fight  off 
Santiago.  George  H.  Fay,  Morrison,  was  the  original  captain  of  Company 
I,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  and  during  the  War  of  1898  was  in  the  pay- 
master's department  with  the  rank  of  major.  Henry  C.  Thompson,  Fenton, 
medical  student,  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Second  Wisconsin  volunteers,  and 
was  later  transferred  to  the  ambulance  corps. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  275 

Since  the  war,  both  companies  have  kept  up  their  organizations,  meet- 
ing for  frequent  drill  in  their  armories.  As  to  be  expected,  several  changes 
in  the  officers  by  resignation  or  promotion.  But  the  boys  are  justly  proud 
of  their  patriotic  experience,  and  grew  as  enthusiastic  over  San  Juan  or 
El  Caney  as  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  in  their  camp  fire  memories  of 
Chattanooga  or  Gettysburg. 

When  Johnny  comes  marching  home  again, 

Hurrah,  hurrah ! 
We'll  give  him  a  hearty  welcome  then, 

Hurrah,  hurrah! 

The  men  will  cheer,  the  boys  will  shout, 
The  ladies  they  will  all  turn  out 
And  we'll  all  feel  gay  when  Johnny  comes  marching  home. 

SOLDIERS'  REUNIONS. 

Should  auld  acquaintance   be   forgot, 

And  never  brought  to   min'? 
Should   auld   acquaintance   be   forgot, 

And  days  o'  lang  syne? — Burns. 

It  was  a  happy  thought  of  the  boys  in  blue  to  start  their  yearly  meet- 
ings soon  after  the  war,  and  keep  fresh  the  friendships  of  the  camp  and 
the  field.  The  veterans  of  this  section  have  formed  the  Northwestern  Sol- 
diers' and  Sailors'  Association  with  meetings  at  the  different  cities  in  the 
territory  comprised.  In  1886  it  was  held  in  Sterling,  and  five  hundred 
soldiers  were  in  attendance.  August  24,  25,  and  26  were  the  days  of  jubilee. 
H.  S.  Street,  Mayor  of  Sterling,  gave  the  address  of  welcome  at  the  amphi- 
theater, to  which  Hon.  J.  D.  Crabtree,  of  Dixon,  replied.  Short  speeches 
also  by  Hon.  T.  J.  Henderson,  H.  D.  Dement,  and  Chaplain  Stillwell.  The 
expenses  for  tents,  music,  printing,  drayage,  and  lumber  were  $265.  A  free 
dinner  was  given  on  the  last  day  by  Will  Robinson  Post,  of  Sterling,  to  all 
comrades  and  their  wives.  Entertainments  were  offered  at  the  academy  of 
music.  One  evening  at  dress  parade,  two  hundred  soldiers  were  in  line.  It 
was  voted  that  the  next  year's  Reunion  be  held  at  Dixon,  August,  1887. 
Time  has  passed  on,  the  soldiers  have  kept  up  their  annual  jubilees,  and 
before  us  as  we  write  is  the  program  for  the  twenty-second  reunion  of  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  at  Sterling  again,  Sept.  11  and  12,  1906.  A  feast  of 
reason  and  flow  of  soul.  The  first  day  after  a  parade,  there  was  at  Central 
Park  a  varied  program  of  solos,  welcome  by  Mayor  Lewis,  music  by  drum 
corps,  address  by  Comrade  McConochie  of  Rock  Island.  In  the  evening, 
music,  recitations,  and  addresses  by  Gov.  Van  Sant,  Rev.  E.  Lee  Fleck,  and 
others.  Wednesday  was  occupied  with  regimental  reunions.  In  the  middle 
of  September,  1907,  the  association  gathered  at  Morrison,  and  240  of  the 
grizzled  heroes  registered.  Dozens  of  regiments,  east  and  west,  were  repre- 
sented from  New  York  to  Kansas.  The  attendance  was  larger  than  usual. 

We  quote  from  an  appreciative  report  in  the  Morrison  Sentinel: 


276  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

A  fine  picture  "was  presented  when  on  our  streets  marched  the  soldiers  of 
the  various  regiments — the  34th,  140th,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the 
75th, —  the  old  75th.  carrying  the  historic  flag  which  led  them  during  those 
long  months  of  war.  The  veterans  kept  time  to  the  stirring  martial  music 
and  they  straightened  up  and  marched  with  almost  as  quick  tread  as  on 
that  day  long  ago  when  they  bade  goodbye  to  loved  ones  and  went  bravely 
forth  to  face  the  danger  and  horror  of  war. 

The  address  by  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Gault  of  Chicago  on  Wednesday  after- 
noon was  a  fine  effort  and  was  fully  appreciated  by  the  large  number  of 
people  who  gathered  at  the  Auditorium  to  hear  the  exercises  of  the  after- 
noon. 

Chaplain  Smith  was  called  upon  for  an  address  and  gave  one  of  his 
characteristic  lively  and  interesting  talks  .which  everybody  enjoyed.  His 
recital  of  incidents  coming  under  his  observation  during  the  war  held  the 
attention  of  the  audience  and  received  hearty  applause  at  the  close. 

The  regimental  reunions  were  of. much  interest  and  were  well  attended. 

The  75th  Illinois  had  a  business  meeting,  and  after  thanking  the  ladies 
of  the  W.  R.  C.  for  dinner,  the  boys  decided  to  take  a  short  march  under 
the  comamnd  of  Cap.  Frost,  led  by  the  old  75th  flag  and  the  drum  corps. 
This  was  done  after  the  meeting  adjourned.  They  marched  several  blocks 
up  and  down  Main  street,  stopping  in  front  of  the  hotel  to  give  the  "old 
flag"  three  cheers. 

The  deaths  in  the  75th  during  the  past  year  as  near  as  could  be  ascer- 
tained were  eight  and  were  as  follows :  Lieut.  P.  S.  Bannister,  Co.  C ;  George 
R.  Shaw,  Co.  C;  Wm.  M.  Lane,  Co.  C;  W.  W.  Wilkins.  Co.  B;  Russell  D. 
Hopkins,  Co.  E;  John  Lanphere,  Co.  B;  M.  E.  Lovan,  Co.  A;  A.  B.  Cady, 
Co.  B. 

Their  ranks  are  thinning,  and  every  reunion  witnesses  a  shorter  march 
and  a  scantier  registry. 

Slowly  and  sadly  we  laid  him  down, 

From  the  field  of  his  fame  fresh  and  gory; 

We  carved  not  a  line,  and  we  raised  not  a  stone — 
But  we  left  him  alone  with  his  glory. — Wolfe. 

In  1907,  J.  V.  McCarty,  adjutant  of  Will  Enderton  post,  G.  A.  R.,  Rock 
Falls,  received  the  following  communication  from  Vespasian  Warner,  pen* 
sion  commissioner: 

"Thanks  for  your  report  of  the  death  of  Captain  William  Parker,  Com- 
pany A,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  infantry.  Yes,  it  is  a  little  tough  on  us  old 
chaps.  32,666  died  last  year,  which  is  about  the  harvest  of  death  for  ten 
years  past,  over  300,000  deaths  having  been  reported  to  this  bureau  during 
that  period. 

"360,000  soldiers  have  applied  for  pensions  under  the  act  of  February 
6,  1907,  which  indicates  that  few  are  under  the  age  of  sixty-two  and  many 
are  seventy-five  and  upward.  As  some  compensation  for  their  advancing  age 
the  law  wisely  provides  a  larger  pension  for  the  old  men. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  277 

"As  the  setting  sun  shines  in  our  faces  as  we  march  down  the  western 
slope  of  life  to  our  bivouac  in  the  valley,  let  us  go  forward  with  the  same 
unfaltering  step  as  when  in  the  brave  days  of  the  sixties  we  bore  Old  Glory 
to  the  front  on  many  a  hard  fought  field,  nor  furled  it  until  victory  was  won." 

VISIT  TO  THE  COUNTY  ALMSHOUSE. 

Pity  the  sorrows  of  a  poor  old  man, 

Whose  trembling  limbs  have  borne  him  to  your  door, 

Whose  days  have  dwindled  to  the  shortest  span, 
Oh,  give  relief,  and  Heaven  will  bless  your  store. 

— Thomas  Moss. 

The  easiest  way  to  reach  our  public  sanitarium  from  Sterling,  is  to 
take  the  morning  train  at  half  past  ten,  and  return  at  half  past  three.  This 
will  permit  a  stay  of  four  hours,  enough  for  a  satisfactory  examination.  You 
get  off  at  Eound  Grove  station,  and  walk  a  mile  to  the  west,  unless  an 
automobile  awaits  you  at  the  cars. 

There  is  a  cluster  of  houses,  about  twenty,  at  the  station,  two  stores, 
the  elevator  of  J.  A.  Mathew,  a  pumping  apparatus  to  furnish  a  tank  hold- 
ing 51,000  gallons  to  supply  the  numerous  freight  trains  that  take  water. 
An  extensive  creamery  that  receives  3,000  pounds  every  other  day  in  the 
fall,  and  6,000  in  summer.  It  is  controlled  by  the  John  Newman  Com- 
pany, Elgin,  and  has  been  in  operation  for  several  years.  R.  J.  Koepsell  is 
manager.  The  most  spacious  mansion  in  the  village  is  that  of  Mrs.  Knox, 
which  is  conspicuous  on  the  ridge,  and  belongs  to  the  Simonson  farm  of 
400  acres,  left  by  that  early  family. 

As  iwe  pass  through  the  village  and  up  the  hill,  to  the  east  is  a  Union 
church,  supplied  by  a  minister  from  Morrison.  To  the  west  at  the  corner 
a  handsome  new  schoolhouse,  frame,  painted  white,  two  rooms,  built  in  1906 
at  a  cost  of  $4,000.  Two  young  ladies  from  Morrison  in  charge,  Mary  Ward 
and  Edna  Stone.  Flowers  in  the  window  give  a  home  air  to  the  common 
routine  of  study.  An  excellent  feature  in  the  construction  of  the  basement. 
There  is  a  cement  floor  with  the  furnace  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  sepa- 
rated by  a  partition,  a  commodious  room  where  the  children  can  play  in 
the  bleak  days  of  winter. 

Now  we  turn  west  for  the  county  house.  What  stately  buildings.  Seen 
from  the  railroad  by  the  tourist,  they  might  be  taken  for  the  country  seat 
of  a  wealthy  banker.  The  main  edifice  is  72  feet  front,  60  feet  deep,  three 
stories  and  attic,  surmounted  by  a  cupola,  commanding  a  wide  view  over 
a  rich  landscape.  The  first  story  is  of  stone,  and  divided  into  a  dining  room, 
kitchen,  vegetable  and  fruit  cellars,  men's  sitting  rooms.  The  upper  stories 
are  brick,  and  contain  eleven  sleeping  rooms  of  various  sizes,  for  two  or 
four  beds.  An  annex  to  the  kitchen  for  a  store  room.  On  the  second  floor 
are  apartments  for  the  family  of  the  superintendent. 

Some  years  ago  a  brick  annex  was  built  on  the  east  side,  occupied  by 
insane  patients  before  the  law  was  passed  requiring  their  removal  to  state 
institutions.  Watertown,  near  Moline,  is  now  the  most  convenient.  In 


278  HISTORY    OP    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

front  of  both  edifices  is  a  large  yard  containing  grass,  flowers,  evergreens, 
and  shrubbery.  Cement  walks  everywhere.  All  the  necessary  out-buildings 
in  the  form  of  ice  and  milk  houses.  Two  pumps  furnish  water  to  the  house 
and  the  stock  tanks  in  the  barn  yard.  East  of  the  main  edifice  is  a  garden 
for  vegetables,  grapes,  cherries,  and  strawberries.  In  front,  across  the  road 
an  old  orchard  with  walnut  and  butternut  trees,  and  also  a  young  orchard 
bearing  fall  and  winter  apples. 

The  present  population  of  the  place  comprises  24  men  and  seven  women. 
In  various  conditions  of  health.  Those  who  are  able  help  about  the  kitchen, 
laundry,  farm  and  garden.  Wholesome  food  in  bountiful  supply.  Break- 
fast is  generally  of  hot  cakes,  butter  and  syrup.  Dinner  of  meat  and  gravy, 
vegetables  and  tea,  with  turkey,  pie  or  pudding  on  holidays.  Supper  of  tea, 
bread  and  butter,  fried  potatoes,  sauce  and  cake. 

To  keep  this  family  in  proper  condition,  careful  housekeeping  is  essen- 
tial, and  C.  L.  Houck  and  wife  are  equal  to  the  situation,  who  have  been 
here  three  years.  Huge  loaves  of  bread,  three  times  a  week,  150  sacks  of 
flour  a  year.  Delmonico  could  not  have  equaled  our  dinner  at  twelve. 

As  there  is  an  extensive  farm  of  192  acres  of  land,  numerous  build- 
ings are  necessary,  and  seldom  will  you  find  so  complete  and  substantial  a 
set  of  every  kind  of  structure  for  all  the  needs  of  modern  agriculture:  a 
bank  barn  with  stone  basement  with  stalls  for  twelve  head  of  horses  and 
fourteen  cows,  with  bins  for  grain  and  mows  for  hay  above,  a  long  corn  crib, 
a  hen  house,  a  hog  pen  with  four  acres  attached  for  exercise,  a  cattle  shed, 
another  corn  crib,  another  hog  house  with  concrete  foundation  and  oak 
floor,  and  a  commodious  shed  for  shelter  of  wagons  and  implements.  The 
live  stock  varies.  At  present,  12  horses  and  mules,  36  head  of  cattle,  120 
hogs  and  13  milk  cows,  which  supply  the  wants  of  the  institution. 

Whoe'er  has  traveled  life's  dull  round, 

Where'er  his  stages  may  have  been, 
May  sigh  to  think  he  still  has  found 

His  warmest  welcome  at  an  inn. 

These  forlorn  inmates  would  gladly  endorse  Shenstone's  familiar  stanza, 
for  they  are  really  enjoying  more  comfort  than  some  ever  had  in  their  earlier 
days. 

The  institution  dates  from  1869,  when  the  Board  of  Supervisors  ap- 
pointed James  M.  Pratt,  L.  S.  Pennington  and  H.  R.  Sampson  to  select  a 
site  for  a  poor  farm  near  a  railroad,  and  also  to  erect  suitable  buildings. 
The  farm  of  William  Knox  on  the  Morrison  road  was  selected  at  $45  per 
acre,  108  acres,  and  buildings  were  authorized  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  $15,000. 
The  main  building  and  barn  were  completed  in  1870.  The  Insane  Annex 
was  added  in  1875  at  a  cost  of  over  $7,000. 

THE    CEMETERY. 

West  of  the  county  house  along  the  Morrison  road  is  the  last  resting 
place  of  the  loved  and  lost  of  many  a  home  of  the  neighborhood.  At  the 
entrance  of  wrought  iron  is  the  inscription,  "This  fence  and  arch  donated 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  279 

by  Mrs.  C.  G.  Curtis,  1906."  We  notice  the  graves  of  several  soldiers  of 
the  Civil  war.  Thos.  Mason,  Co.  G,  75th  Illinois  Infantry.  Peter  Barbery, 
Co.  H,  8th  Illinois  Cavalry.  David  Symonds,  Co.  B,  13th  Illinois.  Wm. 
P.  Crump,  Co.  B,  34th  Illinois.  J.  S.  Green,  Co.  B,  75th  Illinois.  Sergeant 
O.  A.  Seeley,  Co.  C,  75th  Illinois. 

Rest  on,  emblamed  and  sainted  dead, 
Dear  as  the  blood  ye  gavel 

The  oldest  tomb  is  that  of  Thomas  Mayhew,  1808-1892.  In  one  corner  are 
numerous  monuments  of.  granite  to  members  of  the  Knox  family.  There 
are  two  acres  in  the  enclosure. 

Our  visit  to  our  county  infirmary  was  made  very  pleasant  and  instructive 
by  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  A.  D.  Hill,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  reception  room, 
and  who  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  affairs  of  the  institution.  He 
began  his  career  as  a  teacher,  founded  the  Prophetetown  Spike,  and  has  had 
long  experience  in  editorial  work.  He  wields  a  ready  pen,  and  much  of 
the  information  in  this  sketch  was  derived  from  an  exhaustive  article  which 
he  contributed  to  the  Prophetstown  Echo. 

Since  the  infirmary  was  opened  five  superintendents  have  been  in  charge, 
Hurd,  King,  Barnum,  Ely  and  Willsey.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Willsey, 
Mrs.  Willsey  has  shown  great  efficiency  in  the  discharge  of  the  onerous  duties. 

THE   ANNUAL   BANQUET. 

But  the  crowning  event  of  the  year  at  the  sanitarium  is  the  feast  given 
the  supervisors  after  their  regular  inspection  of  the  property.  A  red  letter 
day  for  the  officials  and  the  charitable  inmates.  Mrs.  Ira  Willsey  was  mis- 
tress of  ceremonies  at  the  function  given  in  December,  1907,  and  she  ac- 
quitted herself  to  the  admiration  of  her  official  guests.  Perhaps  as  a  speci- 
men of  Whiteside  festal  enjoyment  at  the  opening  of  this  century,  the  fol- 
lowing description  contributed  by  A.  D.  Hill  to  the  Gazette,  will  be  found 
curious  and  entertaining: 

The  bill  of  fare  consisted  of  six  turkeys  with  dressing,  cranberry  sauce, 
escalloped  oysters,  celery,  olives,  pickles,  jellies,  mince  pie,  cheese,  coffee, 
bread  and  butter  with  a  dessert  of  chocolate,  cocoanut,  fruit  cakes,  angel  food, 
grapes  and  oranges.  The  tables  was  placed  in  T  shape  in  the  chief  sitting 
room  of  the  house  with  decorations  of  purple,  yellow  and  white  chrysanthe- 
mums, and  the  feast  was  presided  over  by  the  hostess  assisted  by  her  son, 
Dr.  Frank  B.  Willsey  of  Chicago,  while  Mrs.  E.  W.  Mitchell,  Mrs.  Bert  Knox 
and  the  help  in  the  house  made  themselves  useful  in  serving  the  guests 
promptly  at  1  o'clock  p.  m. 

The  supervisors  were  brought  in  carriages  and  other  vehicles  from 
Morrison  after  adjournment  of  the  regular  session.  Those  accompanied  by 
their  wives  were:  William  W.  Blean,  Albany;  H.  L.  Halsted,  Coloma; 
Thomas  Mclaughlin,  Fenton;  C.  C.  Snyder,  Fulton;  Mathias  Wolber,  Gen- 
esee;  C.  Frank  Seidel,  Hopkins;  Henry  Brown,  Hume;  Elmer  Mensch,  Jor- 
dan; Allen  E.  Parmenter,  Lyndon;  Oscar  Woods,  Mt.  Pleasant;  Theodore 
Frank,  Montmorency;  Mrs.  John  G.  Wetzell,  Sterling;  Frank  A.  Thomas,' 
Tampico;  Frank  Moulton,  Union  Grove. 


280  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Those  single  men  were:  Joseph  Wood,  Clyde;  E.  Peckham,  Erie;  John 
Renner,  Hahnaman;  James  Y.  McCall,  Newton;  Bert  Besse,  Portland;  El- 
wood  Beeman,  Prophetstown ;  H.  J.  Simpson,  Garden  Plain ;  Adam  Beien, 
John  S.  Landis,  Sterling;  John  J.  Entwhistle,  Ustick.  After  the  dinner  and 
inspection  has  been  concluded,  some  of  the  company  was  taken  to  the  sta- 
tion at  Round  Grove,  and  the  rest  returned  to  Morrison.  And  thus  success- 
fully ended  the  ninth  annual  dinner  given  by  the  Willseys  at  the  White- 
side  county  poor  farm. 

"Should   auld   acquaintance  be   forgot, 

And  never  brought  to  mind; 
"Should   auld  acquaintance  be   forgot, 

And  the  days  of  auld  lang  syne?" 

In  order  that  the  reader  may .  have  some  idea  of  the  operations  of  a 
county  house,  we  clip  the  following  statement  from  a  report  submitted  to 
the  supervisors  at  their  meeting  in  March,  1908: 

RECEIPTS  FROM  FARM. 

Hogs  sold    $1,097.60 

Corn   sold    583.60 

Oats  sold 48.50 

Cattle  sold 220.00 

1  Calf  sold 9.30 

Hides  sold    5.60 

1  Bull  sold   : 32.70 

Cash  for  board  and  care  of  Wm.  Harmon  to  Mar.  1,  1908 96.00 

$2,093.30 

EXPENDITURES. 

Superintendent's  salary   $1,200.00 

Clothing,  Dry  Goods,  Boots  and  Shoes 297.93 

Groceries 440.63 

Plumbing    92.34 

Farm  Machinery    113.55 

Hardware 98.75 

Repairs 80.10 

Coal  and  Wood : . .  424.29 

Fresh  Meats 196.80 

Drugs  and  Medicine 84.97 

Hired  Help    1,009.22 

Furniture  and  Undertaking 200.60 

Insurance 16.00 

Lumber  and  Material 227.36 

Grain  and  Grass  Seed 19.80 

Stock  Hog 18.00 

Telephone    13.00 

Total  Expenditures $4,533.34 

Less  Receipts  from  Farm 2,093.30 

Net  Cost  to  County .  .$2,440.04 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  281 

A  few  rods  west  of  Round  Grove  on  the  north  side  of  the  railroad  has 
stood  for  years  a  large  two-story  frame  dwelling,  that  by  its  ragged  and  worn 
appearance  shows  the  storms  of  many  a  winter.  It  was  built  by  Simon  Fel- 
low of  New  Hampshire,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  1834,  settling  first  in  Lee 
county  until  he  came  to  Whiteside  in  1850.  His  wife  was  Miss  Elizabeth 
Deyo  of  Jordan.  Eight  children  gladdened  the  hearthstone. 

All  are  scattered  now  and  fled, 
Some  are  married,  some  are  dead. 

Edward  owns  the  early  homestead.  Albert  was  in  the  4th  Illinois  cavalry 
and  died  in  1866.  Charles  was  in  the  75th  Illinois  infantry,  and  lives  in. 
Unionville.  Mrs.  Fellows  died  in  1890  at  74.  The  father  died  in  Nov., 
1907  at  92.  A  good  Methodist,  reading  his  Bible  and  praying  twice  a  day. 

THE  HENNEPIN  CANAL. 

As  Egypt  does  not  on  the  clouds  rely, 

But  to  the  Nile  owes  more  than  to  the  sky; 

So  what  our  earth  and  what  our  heaven  denies, 

Our  ever  constant  friend,  the  sea,  supplies. — Edmund  Waller. 

Fashions  change  in  dress,  and  methods  change  in  transportation.  First 
ox  carts  and  wagons.  Teamsters  used  to  haul  goods  in  four-horse  wagons 
from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh,  and  emigrants  made  the  toilsome  journey 
across  the  plains  to  California  in  prairie  schooners.  Then  came  the  era  of 
steamboats  on  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi,  and  people  pitied  their  ancestors 
in  the  cramped  stage  coach,  and  believed  they  had  reached  the  luxury  of 
travel.  Next  the  iron  tracks  running  up  and  down  the  states  and  across  the 
continent  to  meet  the  demand  of  commerce  for  rapid  transit.  Now,  the 
electric  lines  piercing  every  valley,  and  stopping  at  every  farmer's  door. 

Before  the  railway,  the  canal  was  deemed  the  best  method  of  communica- 
tion where  there  was  no  natural  outlet.  The  Erie  canal  from  that  lake  to 
the  Hudson  was  the  first  great  enterprise  in  this  country,  and  its  opening 
in  1825  was  signalized  by  a  grand  demonstration,  and  Gov.  DeWitt  Clinton, 
its  projector,  was  carried  in  a  triumphal  barge  to  New  York.  Similar  schemes 
were  soon  undertaken,  and  for  twenty  years  the  canal  was  popular  for  travel 
as  well  as  for  freight.  Slow,  but  sure  and  safe.  No  collision  or  explosion, 
and  the  tourist  reached  his  home  without  loss  of  life  or  limb.  Passenger 
packets  made  regular  trips.  The  writer  as  late  as  1851  journeyed  on  the 
canal  from  Johnstown  to  Pittsburgh.  No  other  way,  as  the  Pennsylvania  Cen- 
tral was  not  completed.  An  old  Mitchell's  map  of  the  United  States,  1835, 
has  some  tables  giving  the  lengths  of  the  railroads  and  of  the  canals.  The 
two  longest  railroads  were  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  250  miles,  and  the  Bos- 
ton and  Albany,  200  miles.  The  Erie  canal  was  363  miles,  and  the  Chesa- 
peake and  Ohio,  341  miles.  These  figures  tell  their  own  story.  The  canal 
was  evidently  at  a  premium. 

But  the  age  of  enormous  railway  construction  came  on,  and  canals 
were  neglected  or  abandoned.  In  some  cases,  the  bed  was  used  for  a  track. 


282  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  locks  rotted  away,  and  grass  grew  on  the  towpaths.  Conditions,  how- 
ever, have  rapidly  changed.  The  increasing  traffic  of  the  world  needs  every 
avenue  of  communication  by  land  and  by  water.  Where  natural  arteries  of 
transit  are  wanting,  they  must  be  created.  Why  a  tedious  voyage  around 
Good  Hope,  when  a  deep  ditch  through  the  desert  will  convey  the  hugest 
steamers  of  the  ocean?  So  thought  De  Lesseps,  and  it  must  have  been  a 
proud  day  for  the  French  engineer  when  in  1869  before  the  crowned  heads 
of  Europe  the  Suez  canal  was  opened  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Red 
Sea,  shortening  the  time  from  London  to  Bombay  twenty-four  days,  and 
cutting  down  the  distance  from  11,000  miles  to  about  six  thousand.  The 
cost  of  construction  was  nearly  sixty  million  dollars,  and  the  receipts  in 
1889  were  over  thirteen  millions.  A  very  profitable  investment  from  every 
standpoint. 

This  success  led  to  the  Panama  Canal  in  1879,  a  dream  for  centuries. 
Why  navigate  the  South  American  coast  for  ten  thousand  miles,  around  the 
dangerous  Horn,  when  a  cut  of  fifty  miles  will  pass  vessels  to  the  mild 
waters  of  the  Pacific?  A  company  was  formed  and  bonds  sold,  but  after 
two  hundred  millions  were  spent  and  only  twelve  miles  completed,  the  con- 
cern went  into  bankruptcy  in  1889.  The  good  genius  of  De  Lesseps  for- 
sook the  gray-haired  man.  Now  Uncle  Samuel  has  secured  rights  from  the 
Central  American  states,  assumed  all  obligations,  and  is  digging  the  much- 
discussed  ditch  in  good  earnest.  No  failure  this  time.  As  John  Pierpont 
sang  of  the  Yankee  boy : 

And  when  his  hand's  upon  it,  you  may  know, 
There's  go  in  it,  and  he'll  make  it  go. 

For  a  hundred  years  rivers  and  harbors  have  been  a  standing  item  in 
the  national  appropriation  bills.  There  is  a  constant  demand  for  the  im- 
provement of  our  large  streams  and  the  great  ports  of  foreign  trade.  Our 
waterways,  indeed,  are  a  prominent  feature,  of  late,  in  speeches,  messages, 
and  conventions.  A  direct  connection  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  the« 
Great  Lakes  has  long  been  felt  to  be  very  convenient  in  time  of  peace,  and 
vitally  important  in  time  of  war. 

ILLINOIS  AND  MICHIGAN   CANAL. 

Over  200  years  ago,  Joliet  and  La  Salle,  the  early  French  explorers, 
saw  the  ease  of  constructing  a  passage  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Illinois 
river,  and  thus  forming  a  continuous  channel  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  In 
1801  Alfred  Gallatin  recommended  the  scheme,  and  in  1816  a  survey  was 
made.  In  1827  Congress  gave  to  the  state  300,000  acres  of  land  for  canal 
purposes,  work  was  begun  in  1836,  and  twelve  years  later  the  canal  was 
opened  for  navigation  at  a  cost  of  six  millions.  Since  that  time  almost  as- 
much  has  been  spent  for  improvement  and  repairs.  This  canal  extends 
from  Chicago  to  La  Salle,  connecting  the  Chicago  and  Illinois  rivers.  It 
is  96  miles  long,  with  a  depth  of  six  feet,  and  a  width  of  sixty  feet  at  the 
water  line. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

CHICAGO  SANITARY  CANAL, 

by  which  the  current  of  Chicago  river  is  turned  into  the  Illinois  river  from 
the  metropolis,  is  the  most  colossal  work  ever  undertaken  for  the  sewerage 
of  a  city.  The  entire  length  is  thirty-four  miles,  and  it  was  completed  in 
eight  years,  1892-1900,  at  the  cost  of  $37,000,000.  But  it  is  richly  worth 
the  immense  outlay  in  municipal  health.  The  first  eight  miles  from  the 
city,  the  channel  is  nearly  200  feet  wide,  with  a  depth  of  twenty-two  feet. 
For  fourteen  miles  its  course  was  blasted  through  solid  rock,  forming  a 
decided  contrast  to  the  sides  of  the  Suez  canal  with  its  banks  of  shifting  sand. 

The  reader  may  naturally  ask,  What  have  these  other  two  canals  to 
do  with  the  Hennepin?  As  St.  Paul  would  say,  Much  every  way.  With- 
out them  the  Hennepin  would  fail  in  its  purpose.  Without  the  old  Michi- 
gan canal,  boats  on  the  Hennepin  could  not  reach  Chicago  or  the  lakes,  and 
without  the  Hennepin,  boats  from  the  lakes  could  not  reach  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi without  making  the  circuit  of  the  Illinois  river,  two  hundred  miles 
to  the  south.  In  other  words,  the  Hennepin,  tapping  the  Michigan  canal 
near  its  terminus  at  La  Salle,  furnishes  a  direct  communication  with  the 
Northern  Mississippi  and  its  tributary  territory.  A  glance  at  the  map  will 
show  the  situation. 

It  is  at  least  sixty  years  ago  that  the  project  of  a  canal  along  the  route 
of  the  present  Hennepin  began  to  be  discussed,  and  the  claim  has  lately 
been  made  that  the  idea  was  born  in  the  brain  of  Major  James  M.  Allan, 
of  Geneseo,  and  that  L.  D.  Whiting,  of  Tiskilwa,  and  John  H.  Bryant  gave 
the  plan  their  hearty  support.  A  canal  convention  was  held  in  Sawyer's 
hall,  Geneseo,  and  other  conventions  were  held  at  Dixon,  Sterling,  and 
interested  towns  in  the  district.  Public  attention  was  aroused,  the  scheme 
was  presented  at  Springfield  and  Washington,  in  1871  a  preliminary  sur- 
vey was  made,  and  in  1890  Congress  made  an  appropriation  of  $500,000  to 
begin  the  work.  Thomas  J.  Henderson,  member  from  this  district,  was 
the  champion  on  the  floor  in  pushing  the  claims  of  the  new  waterway. 

The  length  of  the  main  line  of  the  Hennepin  canal  from  Milan,  on 
Rock  river,  near  its  mouth,  to  the  town  of  Hennepin  on  the  Illinois  river, 
is  seventy-five  miles.  Excavation  was  begun  at  Milan  in  July,  1892,  when 
Capt.  L.  L.  Wheeler,  civil  engineer,  in  charge  of  the  work,  turned  the  first 
sod  with  a  spade  which  is  now  in  the  Historical  Society  at  Davenport.  The 
depth  of  water  is  seven  feet,  and  the  width  of  the  cut  is  52  feet  at  the  bottom, 
and  eighty  at  the  water  line.  There  are  thirty-three  locks,  measuring  thirty- 
five  feet  by  one  hundred  and  seventy,  with  lifts  varying  from  six  to  twelve 
feet.  Two  aqueducts  carry  the  canal  over  Green  river,  one  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  feeder,  the  other  at  the  western  end  of  the  canal  near  Rock  river. 
There  are  fifty-two  culverts  that  carry  small  brooks,  drainage  ditches,  and 
other  water  courses  under  the  canal-. 

THE    HENNEPIN    FEEDER. 

In  order  to  keep  a  suitable  stage  of  water  in  the  canal  proper,  a  feeder 
is  necessary  from  Rock  river.  Where  shall  it  tap  the  crystal  current  of  this 


284  HISTORY    OF    WHTTESIDE    COUNTY 

stream?  It  will  be  a  point  of  travel  and  traffic  for  all  time  to  come.  Dixon 
and  Sterling  both  felt  its  importance,  and  put  in  a  claim  for  the  terminus 
of  the  feeder.  (X  L.  Sheldon  and  C.  C.  Johnson,  in  an  interview  with  Hon. 
Redfield  Proctor,  Secretary  of  War,  at  Washington,  in  regard  to  the  matter, 
were  informed  that  the  government  in  its  decision  would  be  guided  by  the 
length  of  route  and  economy  of  construction.  The  necessary  funds  were 
subscribed  by  the  citizens  of  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls,  and  a  survey  made 
by  the  late  Frank  E.  Andrews.  The  survey  and  estimates  showed  conclu- 
sively that  the  route  from  Rock  Falls  was  not  only  over  eleven  miles  shorter 
than  that  from  Dixon,  but  that  numerous  items  of  large  expense  could  be 
avoided.  These  figures  were  decisive,  and  the  feeder  was  recommended  from 
Rock  Falls.  It  starts  east  of  Rock  Falls,  runs  almost  south,  joining  the 
main  canal  in  Bureau  county,  a  distance  of  29.3  miles.  The  depth  of  water 
is  seven  feet.  When  the  feeder  proposition  was  first  broached,  a  fear  was 
felt  that  so  much  water  would  be  drawn  from  Rock  river  as  to  seriously 
lessen  the  main  current  of  the  stream,  but  this  has  proven  unfounded.  The 
feeder  once  full,  there  is  little  loss  by  evaporation. 

THE  FEEDER  DAM. 

This  leaves  the  Rock  Falls  shore  just  below  the  entrance  of  the  feeder 
into  Rock  river  and  strikes  the  Sterling  or  north  side  between  Tenth  and 
Eleventh  avenues.  The  length  is  over  1,300  feet,  and  with  the  flash  boards 
in  place  will  raise  the  water  above  its  common  level  eleven  and  a  half  feet. 
Beginning  on  the  south  side,  besides  the  abutment,  there  are  eighteen  huge 
piers,  each  34  feet  long,  17  feet  high,  and  six  feet  wide.  Each  contains  120 
yards  of  concrete  in  which  135  barrels  of  cement  'were  used.  Between  these 
piers  are  the  ponderous  controlling  steel  gates  which  are  raised  or  lowered 
to  regulate  the  flow  of  the  water.  Where  these  piers  end,  the  center  dam, 
500  feet  long,  begins.  It  consists  of  heavy  timber  cribs,  bolted  together, 
and  the  space  inside  filled  with  rubble  obtained  from  blasting  the  bed  of 
the  river.  The  up-river  face  of  the  dam  is  sheathed  with  steel  plates  one- 
quarter  of  an  inch  thick  to  protect  the  wood  from  ice,  and  the  down-river 
slope  is  faced  with  three-inch  oak  plank.  It  is  over  this  central  slope  that 
the  river  flows,  sparkling  in  a  long  and  wide  crystal  sheet  like  the  old  style 
dams  of  our  childhood.  From  the  end  of  the  crib  section  are  a  series  of  con- 
crete piers,  similar  to  those  on  the  south  side,  extending  to  the  abutment  on 
the  north  bank.  Here  will  be  placed  the  power  house,  fifty  feet  wide  and 
167  feet  long  to  contain  the  electric  generators  attached  to  the  water  wheels 
below.  In  six  flumes,  twelve  turbine  wheels  will  be  installed  in  pairs,  each 
pair  occupying  one  flume.  A  tail  race  excavated  in  the  solid  rock  eleven 
feet  below  the  river  bed  will  carry  the  water  from  the  wheels. 

The  water  had  been  raised  nine  feet  at  the  dam,  and  the  back  water 
extends  to  Dixon.  The  overflow  has  inundated  1,436  acres  of  land,  which 
has  cost  the  government  $103,787.  This  inundation  extends  eight  miles 
above  the  dam.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  feeder  dam  was  put  at  $100,000, 
but  Capt.  Wheeler  thinks  it  will  not  exceed  $90,000.  The  cost  of  the  canal 
and  feeder  will  reach  about  $7,250,000.  The  yearly  maintenance  of  the 


.  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  285 

canal  will  take  about  $150,000,  to  be  borne  by  the  government.  Consid- 
ering the  national  value  of  the  enterprise,  these  figures  seem  trifling.  New 
York  expended  over  twenty  millions  on  her  Albany  capitol,  and  Philadel- 
phia a  similar  sum  on  her  city  hall,  and  they  are  structures  of  local  con- 
venience. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  feeder  to  the  river  there  is  a  guard  lock  to  pro- 
tect the  canal  from  high  water  in  the  river.  This  is  very  important.  As 
much  of  the  canal  passes  through  a  flat  country,  and  at  places,  above  its 
level,  a  freshet  in  the  river,  would  soon  rise  above  the  banks  of  the  canal, 
and  flood  the  lowlands,  producing  wide-spread  destruction.  This  lock  is 
250  feet  long,  and  35  feet  wide  between  the  walls.  As  an  additional  pro- 
tection, there  are  collapsible  needle  dams  provided  at  each  end  of  the  lock.  A 
neat  iron  bridge  over  the  top  of  the  guard  lock  offers  a  passage  to  the  east 
from  Second  Avenue,  Rock  Falls. 

The  canal  is  spanned  by  seventy  highway  bridges  and  eight  railway 
bridges.  These  all  have  concrete  abutments,  and  the  highway  bridges  being 
at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the  water,  require  a  long  and  gradual  ap- 
proach. As  the  bridges  over  the  feeder  are  not  high  enough  to  permit  the 
passage  of  barges  and  tugs  over  twelve  feet  high,  both  Mr.  Wheeler  and  Major 
Riche  believe  that  to  allow  unrestricted  traffic,  these  structures  must  be  raised 
to  the  level  first  established  by  the  engineers.  The  construction  of  the  locks  and 
canal  walls  near  Milan,  the  western  terminus,  is  the  first  case  in  the  United 
States  where  cement  was  substituted  for  cut  stone,  which  costs  nearly  twice 
as  much  as  concrete.  Its  successful  use  here  has  resulted  in  its  adoption  by  the 
government,  railways,  and  great  corporations  everywhere  for  similar  work. 
It  is  said  the  total  amount  of  concrete  material  in  the  canal  is  sufficient  to 
make  a  four  foot  cement  sidewalk  to  Boston. 

A  short  distance  from  the  guard  lock,  fronting  Second  avenue,  Rock 
Falls,  and  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  dam  from  shore  to  shore,  is  the 
government  building,  a  spacious  square  structure,  very  substantial  with  its 
concrete  walls  and  red  tile  roof.  The  east  half,  first  and  second  story,  is 
devoted  to  public  offices  in  connection  with  the  business  of  the  canal,  the  west 
section  to  household  rooms  for  the  use  of  the  janitor.  The  large  area  sur- 
rounding the  edifice,  will,  doubtless,  in  time  become  a  miniature  park  where 
amid  trees  and  shrubbery  and  flower  beds  the  visitor  can  enjoy  the  waterfall 
and  its  massive  handiwork. 

It  is  too  early  to  estimate  the  benefits  that  will  accrue  to  Sterling,  Rock 
Falls,  Dixon,  indeed,  the  whole  adjoining  valley,  from  this  magnificent  im- 
provement. Electric  power  enough  can  be  generated  at  the  dam  to  run  end- 
less mills  and  factories  on  either  bank,  and  make  the  combined  cities  the 
Pittsburgh  of  Illinois.  The  feeder  and  canal  will  create  for  this  section  direct 
communication  with  central  Illinois,  securing  for  us  cheaper  coal,  and  open- 
ing a  market  for  grain  and  other  produce.  In  fact,  at  every  point  along  the 
route,  warehouses  will  furnish  a  home  market  for  farmers  to  send  freight  or 
receive  it.  Already  a  company  has  been  formed  to  operate  boats  and  barges 
for  the  transfer  of  freight  and  passengers  between  this  point  and  Peoria,  and 
other  places  on  the  Illinois  river. 


288  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

•Aside  from  the  direct  commercial  advantage  of  the  waterway,  is  the 
prospect  of  local  travel.  Navigation  on  Rock  river  is  no  longer  a  tradition,  it 
is  a  coming  reality.  Small  excursion  steamers  will  make  frequent  trips 
between  Sterling  and  Dixon,  giving  people  an  opportunity  of  admiring  the 
picturesque  scenery  of  our  noble  stream,  or  down  the  feeder  through  the 
fertile  plains  of  our  southern  border,  or  into  the  Illinois  with  its  stir  of  traffic 
or  legends  of  La  Salle.  The  dam  formed  by  the  government  has  really  given 
the  citizens  of  the  two  cities  a  lovely  little  lake,  where  boats  and  launches 
may  safely  glide  as  on  a  summer  sea.  A  home  harbor  of  delight. 

My  soul  today  is  far  away 
Sailing  the  Vesuvian  bay. 

HOLIDAY    OPENING   OF    THE   HENNEPIX. 

Rise,  lass,  and  mak  a  clean  fireside, 

Put  on  the  muckle  pot; 
Gie  little  Kate  her  cotton  gown, 

And  Jock  his  Sunday  coat, 
And  mak  thedr  shoon  as  black  as  slaes, 

Their  hose  as  white  as  snow ; 
It's  a'  to  please  my  ain  gudeman, 

For  he's  been  long  awa'. — W.  J.  Mickle. 

As  the  feeder  and  the  dam,  the  last  stage  in  the  national  undertaking, 
approached  completion,  it  was  decided  to  mark  the  event  with  a  suitable  dem- 
onstration. Preparations  began  months  ahead,  invitations  were  sent  far  and 
wide,  and  nothing  was  left  undone  to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  popular 
heart.  October  24,  1907,  was  the  date  selected,  and  it  proved  ideal.  The 
weather  was  superb.  The  clear  sky,  the  grass  still  green,  temperature  mild, 
and  the  foliage  slightly  turned  to  gold  and  crimson,  bathed  in  the  mellow 
sunlight,  made  the  landscape  glorious,  and  the  occasion  inspiring.  Both 
Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  were  in  gala  attire.  Stores  and  public  buildings 
were  profusely  and  elaborately  decorated,  and  the  stars  and  stripes  waved 
over  the  streets  and  floated  from  every  flag  staff.  The  people  began  to  arrive 
from  the  country  for  miles  in  every  direction  at  an  early  hour,  while  the 
regular  and  special  trains  came  loaded  with  eager  passengers.  By  ten  in  the 
morning  the  sidewalks  on  Third  street  were  a  moving  mass  of  men,  women 
and  children,  dressed  in  their  best  'bib  and  tucker,  patiently  waiting  for  the 
promised  show.  No  similar  crowd  ever  gathered  in  the  streets  since  the  fair 
of  1880  when  the  lamented  generals,  Grant  and  Logan,  were  the  heroic 
attractions.  Some  estimates  place  the  multitude  at  25,000.  The  pageant 
began  in  the  morning  with  a  parade,  Abram  Caughey,  marshal  of  the  day. 
The  first  section  consisted  of  the  mounted  police,  the  Sixth  Regiment  band 
with  Major  Lowrie,  and  Cos.  I,  G  and  E  of  the  Sixth  Regiment.  The  second 
and  larger  section  was  industrial,  representing  the  mercantile  and  manufac- 
turing interests  of  the  two  cities.  Every  separate  establishment  had  its  float, 
and  many  of  them  were  elegant  and  ingenious.  It  was  the  longest  and  most 
ambitious  procession  ever  attempted  by  the  cities.  It  was  headed  by  the  Banda 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  287 

Verde.    The  parade  was  about  two  and  a  half  miles  in  length,  and  required  one 
hour  to  pass. 

Now  let  us  sing,  Long  live  the  king, 

And  Gilpin,  Long  live  hel 
And  when  he  next  doth  ride  abroad, 
May  I  be  there  to  see. 

Another  pageant  in  the  afternoon.  This  time  aquatic.  Boats  and 
launches  from  Sterling,  Rock  Falls,  and  Dixon,  assembled  on  the  river  near 
the  Water  works,  under  command  of  Commodore  Ben  Eick,  and  after  some 
evolutions,  moved  through  the  gates  into  the  feeder,  sailed  down  far  as  the 
Dixon  avenue  bridge,  and  then  returning  gave  another  parade  on  the  river. 
There  were  fifty  boats,  all  beautifully  decorated,  in  line,  and  the  display  ex- 
ceeded every  expectation.  It  was  the  privilege  of  Miss  Grace  Wheeler,  young- 
est daughter  of  Captain  and  Mrs.  Wheeler,  to  swing  back  the  big  gates,  and  as 
the  band  discoursed  a  lively  air,  permit  the  young  fleet  to  float  on  the  smooth 
waters  of  the  feeder. 

Never  in  the  annals  of  Whiteside  were  so  many  prominent  visitors 
assembled.  No  star  actor  like  Senator  Douglas  in  1855,  or  Abraham  Lincoln 
in  1856,  but  a  long  array  of  men  of  distinction  in  every  department  of  public 
life,  governors,  congressmen,  engineers,  legislators,  mayors,  editors,  organizers. 
Among  the  worthies  of  the  occasion  may  be  mentioned: 

Governor  Charles  S.  Deneen  of  Springfield ;  ex-Governor  Samuel  R.  A7an 
Sant  of  Minnesota  whose  home  is  now  at  Minneapolis ;  Frank  0.  Lowden  of 
Oregon,  111.,  our  congressman,  and  his  secretary,  James  R.  Cowley;  Congress- 
man Joseph  V.  Graff  of  Peoria;  Congressman  Ben  H.  Caldwell  of  Spring- 
field ;  ex-Congressman  Thomas  J.  Henderson  of  Princeton,  111. ;  Colonel  Clark 
E.  Carr  of  Galesburg,  excongressman  from  that  district;  Senator  James  W. 
Templeton  of  Princeton ;  representative  Frank  Covey  of  Belvidere ;  Edmund 
Jackson  of  Fulton,  member  state  board  of  equalization;  C.  C.  Duffy  of 
Ottawa,  clerk  of  the  appellate  court  for  the  thirteenth  district ;  Fred  E.  Sterl- 
ing, editor  of  the  Rockford  Register-Gazette  and  candidate  for  nomination 
for  secretary  of  state ;  Judge  Emory  C.  Graves  -of  Henry  county  and  Judge 
Farrand  of  Dixon. 

Among  the  government  engineers  and  waterway  people  present  Tvere 
Major  C.  S.  Riche  of  Rock  Island,  J.  W.  McGee  of  the  inland  waterway  com- 
mission, one  of  President  Roosevelt's  advisors  concerning  waterway  projects. 
Hon.  Thomas  Wilkinson  of  Burlington,  who  is  president  of  the  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi Improvement  association;  Hon.  T.  A.  Murphy  of  Davenport,  a  son 
of  the  late  Hon.  Jerry  Murphy  of  that  city,  who  was  one  of  the  fathers  of  the 
Hennepin  project. 

Chicago  was  represented  by  John  M.  Glenn,  secretary  of  the  Illinois 
manufacturers  association ;  Guy  Guernsey,  clerk  of  the  Cook  county  probate 
court  and  proprietor  of  Kent  law  college;  W.  H.  Manns,  industrial  commis- 
sioner of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce ;  Clayton  E.  Crafts,  formerly 
speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives;  Malcolm  McDowell  of  the  Central 
Trust  company;  Walter  H.  Moore  of  E.  B.  Moore  &  Co.;  George  Bonnell  of 


-288  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  Northwestern  railway;  H.  D.  Judson  and  E.  R.  Puffer  of  the  Burling- 
ton road. 

Nearly  every  county  official  of  Whiteside  and  Lee  counties  was  present, 
.as  well  as  the  editors  of  various  journals  throughout  the  valley. 

O,  as  a  bee  upon  the  flower,  I  hang 
Upon  the  honey  of  thy  eloquent  tongue. 

After  dinner  the  oratorical  part  of  the  program  was  to  take  place.  Early 
in  the  afternoon  the  crowd  began  to  gather,  and  the  animated  movements  of 
the  people  on  the  shore,  and  the  evolutions  of  the  gay  launches  on  the  water, 
made  a  very  pretty  picture.  The  exercises  were  held  on  the  Rock  Falls  side. 
'The  platform  stood  near  the  mouth  of  the  feeder,  the  muffled  roar  of  the 
raging  current  in  the  river  furnishing  a  bass  acompaniment  to  the  words  of  the 
Websters.  The  seats  on  the  stand  were  occupied  by  the  honored  guests  of  the 
•occasion.  John  S.  Stager,  secretary  of  the  Sterling  Industrial  Association, 
called  the  meeting  to  order,  and  introduced  Governor  Charles  S.  Deneen  who 
spoke  on  the  value  of  the  work  in  every  point  of  view.  Illinois  has  long 
ranked  high  in  agriculture,  but  she  has  coal  and  other  resources  for  un- 
limited development  in  manufacture,  and  needs  the  improvement  of  her 
waterways  to  send  her  products  over  the  vast  tributary  territory  in  which  she 
occupies  so  advantageous  a  position.  He  believed  the  people  of  the  state 
would  authorize  the  expenditure  of  twenty  million  dollars  to  make  the  chan- 
nel of  the  Illinois  river  a  great  avenue  of  traffic. 

Ex-Governor  Van  Sant,  of  Minnesota,  expressed  his  deep  interest  in  the 
success  of  the  canal,  and  believed  that  these  improved  waterways  would  solve 
the  transportation  problem.  His  suggestion  that  the  two  cities  by  their  con- 
tinual co-operation  would  best  secure  their  common  prosperity,  was  received 
with  applause. 

As  Col.  Frank  0.  Lowden  was  announced,  the  audience  sent  up  a  hearty 
cheer  of  welcome  for  our  congressman.  He  hoped  to  see  the  day  when  he  can 
ship  grain  from  his  farm  on  Rock  river,  and  he  proposed  during  the  next 
session  of  congress  to  urge  a  lock  in  the  dam  as  a  desideratum  in  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  river.  He  advised  the  cities  to  secure  plenty  of  space  for  terminal 
facilities  before  private  interests  would  interfere  with  the  freedom  of  public 
•traffic. 

Congressman  Benjamin  Caldwell,  of  Springfield,  followed  in  a  similar 
strain,  and  elicited  much  applause  when  he  said  that  he  was  in  favor  of  a 
lock  in  the  dam  allowing  boats  access  to  the  river  below.  Introduce  the  bill, 
and  I  shall  not  only  vote  for  it  myself,  but  secure  the  votes  of  other  members. 

When  Gen.  Thomas  J.  Henderson  arose,  still  vigorous  at  eighty-two, 
voice  little  impaired  by  time,  he  was  easily  the  most  impressive  and  historic 
figure  of  the  day.  He  reviewed  his  long  struggle  in  the  House  for  the  Hen- 
nepin  project,  and  maintained  that  the  time  has  come  when  canals  are  im- 
perative improvements,  and  that  the  government  owes  their  construction  and 
support  to  the  people. 

Dr.  J.  W.  McGee,  of  Iowa,  chairman  of  the  inland  water-way  com- 
mission, and  one  of  the  advisers  of  President  Roosevelt  on  this  subject,  was 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  289- 

confident  that  with  the  advantages  of  the  Hennepin  so  apparent,  other  ship 
canals  would  follow  at  no  distant  day. 

Hon.  Clayton  E.  Crafts,  formerly  speaker  of  the  Illinois  House,  repre- 
sented the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce,  and  declared  that  Chicago  took 
great  interest  in  the  canal  as  it  meant  cheaper  transportation  for  the  metrop- 
olis as  well  as  for  the  people  of  this  section. 

Col.  Clark  E.  Carr,  of  Galesburg,  predicted  that  the  Hennepin  will  do- 
for  the  cities  along  its  banks  what  the  Erie  canal  has  done  for  the  cities  of 
central  New  York,  and  that  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  'are  to  enter  upon  a 
career  of  unexampled  prosperity. 

This  was  the  last  address,  and  ended  the  flow  of  eloquence.  The  band 
played  a  selection,  and  the  multitude  gradually  dispersed  to  their  homes. 
The  October  pageant  of  the  Hennepin  feeder  had  become  a  happy  memory 
forever. 

And  now,  'tis  silent  all, 
Enchantress,  fare  thee  well! 

HENNEPIN    IN    A    NUTSHELL. 

1883 — Bill  providing  for  the  construction  of  canal  passed. 

1890 — Captain  L.  L.  Wheeler  assumed  charge  of  work  on  canal. 

1890 — Congress  appropriated  $500,000  for  work  on  canal. 
.'1892 — Congress  appropriated  another  $500,000. 

"*  1892 — First  dirt  taken  from  the  canal  at  Milan.     Contractors  start  work 
on  the  west  end  of  the  main  line. 

1894 — Congress  appropriated  $190,000. 

1895 — Citizens  of  Rock  Island,  Davenport  and  Moline  and  Milan  joined 
in  monstor  celebration  and  canal  was  dedicated. 

1896 — Congress  listens  to  plea  of  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  citizens  and 
location  of  the  mouth  of  the  feeder  is  changed  to  Rock  Falls  and  $45,000  is- 
appropriated. 

1898 — Congress  appropriated  $875,000  and  work  on  feeder  is  started. 

1898— Congress  appropriated  $1,427,740. 

Oct.  21,  1907 — Celebration  at  Milan  over  completion  of  canal. 

.  24,  1907 — Canal  formally  opened  and  water  turned  into  feeder  at 
Rock  Fals. 

Nov.  8,  1907 — Steamer  Marion  begins  first  cruise  through  canal  at 
Bureau. 

Nov.  15,  1907 — Steamer  Marion  completes  trip  through  main  line  of 
canal  and  reached  Rock  Island. 

CAUTION   TO   TRESPASSERS. 

Supt.  L.  L.  Wheeler  has  published  a  set  of  rules  and  regulations  to 
govern  boats  and  the  operation  of  the  canal.  The  following  contain  the  main 
points  of  the  regulations : 

Trespassing  is  strictly  forbidden  on  the  lands  along  the  canal  and  cut- 
ting of  trees  or  digging  in  the  banks  is  prohibited.  Advertisements  of  any 
sort  cannot  be  posted  on  the  fences,  piers,  bridges  or  abutments.  No  refuse 


290  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

matter  may  be  thrown  on  the  right  of  way  except  ashes  which  may  be  thrown 
on  the  towpath. 

Stock  will  not  be  permitted  to  graze  on  the  right  of  way  nor  will  per- 
sons be  permitted  to  ride  or  drive  on  the  embankment. 

No  hunting  will  be  permitted  along  the  banks  of  the  canal  except  on 
permission  of  the  superintendent. 

No  alcoholic  drinks  may  be  sold  from  any  boat  in  the  canal. 

Fishing  will  not  be  permitted  within  100  feet  of  any  fishway  or  lock. 
Nets  will  not  be  permitted  in  the  canal  under  any  circumstances. 

The  speed  of  all  boats  is  limited  to  six  miles  an  hour  and  rules  governing 
the  passing  of  boats  and  the  order  of  precedence  through  locks,  etc.,  are  given. 
Pleasure  boats,  etc.,  will  only  be  put  through  lock  in  the  morning  and 
evening  unless  they  happen  to  be  locked  through  with  a  larger  boat. 

The  violation  of  any  of  the  rules  or  regulations  is  punishable  by  a  fine' 
as  high  as  $500  or  imprisonment  for  six  months  at  the  discretion  of  the 
United  States  District  court. 

THE  MILK  INDUSTRY. 

0,  Mirth  and  Innocence!     0,  Milk  and  Water! 
Ye  happy  mixtures  of  more  happy  days ! — Byron. 

Man  from  a  savage  state  has  passed  through  the  stone  age,  the  iron  age, 
the  copper,  now  he  is  in  the  age  of  steel.  So  the  farmer  in  the  West  has  had 
his  stages.  First  wheat,  winter  or  spring,  was  the  main  crop.  With  a  big 
yield,  the  land  was  often  paid  for.  When  goods  were  bought  at  the  store, 
payment  was  to  be  made  "after  harvest,"  and  if  harvest  was  poor,  the  mer- 
chant had  to  carry  the  farmer  for  another  year.  As  the  ground  failed  to  pro- 
duce wheat,  then  came  corn  and  hogs,  oats  and  horses,  pasture  and  cattle. 
These  different  features  were  pushed  according  to  the  market.  Diversified  or 
general  farming  is  the  only  secret  of  successful  agriculture.  Corn  for  a  long 
time  has  been  king.  The  price  is  generally  good,  and  it  is  necessary  feed  for 
hogs  and  cattle.  But  within  a  few  years  a  rival  industry  has  sprung  up,  and 
the  farmer  is  now  in  the  age  of  milk.  The  business  has  grown  so  gradually 
that  we  hardly  realize  its  extent.  The  cities  have  always  needed  'milk,  but  it 
was  draWn  chiefly  from  the  surrounding  country. 

But  now  every  hamlet,  every  town,  every  county,  is  a  milk  center.  The 
pretty  dairy  maid  of  the  poet  or  artist  sitting  by  a  solitary  heifer,  and  sing- 
ing as  she  carries  her  pail  to  the  house,  is  no  longer  to  be  seen.  Instead, 
rows  of  cows  in  white  barns,  and  men  milkers  in  white  jackets,  working  for 
wages.  A  boon  to  the  farmer's  wife  and  daughters.  No  more  skimming 
dozens  of  crocks  in  damp  cellars,  or  tugging  at  the  churn  and  waiting  for  the 
butter  to  come.  Every  morning  the  milk  is  carried  away  in  wagons,  and  that 
burden  of  the  old  fashioned  household  is  removed  forever. 

The  first  large  concern  in  Sterling  to  deal  in  milk  was  established  by 
John  Gilbert  in  1896  on  the  site  of  the  old  Central  House.  It  is  now  the 
Sterling  Creamery  Company.  The  milk  is  gathered  outside  of  the  territory 
of  the  Gail  Borden  company,  and  the  receipts  are  larger  than  before  the  con- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  291 

densing  plant  began  operations.  A  contract  has  been  made  with  a  dealer  in 
Moline,  and  eighty-five  cans  are  shipped  daily  to  that  city.  Besides  milk, 
the  company  gathers  cream,  and  700  pounds  of  butter  are  churned  every 
•day.  Buttermilk  is  furnished  the  Legg  Poultry  Company  for  fattening 
fowls,  the  check  for  this  item  in  two  months  amounting  to  $386.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  money  paid  for  milk  and  cream,  the  farmers  receive  the  sepa- 
rated milk  which  is  given  to  calves  and  swine.  The  receipts  in  March,  1908, 
were  from  10,000  to  12,000  pounds  of  milk  daily,  which  were  expected  to  be 
largely  increased  in  the  butter  months  of  May  and  June. 

Another  milk  depot  started  later  by  John  Haglock,  now  controlled  by 
Clement  Hey,  is  also  on  East  Third  street.  The  average  receipts  in  winter 
are  3,000  pounds  a  day,  which  are  doubled  in  summer.  This  is  retailed 
by  wagons  through  the  city.  There  are  four  other  milk  routes :  William 
Freeby,  Charles  Freeby,  Mason  and  Harting,  F.  Landis. 

But  what  has  given  the  most  powerful  impetus  to  the  milk  industry  in 
the  county  is  the  erection  in  1907-1908  of  the  Gail  Borden  Condensing 
Plant.  It  stands  just  outside  the  western  limits  of  Sterling.  A  ten  min- 
utes' walk  from  the  terminus  of  the  car  line  brings  you  to  the  spot.  On  thir- 
teen acres  between  the  Morrison  road  on  the  north  and  the  Northwestern  on 
the  south  are  placed  the  buildings  and  smoke  stacks  in  pure,  beautiful  white 
brick.  It  is  a  feast  for  the  eye.  Easily  the  architectural  ornament  of  White- 
side.  The  interior  is  a- model  of  neatness,  solidity,  convenience,  combining 
all  the  results  of  modern  science  and  sanitation.  The  flow  of  the  artesian 
well  is  260  gallons  per  minute.  Copper  is  a  prominent  material  in  the  ves- 
sels, very  expensive,  one  huge  pan  alone  costing  $5,000.  A  one  hundred 
horsepower  Corliss  engine  furnishes  power.  The  plant  involves  an  outlay 
of  $100,000,  and  is  only  one  of  a  hundred  similar  institutions,  east  and 
west.  At  present,  25,000  to  35,000  pounds  of  milk  are  received  every  day, 
which  will  enlarge  with  the  season.  About  25  hands  are  employed.  So  far 
this  is  simply  a  condensing  plant,  no  bottling  or  packages,  the  material  being 
shipped  to  Dixon,  where  it  is  put  into  shape  for  market.  A  testing  apparatus 
to  detect  any  variation  from  the  state  standard,  which  requires  as  the  lowest 
three  per  cent  of  butter  fat. 

Contracts  for  the  milk  supply  for  the  first  six  months  of  1908  were 
signed  between  the  dairy  farmers  and  the  dealers  in  Sterling  in  March.  The 
purchasers  are  the  Gail  Borden  Company,  Clement  Hey  and  the  Sterling 
Butter  &  Cream  Company.  The  prices  offered  by  the  three  concerns  are 
very  close,  there  being  but  little  difference  in  the  prices.  The  prices  are 
slightly  higher  than  last  year,  especially  the  quotations  of  Clement  Hey  and 
the  Sterling  Butter  &  Cream  Company.  The  prices  offered  by  the  Gail  Bor- 
den Company  and  the  Sterling  Butter  &  Cream  Company  are  identical,  and 
as  follows:  April,  $1.25;  May,  ninety-five  cents;  June,  eighty-five  cents; 
July,  ninety-five  cents;  August,  $1.10;  September,  $1.20. 

The  only  difference  in  the  contracts  of  the  above  companies  is  that  the 
Sterling  Butter  &  Cream  Company  furnishes  the  cans  and  keeps  them  in 
repair,  while  the  farmers  furnishing  milk  to  the  Gail  Borden  Company  fur- 
nish their  own  cans  and  keep  them  in  repair. 


292  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  price  paid  for  milk  in  Sterling  by  the  Gail  Borden  Company  is 
identical  -with  that  at  Dixon.  The  company  has  made  the  division  point  in 
hauling  milk  to  the  two  factories  at  the  Lee-Whiteside  line.  Those  who  reside 
west  of  the  line  will  deliver  milk  to  Sterling  and  those  east  of  the  line  will 
deliver  milk  to  Dixon. 

While  the  company  pays  good  prices  for  milk,  their  contract,  as  is  gen- 
erally  known,  insists  on  absolute  cleanliness  in  stables,  utensils,  food,  wagons, 
laborers,  everything  and  everywhere,  and  neglect  will  vitiate  the  contract. 
Inspectors  make  regular  tours  of  the  district.  From  the  time  that  the  cow 
has  been  milked  not  a  hand  has  touched  the  milk.  The  sterilization  of 
every  instrument  used  in  connection  with  the  business  has  reduced  risk  of  dirt 
or  infection  of  any  kind  to  almost  a  practical  impossibility.  One  has  only 
to  watch  the  process  of  cleaning  the  plant  and  preparing  the  bottles  to  realize 
the  importance  of  the  task  and  the  thoroughness  with  which  it  is  done. 

The  manager  of  the  plant  is  A.  B.  Hicks,  an  energetic  young  man,  who 
brings  to  his  responsible  duties  an  experience  of  fifteen  years  at  Elgin.  The 
average  weight  of  milk  is  slightly  over  two  pounds  to  a  quart,  and  the  cans 
vary  in  capacity  from  68  to  80  pounds. 

The  prices  offered  by  the  Gail  Borden  people  for  milk  during  the  first 
six  months  of  1908  are  the  highest  of  any  ever  offered  by  the  firm  and  bring 
the  price  of  milk  to  the  highest  point  it  has  ever  reached  in  this  section. 

The  following  table  showing  the  difference  in  prices  has  been  prepared 
from  figures  taken  from  the  company's  books: 

1907          1906 

October    $1.40         $1.25 

November    1.55  1.35 

December 1.55  1.30 

January    1.55  1.50 

February    1.55  1.35 

March    1.40  1.30 

Sugar  is  a  large  factor  in  the  condensing  process.  A  section  of  one 
floor  is  occupied  with  rows  of  barrels  of  the  Havemeyer  brand,  weighing 
600  pounds  each. 

His  name  is  familiar  on  the  immense  condensing  walls  all  over  the 
country,  and  yet  few  know  anything  about  the  man.  Who  was  Gail  Bor- 
den? A  New  Yorker,  born  in  Norwich,  1801,  who  after  a  wandering  career 
in  the  south,  invented  pemmican  or  meat  biscuit,  used  by  Dr.  Kane  in  Arctic 
regions.  He  came  north,  and  in  1853  applied  for  a  patent  for  "producing 
concentrated  sweet  milk  by  evaporation  in  vacuo,"  and  in  1856  secured 
his  patent.  Works  were  soon  established  east  and  west,  and  during  the  Civil 
war,  condensed  milk  was  extensively  used  in  the  army.  Borden  deservedly- 
acquired  wealth  by  his  invention,  was  very  liberal,  and  died  in  Borden, 
Texas,  in  1874.  Let  his  name  be  placed  with  Fulton,  Morse,  Howe,  Good- 
year, as  one  of  the  benefactors  of  his  race. 

The  development  of  the  milk  industry  has  led  to  remarkable  improve- 
ments in  every  direction.  Land  has  rapidly  advanced  in  value,  not  only 
near  towns,  but  in  the  remoter  districts,  wherever  the  soil  affords  rich  pasture. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  293 

Farms  now  within  five  to  ten  miles  of  Sterling  or  Morrison  range  from  $100 
to  $150  per  acre.  Property  in  Kane  county,  of  which  Elgin  is  the  center, 
has  made  astonishing  advances. 

Naturally  an  important  consideration  is  the  breed  of  cows  to  produce 
the  milk.  Jerseys,  Guernseys,  Ayrshires,  Holsteins,  all  have  their  advocates, 
and  at  the  agricultural  meetings  their  qualities  are  discussed  with  enthusiasm. 

A  very  desirable  feature  of  the  milk  business  is  the  cash  receipts.  The 
monthly  payment  puts  money  into  the  farmer's  pocket,  and  he  has  ready 
funds  for  all  his  outlays  at  store  or  shop.  No  tedious  dependence  as  of  yore 
on  the  yearly  crop,  or  the  slow  conversion  of  grass  into  cattle  or  corn  into 
pork.  The  credit  system  is  bad,  inconvenient,  and  has  injured  many  a 
farmer  by  putting  him  at  the  mercy  of  Shylocks  and  designing  tradesmen. 
Thanks  to  the  milk  traffic  for  its  cash.  It  has  encouraged  promptness  and 
independence. 

Cows  are  tested  at  the  state  experiment  stations,  and  the  results  care- 
fully watched.  By  keeping  only  high-grade  cows  the  dairy  farmers  of 
Illinois  could  increase  their  aggregate  income  from  $16,000,000  to  $31,000,- 
000  a  year  and  make  a  profit  of  $31.23  a  year  from  each  cow  instead  of  77 
cents  a  year  from  poor  cows,  according  to  a  report  just  made  by  Prof.  W.  J. 
Fraser,  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  figures  are  based  upon  a  three 
years'  test  of  food  supplies  and  the  results  in  butter  fat.  Thirty-six  herds 
containing  554  cows  were  studied  in  the  experiments.  The  136  of  the  ani- 
mals produced  an  average  of  301  pounds  of  butter  fat  a  year  each.  The 
poor  cows  averaged  only  133 1/2  pounds  a  year  each.  At  23  cents  a  pound 
for  biutter — the  average  Elgin  price  for  the  last  five  years — the  average 
income  from  each  good  cow  was  $67.32  a  year  and  from  each  poor  cow 
$34.77  a  year.  Feed  for  each  poor  cow  cost  $30  a  year  and  for  each  good 
cow  $38  a  year.  On  these  figures  Professor  Fraser  finds  a  profit  of  only  77 
cents  a  year  for  each  poor  cow,  but  a  profit  of  $30.77  a  year  on  each  good  cow. 

Here  as  elsewhere  Jerseys  are  a  favorite  in  families,  or  for  small  herds, 
but  for  beef  and  productive  capacity  combined,  the  short-horns  still  retain 
their  popularity. 

EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS  IN  WHITESIDE. 
By  B.  F.  Hendricks,  County  Supt. 

Since  the  year  1877,  the  date  when  Mr.  Charles  Bent's  history  of  White- 
side  County  was  written,  many  radical  improvements  in  the  educational  con- , 
ditions  of  the  county  have  been  made.  In  December,  '77,  Geo.  C.  Loomis 
of  Fulton  became  County  Superintendent  and  made  an  excellent  record  as 
a  school  official.  Mr.  Loomis,  during  his  term  of  office,  held  the  position 
of  Supt.  of  Schools  at  Fulton  and  performed  the  duties  of  County  Supt.  on 
Saturdays  and  during  his  school  vacations. 

In  1882,  B.  F.  Hendricks,  at  that  time  in  charge  of  the  Rock  Falls 
schools,  was  elected  to  look  after  the  schools  of  the  county.  He  taught 
school  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  and  then  by  order  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  he  began  giving  his  entire  time  to  the  work  of  County  Super- 


294  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

vision.  The  action  of  the  county  board  in  granting  the  County  Superin- 
tendent permission  to  put  in  his  full  time  attending  to  county  school  matters 
is  largely  attributable  to  the  efforts  of  a  special  committee  consisting  of  Supt. 
A.  Bayliss,  Supt.  M.  R.  Kelly  and  John  Phinney,  who  were  appointed  by 
the  Whiteside  County  Teacher's  Association  to  wait  upon  the  Board  of  Sup- 
ervisors and  ask  that  the  County  Superintendent  be  turned  loose. 

Superintendent  Hendricks  was  re-elected  in  1886  but  resigned  in  1889 
to  become  city  superintendent  of  the  Savanna,  111.,  schools.  By  appoint- 
ment from  County  Board,  W.  J.  Johnston  became  County  Superintendent 
in  July,  '89  and  held  the  office  until  December,  1902,  when  the  present 
incumbent,  B.  F.  Hendricks,  was  again  called  upon  to  take  charge  of  the 
schools  of  the  county. 

Superintendent  Johnston  was  a  careful  and  capable  officer  and  his  long 
term  of  service  emphatically  demonstrated  that  his  efforts  were  duly  appreci- 
ated by  the  school  patrons  of  Whiteside.  In  order  to  make  an  effort  to  grade 
the  rural  schools,  and  to  give  greater  system  to  supervision,  the  first  "School 
Room  Guide"  made  its  appearance  in  1884.  This  course  of  study  supple- 
mented by  future  editions  and  outlines  and  emphasized  by  central  and 
final  examinations  has  produced  phenomenal  results  in  bettering  the  educa- 
tional conditions  in  Whiteside  County. 

New  schoolhouses  equipped  with  single  desks,  elaborate  libraries,  furnaces 
in  basements,  up-to-date  apparatus,  pictures  on  walls,  etc.,  have  taken  the 
places  of  many  buildings  that  could  no  longer  satisfy  the  progressive  spirit 
of  the  age. 

Excepting  in  a  very  few  schools,  the  text  books  now  in  use  are  uniform. 
This  has  been  a  practical  and  economical  change  and  it  has  materially  aided 
in  bringing  about  the  very  satisfactory  status  of  educational  affairs. 

While  we  have  much  to  boast  of  at  present,  the  general  watchword  is 
progress. 

In  the  near  future,  the  sanguine  prophet  predicts  that  the  qualifications 
of  teachers  will  be  much  higher,  that  there  will  be  many  more  school  direct- 
ers  as  deeply  interested  and  as  capable  as  the  best  that  now  so  faithfully  dis- 
charge their  full  duty,  that  the  larger  or  centralized  school  •will  be  very  com- 
mon and  that  every  dollar  raised  by  taxation  for  school  purposes  will  be 
made  to  produce  a  hundred  cents'  worth  of  good  to  the  rising  generation. 

WHITESIDE  SCHOOLS  IN  NINETEEN  HUNDRED  AND  SEVEN. 

County  Superintendent  B.  F.  Hendrick's  annual  report  to  the  state  de- 
partment of  public  instructions  contains  the  following  facts  and  figures  in 
regard  to  the  schools  of  Whiteside  county: 

Number  of  boys  under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  6,737. 

Number  of  girls  under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  6,457. 

Total  number  of  children  under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  13,194. 

Number  of  boys  between  the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one,  4,787. 

Number  of  girls  between  the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one,  4,585. 

Total  number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one,  9,372. 

Number  of  graded  schools  in  the  county,  23. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  295 

Number  of  ungraded  schools  in  the  county,  128. 

Highest  monthly  wages  paid  to  a  male  teacher,  $180. 

Highest  monthly  wages  paid  to  a  female  teacher,  $133.50. 

Lowest  monthly  wages  paid  to  a  male  teacher,  $26.50. 

Lowest  monthly  wages  paid  to  a  female  teacher,  $25. 

Average  monthly  wages  paid  to  a  male  teacher,  $72.72. 

Average  monthly  wages  paid  to  a  female  teacher,  $44.39. 

Total  amount  of  wages  paid  to  a  male  teacher,  $22,472.25. 

Total  amount  of  wages  paid  to  female  teachers,  $84,180.32. 

Bonded  school  debt,  $43,610. 

Total  amount  of  tax  levy  for  school,  $151,504.29. 

Number  of  school  districts  having  libraries,  151. 

Whole  number  of  volumes  in  district  libraries,  14,463. 

Balance  of  distributive  funds  on  hand  June  30,  1907,  $2,413.30. 

Balance  of  district  funds  on  hand  June  30,  1907,  $58,162.09. 

Total  amount  of  school  funds  on  hand  June  30,  1907,  $205,771.19. 

EXAMINATION   QUESTIONS. 

Slips  submitted  to  the  township  schools  in  the  spring  of  1908, 
B.  F.  Hendricks,  Supt. 

HISTORY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

1.  Write  briefly  of  the  early  history  of  Fort  Dearborn.    When  was  it  first 
built? 

2.  Name  five  Illinois  towns  begun  before  1818  and  give  an  important 
fact  concerning  each. 

3.  Give  short  biographies  of  Nathaniel  Pope,  E.  P.  Lovejoy  and  Ninian 
W.  Edwards. 

4.  Name  eight  governors  of  Illinois.     Who  is  governor  now? 

5.  How  many  counties  in  Illinois?     Name  the  counties  in  the  thirty- 
fifth  Senatorial  District. 

6.  Give  name  of  the  first  Illinois  State  Normal  School.     WThen   and 
where  was  it  located?    What  other  Normal  Schools  in  Illinois? 

7.  Where  is  The  Drainage  Canal?    When  was  it  completed?    How  large 
is  Chicago? 

8.  Name   four  tribes   of   Indians   originally   found   in   Illinois.     Give 
history  of  Starved  Rock. 

9.  Tell  about  the  coming  of  George  Rogers  Clark. 

10.  Name  and  locate  the  present  capital  of  Illinois.     Write  about  Fort 
DeCharters. 

u.  s.  HISTORY. 

1.  When  and  of  whom  did  the  U.  S.  purchase  Louisiana?     Who  was 
president  at  the  time?     What  states  were  carved  out  of  this  territory? 

2.  Write  of  the  nullification  troubles. 

3.  Give  a  short  sketch  of  Admiral  Dewey  and  also  of  Paul  Jones. 

4.  What  can  you  say  of  John  Brown  in  Kansas? 


296  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

5.  Connect  these  characters  with  some  historic  facts:     Standish,  Custer, 
Andre,  Pontiac,  Wayne,  Morton,  Lief  Ericsson,  Whitney  and  Hale. 

6.  What  territory  has  been  acquired  by  the  U.  S.  since  1861? 

7.  Was  Andrew  Johnson  popular  as  president?     Why? 

8.  For  what  are  the  following  dates  noted:     1861,  1811,  1644,  1754, 
1582,  1506,  1818,  1871,  1793  and  1866? 

9.  How  often  did  Lee  attempt  to  invade  the  North?    Name  the  impor- 
tant battle  of  each  attempt. 

10.  During  whose  administration  were  the  Alien   and   Sedition   laws 
passed?     What  were  these  laws? 

WHITESIDE    SCHOOL    APPORTIONMENT. 

The  following  are  the  school  funds  and  fines  apportioned  to  the  towns 
of  Whiteside  county,  March  28,  1908,  by  the  county  superintendent: 
T.  19  R.  3  $    48.29 

T.  19  R.  4  Portland    262.79 

T.  19  R.  5  Prophetstown    213.18 

T.  19  R.  6  Tampico    220.15 

T.  19  R.  7  Hahnaman    121.82 

T.  20  R.  2  26.97 

T.  20  R.  3  Newton    129.65 

T.  20  R.  4  Fenton    124.43 

T.  20  R.  5  Lyndon    244.08 

T.  20  R.  6  Hume    121.83 

T.  20  R.  7  Montmorency    120.52 

T.  21  R.  2  Albany    103.11 

T.  21  R.  3  Garden  Plain 204.92 

T.  21  R.  4  Union  Grove 212.32 

T.  21  R.  5  Mt.  Pleasant  :. 574.75 

T.  21  R.  6  Hopkins 193.61 

T.  21  R.  7  Sterling 1,597.62 

T.  22  R.  3  Fulton   449.00 

T.  22  R.  4  Ustick    199.71 

T.  22  R.  5  Clyde  182.73 

T.  22  R.  6  Genesee   208.85 

T.  22  R.  7  Jordan  108.13 


$5,740.46 

MOUNT  PLEASANT. 

Sweet  Auburn !  loveliest  village  of  the  plain, 

Where  health  and  plenty  cheered  the  laboring  swain, 

Where  smiling  spring  its  earliest  visit  paid, 

And  parting  summer's  lingering  blooms  delayed. — Goldsmith. 

This  was  the  name  of  a  school,  and  when  the  township  was  organized 
in  1852  from  Union  precinct,  A.  C.  Jackson  applied  the  title  to  the  town- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  297 

ship.  He  showed  excellent  taste,  for  there  is  no  richer  or  prettier  section  in 
Whiteside.  The  first  claims  were  made  in  1835  by  W.  H.  and  John  D. 
Paschal,  J.  J.  Thomas,  and  Felix  French.  Jonathan  Haines  built  a  saw 
mill  at  Jacobstown  in  1835,  but  a  freshet  soon  carried  it  away. 

The  Winnebago  Indians  were  a  source  of  annoyance,  but  left  in  1838. 
Wolves  were  troublesome.  In  1836  Horace  Heaton,  Henry  Boyer,  and 
Samuel  Love  came,  William  Heaton  in  1837,  and  A.  C.  Jackson.  Pro- 
visions were  scarce,  and  corn  was  one  dollar  a  bushel.  The  first  school  was 
taught  by  Oliver  Hall  from  Massachusetts  in  a  log  hut  in  Paschal's  timber. 
He  received  ten  dollars  a  month  and  had  to  board  around.  Rev.  James 
McKean  preached  at  the  house  of  James  Thomas,  and  in  1836  formed  a 
class  consisting  of  James  J.  Thomas  and  wife,  and  George  0.  James  and 
wife.  Barton  H.  Cartwright  reached  Union  Grove  every  four  weeks.  In 
January,  1843,  the  land  came  into  market,  and  as  money  was  scarce,  the 
settlers  had  to  make  a  strenuous  effort,  selling  hogs  at  $1.50  a  hundred,  to 
secure  the  cash  to  pay  for  their  claims.  At  the  first  town  meeting  in  1852, 
Aaron  C.  Jackson  was  elected  supervisor;  assessor,  Alfred  Haines; 
collector,  Cyrus  P.  Emery.  In  1857  at  a  town  meeting,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  frame  a  hog  law  for  preventing  swine  and  sheep  from  running 
at  large  under  a  penalty  of  five  dollars.  In  1865  each  volunteer  was  voted 
a  bounty  of  $110  under  the  last  call. 

Round  Grove  in  the  eastern  part  of  Mt.  Pleasant  was  surveyed  in  Jan- 
uary, 1856,  by  W.  S.  Wilkinson  for  John  A.  Holland,  C.  D.  Sanford,  J.  I. 
Wonser,  and  James  McCoy.  It  is  a  station  on  the  Northwestern  railroad. 

Jacobstown,  so  called  from  Royal  Jacobs  who  had  the  mill,  and  around 
which  grew  up  a  store  and  blacksmith  shop,  is  now  a  fleeting  memory. 

PROMINENT  SETTLERS. 

Among  the  numerous  early  emigrants,  there  are  always  some  who  by 
superior  energy  and  force  of  character  leave  a  lasting  impress  upon  the 
community.  Aaron  C.  Jackson  was  the  statesman  of  the  town,  holding 
various  offices,  justice,  in  1842  sent  to  legislature,  in  1847  in  the  constitu- 
tional convention,  in  1852  supervisor.  Jonathan  Haines  was  another  type, 
a  mechanic.  In  1847  he  invented  the  Illinois  Harvester,  and  manufactured 
the  machine  in  shops  at  Unionville  till  his  removal  in  1849.  Union  Grove 
was  named  by  him,  J.  T.  Atkinson,  and  Henry  Boyer  in  1836.  Winfield 
S.  Wilkinson  was  civil  engineer  and  a  man  of  intelligence.  After  residing 
at  Como  and  Sterling,  he  made  his  home  in  Morrison  in  1858.  He  was  sent 
to  the  legislature  in  1844  and  in  1870  was  county  surveyor  two  terms,  and 
for  twelve  years  county  clerk.  Simon  Fellows  settled  at  Round  Grove  in 
1850.  He  was  postmaster  twice,  and  held  the  office  of  justice  for  twelve 
years,  his  first  commission  signed  by  Gov.  Matteson.  J.  D.  Odell  came  to 
Whiteside  in  1839,  and  after  carrying  on  a  grocery  trade  in  Lyndon,  retired 
to  Morrison  in  1863.  He  wrote  occasionally  for  the  papers. 


298  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

MORRISON. 

If  Lyman  Johnson  could  rise  from  the  grave,  and  compare  the  virgin 
prairie  of  his  time  with  the  bright  and  beautiful  city  of  the  present  day,  he 
would  acknowledge  his  successors  have  been  exceedingly  busy.  The  town 
was  surveyed  in  1855  by  W.  S.  Wilkinson.  The  proprietors  were  Lyman 
Johnson,  H.  S.  Vroom,  Homer  Caswell,  John  W.  Stakes,  James  Snyder, 
L.  H.  Robinson,  N.  M.  Jackson,  John  J.  West,  -and  W.  H.  Van  Epps.  The 
land  was  originally  claimed  by  Stakes,  but  was  purchased  from  him.  The 
name  was  given  in  honor  of  Charles  Morrison,  a  merchant  of  New  York,  and 
friend  of  Van  Epps.  Unionville  seems  to  have  made  the  same  mistake  as 
Como.  The  railroad  surveyors  ran  the  line  through  that  town,  but  when 
the  citizens  put  an  exorbitant  value  upon  their  property,  the  company  drove 
the  stakes  at  Morrison,  and  the  fate  of  Unionville  was  sealed.  The  first 
house  was  built  by  Lyman  Johnson  on  the  site  of  Library  Hall.  With  the 
running  of  the  first  train  into  Morrison,  Oct.  19,  1855,  the  expansion  of 
the  young  town  began.  Stores,  shops,  and  dwellings  were  erected.  Norris 
was  the  first  doctor,  and  he  built  has  shanty  on  the  site  of  the  Universalist 
church.  Afterwards  came  Nowlen,  Taylor,  and  Donaldson,  who  established 
successful  practice.  The  frame  depot  of  1857  has  lately  been  replaced  by 
a  handsome  brick  station.  John  E.  Bennett  was  made  postmaster  in  1855, 
afterwards  making  a  gallant  record  in  the  rebellion  as  colonel  of  the  75th 
Illinois  regiment.  In  1857  the  first  brick  block  was  erected.  As  Morrison 
won  in  the  county  seat  election  of  Nov.  3,  1857,  the  records  were  removed 
from  Sterling,  May  3,  1858.  This  bonanza  with  the  railroad,  started  the 
place  on  a  steady  career  of  prosperity.  An  agricultural  fair  was  held  in 
1856,  and  continued  until  1863,  when  it  was  removed  to  Sterling.  But 
in  1872  the  Central  Agricultural  Society  was  formed  in  Morrison,  where  it 
has  since  given  yearly  exhibitions. 

In  1857  Morrison  was  incorporated,  and  at  an  election  April  25,  1857, 
forty  votes  were  cast,  choosing  five  trustees,  S.  H.  Vroom,  S.  H.  McCrea, 
L.  Johnson,  J.  G.  Gridley,  and  W.  L.  Coe,  and  H.  Olmstead,  police  magis- 
trate. In  1869  the  legislature  passed  an  act  incorporating  the  "City  of  Mor- 
rison," and  at  an  election  March  29,  1869,  to  decide  upon  the  adoption  of  the 
charter,  168  votes  were  for,  and  49  against.  The  officers  chosen  were  George 
A.  Whitcomb,  mayor,  and  W.  J.  Savage,  J.  Cobleigh,  W.  L.  Coe,  S.  W. 
Robinson,  J.  S.  Green,  J.  A.  McKay,  aldermen.  J.  S.  Green,  was  made 
treasurer,  L.  G.  Johnson,  city  attorney,  and  W.  E.  Savage,  clerk.  At  the 
election  in  April  15,  1873,  for  reorganization  under  the  general  laws  of 
the  state,  E.  B.  Warner  was  chosen  mayor.  For  licensing  saloons  73  votes, 
and  against  134.  The  city  debt  was  $4,194.  In  1874  saloons  carried,  and 
license  was  fixed  at  $400.  In  1875  A.  J.  Jackson  was  elected  mayor,  and 
license  was  increased  to  $800.  In  1877  a  city  building  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $2,000,  for  the  use  of  the  fire  department  and  the  city  council. 

Besides  Lyman  Johnson,  who  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  early  develop- 
ment of  Morrison,  and  who  died  suddenly  in  1867,  must  be  mentioned  H.  S. 
Vroom,  also  an  active  agent  in  various  kinds  of  business  operations,  dying 


MAIN  STREET,  MORRISON 


\ 


OF  THE 
OF 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  299 

in  1875.  S.  H.  McOea,  who  came  to  Morrison  in  1855,  was  best  known 
in  connection  with  the  warehouse  business,  shipping  the  first  carload  of 
grain  October  1,  1855,  afterward  in  1862  removing  to  Chicago,  where  he 
became  prominent,  being  president  of  Board  of  Trade  in  1870.  Lester  H. 
Robinson  appeared  in  Morrison  in  1855,  was  active  in  politics,  treasurer  of 
the  township,  U.  S.  revenue  assessor,  and  in  1865  sought  a  broader  field  in 
Chicago.  James  G.  Gridley  was  another  energetic  citizen  of  1855,  who 
built  the  second  warehouse,  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  the  brick  school- 
house,  afterwards  retiring  to  Ustick  township. 

THE  MEMORIAL  LOG   CABIN. 

I  remember,  I  remember, 

The  house  where  I  was  born, 
The  little  window  where  the  sun 

Came  peeping  in  at  morn. — Hood. 

In  the  center  of  the  fair  grounds  stands  the  antique  ornament  of  the 
spot,  the  Independence  Hall,  the  old  North  Church,  the  venerable  building 
like  those  in  Philadelphia  or  Boston  which  enshrines  a  thousand  memories 
of  the  glorious  past.  It  is  the  double  log  cabin,  dedicated  September  2,  1885, 
in  presence  of  a  vast  concourse  of  people  from  every  section  of  the  county. 
The  day  was  lovely,  and  everybody  was  inspired. 

Col.  E.  Seely  for  25  years  president  of  the  Old  Settler's  Association,  was 
master  of  ceremonies,  and  at  one  in  the  afternoon,  the  exercises  opened 
with  prayer  by  Rev.  A.  M.  Early,  who  settled  at  Erie  in  1843.  He  thanked 
the  Lord  for  the  joy  of  the  hour,  and  for  the  privilege  of  living  amid  scenes 
so  captivating.  Prof.  M.  R.  Kelly  was  the  orator  of  the  day.  He  congrat- 
ulated the  early  settlers  on  the  erection  of  this  venerable  cabin  as  a  fitting 
monument  of  their  honorable  history.  "Here  you  came,  as  New  England- 
ers,  New  Yorkers,  Pennsylvanians,  Virginians,  as  Englishmen,  Irishmen, 
Scotchman,  Germans,  and  in  friendly  relationship  you  made  your  claims, 
built  your  log  cabins,  and  ever  since  have  dwelt  in  harmony.  Your  wise 
management  of  public  affairs  has  made  the  reputation  of  old  Whiteside 
second  to  no  other  county  in  the  state.  Look  at  your  palatial  dwellings,  fine 
schools,  well  tilled  farms,  all  the  conveniences  of  civilization,  and  then  think 
of  the  time  when  you  lived  in  cabins,  when  your  courts  and  worship  were 
held  in  private  houses,  when  you  broke  prairie,  and  went  supperless  to  bed, 
when  you  go  your  potatoes  from  Rock  Island,  and  you  meal  from  Hender- 
son's Grove,  when  you  paid  25  cents  postage  on  a  letter,  when  you  shook 
with  the  ague,  when  you  swapped  provisions  with  the  Indians,  when  you 
made  coffee  from  toasted  bread,  when  whole  families  slept  in  the  same  room 
partitioned  off  with  sheets  and  shawls." 

Before  Prof.  Kelly  spoke  and  afterwards,  the  Old  Settlers'  choir,  com- 
posed of  L.  C.  Twitchell  of  Union  Grove,  J.  A.  Sweet  of  Garden  Plain,  War- 
ren and  Ezekiel  Olds  of  Albany,  and  W.  H.  Colcord  of  Genesee,  led  by 
Samuel  Homer,  of  Morrison,  with  cornet,  enlivened  the  occasion  with  such 
stirring  airs  as  America,  Old  Hundred,  Auld  Lang  Syne. 


300  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Speeches  by  the  old  settlers  were  now  in  order,  and  Col.  Seely  opened 
the  ball.  This  day  lacking  only  18  days  completed  his  fifty-one  years  in 
Whiteside.  He  brought  provisions  for  a  year,  but  by  October,  1836,  he  was 
eaten  out  of  house  and  home,  and  had  nothing  left  but  wife  and  six  children. 
A  man  was  sent  to  St.  Louis  for  provisions,  but  he  came  back  in  four  weeks 
with  neither  money  nor  eatables  as  he  had  lost  the  money.  "I  sowed  the 
first  handful  of  wheat  that  was  sowed  in  the  county.  I  defy  any  man  to 
say  he  sowed  before  October  15,  1836.  Mr.  Reynolds  sowed  on  the  20th, 
I  on  the  15th." 

In  Judge  McCoy's  remarks,  he  spoke  of  his  first  meeting  Col.  Seely  in 
his  cabin,  when  he  was  after  a  position  on  a  mail  route  to  Springfield,  and 
the  colonel's  warm  welcome.  "Take  a  seat,  sir,  come  in,  and  take  a  seat, 
and  let  me  tell  you  that  face  laughed  from  the  crown  of  the  head  to  the 
sole  of  -the  feet.  I  was  a  mere  stripling,  and  thought  he  was  a  splendid 
specimen  of  a  man." 

Dr.  L.  S.  Pennington  praised  the  early  settlers  for  their  struggle  and 
sacrifice  in  leaving  the  east  to  secure  a  home,  and  make  themselves  useful 
and  independent  citizens.  "But  the  men  and  women  of  1840  are  gone. 
I  look  over  this  assembly,  and  how  few  do  I  recognize." 

Rev.  A.  M.  Early  spoke  of  the  religious  changes  in  46  years.  His  first 
parsonage  was  a  log  cabin,  and  his  circuit  was  extended,  comprising  Ster- 
ling, Unionville,  Albany,  Downer's  Grove,  Lyndon,  Erie,  Kingsbury  Grove. 
The  preachers  had  to  ford  creeks  and  swim  rivers,  wore  patched  clothes, 
lived  on  corn  dodgers,  and  yet  could  sing  as  they  rode  along, 

How  happy  are  they  who  their  Savior  obey, 
Who  have  laid  up  their  treasures  above. 

E.  B.  Warner  remembered  when  dressed  pork  was  sold  in  the  county 
for  62%  cents  per  hundred  pounds,  when  a  man  could  bring  a  four-horse 
wagon  load  of  pork  to  town,  and  take  the  pay  back  in  a  handkerchief  tied 
by  the  four  corners.  Money  was  scarce.  "Why  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
to  go  through  the  year  without  handling  a  dollar  of  money." 

Mrs.  Dr.  S.  A.  Johnson,  of  Fulton,  spoke  of  her  father,  R.  J.  Jenks, 
buying  half  the  site  of  Fulton  from  John  Baker  in  1838,  of  his  building 
the  first  ferry,  and  of  his  prophecy  that  in  less  than  fifty  years  a  railroad 
from  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  would  bring  China  tea  from  the  west  instead  of 
the  east. 

But  the  lion  or  rather  lioness  of  the  festive  occasion  was  Mrs.  Phebe 
Vennum,  then  one  hundred  and  one,  who  sat  in  an  ancient  arm  chair, 
where  she  heard  all  the  proceedings,  and  even  took  part  in  the  songs.  With 
the  gray-haired  fathers  and  mothers  were  their  children  and  their  families, 
to  listen  to  the  tales  of  the  heroic  days,  and  transmit  to  generations  to  come. 
A  crowd  of  curious  spectators  of  these  modern  days  to  witness  the  unusual 
solemnities.  It  is  safe  to  say  this  memorial  cabin  has  no  duplicate  in  Illi- 
nois, perhaps  in  the  United  States.  It  is  on  the  plan  of  the  Washington 
monument  at  the  capital,  in  which  each  state  has  a  stone. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  301 

The  following  list  of  old  settlers  and  the  logs  they  contributed  has  a 
profound  interest,  and  contains  in  itself  a  volume  of  history.  Every  name 
-awakens  a  host  of  recollections.  It  is  taken  from  the  Whiteside  Sentinel, 
Sept.  10,  1885,  Charles  Bent,  editor,  which  published  a  complete  account  of 
the  dedicatory  exercises,  and  from  which  our  sketch  was  condensed.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  with  each  name  is  given  the  date  of  settlement  and  the 
kind  of  wood. 

EAST  CABIN. 

L.  S.  Pennington,  Jordan,  1839,  burr  oak;  Warren,  Ezekiel  and  Walker 
Olds,  Albany,  1838,  burr  oak;  Wm.  B.  Paschal,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  cherry; 
Col.  E.  Seely,  Portland,  1834,  burr  oak;  A.  J.  Seely,  Portland,  1836,  walnut; 
S.  M.  Seely,  Portland,  1836,  walnut;  W.  H.  Colcord,  Genesee,  1839, 'walnut; 
Mrs.  Nancy  Paschal,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  black  oak;  R.  T.  Hughes,  Mt. 
Pleasant,  1839,  red  elm;  0.  Baker,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1839,  walnut;  S.  M.  Coe, 
Jordan,  1835,  walnut;  A.  Farrington,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1836,  cherry;  Chas. 
McMullen,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1838,  red  oak;  Frank  Parker,  Garden  Plain,  1836, 
red  oak;  Calvin  Williams,  Prophetstown,  1837,  red  oak;  E.  Parker,  Garden 
Plain,  1836,  walnut;  C.  F.  Adams,  Portland,  1839,  hackberry;  0.  T.  Clark, 
Prophetstown,  1836,  elm;  Mrs.  M.  J.  Knox,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1839,  walnut; 
D.  0.  Coe,  Jordan,  1838,  burr  oak;  G.  R.  Hamilton,  Lyndon,  1835,  walnut; 
M.  V.  Seely,  Prophetstown,  1836,  walnut;  Judge  James  McCoy,  Fulton, 
1837,  white  oak;  H.  H.  Holbrook,  Genesee,  1838,  walnut;  Truman  Parker, 
Garden  Plain,  1836,  butternut;  Mrs.  R.  Parker,  Garden  Plain,  1836,  white 
oak;  Mrs.  A.  P.  Young,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  white  oak;  A.  A.  James,  Mt. 
Pleasant,  1837,  burr  oak;  T.  B.  Eaton,  Garden  Plain,  1839,  cherry;  Mrs.  M. 
Sweet,  Garden  Plain,  1836,  cherry;  Mrs.  S.  T.  (Kilgore)  Grinnold,  Garden 
Plain,  1839,  red  oak;  Mrs.  A.  L.  Hazard,  Lyndon,  1837,  red  elm;  F.  J. 
Jackson,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1838,  white  oak;  M.  G.  Wood,  Genesee,  1836,  walnut; 
C.  R.  Rood,  Garden  Plain,  1836,  walnut;  E.  B.  Warner,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1838, 
white  oak;  Henry  Rexroad,  Newton,  1836,  white  oak;  Mrs.  Phoebe  Vennuin, 
(centenarian)  Union  Grove,  age  101  years,  red  oak;  J.  C.  Young,  Union 
Grove,  1837,  white  oak ;  T.  W.  Stevens,  Sterling,  1836,  white  oak. 

WEST   CABIN. 

Geo.  0.  James,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  walnut;  L.  C.  Reynolds,  Prophets- 
town,  1835,  blue  ash;  W.  F.  Boyer,  Mt  Pleasant,  1835,  white  ash;  W.  D. 
Dudley,  by  his  son,  C.  W.  Dudley,  Lyndon,  1835,  chestnut;  G.  W.  Thomas, 
Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  red  oak;  A.  W.  Fenton,  Erie,  1835,  walnut;  Capt.  J. 
M.  Burr,  Hopkins,  1835,  walnut';  R.  Thompson,  Portland,  1836,  walnut; 
Richard  Thompson,  Portland,  1836,  white  oak;  R.  J.  Thompson,  Port- 
land, 1836,  walnut;  J.  S.  Logan,  Prophetstown,  1836, -red  elm;  Mrs.  H. 
M.  Grinnold,  Fulton,  1836,  walnut;  Wm.  H.  Thompson,  Portland,  1836, 
walnut;  E.  S.  Gage,  Prophetstown,  1836,  walnut;  T.  Dudley,  by  his  son, 
W.  0.  Dudley,  Lyndon,  1836,  walnut;  H.  Parker,  Garden  Plain,  1836,  wal- 
nut; J.  R.  Thompson,  Portland,  1836,  walnut;  J.  P.  Fuller,  Portland,  1836, 
walnut;  John  C.  Swarthout,  Lyndon,  1836,  white  oak;  G.  W.  Brewer,  Ster- 


302  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

ling,  1836,  burr  oak;  Enos  Williams,  Portland,  1837,  walnut;  W.  B.  Hazard 
Lyndon,  1837,  red  elm;  F.  N.  Brewer,  Lyndon,  1837,  walnut;  D.  P.  Brewer 
Portland,  1837,  burr  oak;  Mrs.  Robert  G.  Clendenin,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1837 
white  oak ;  P.  A.  Brooks,  Lyndon,  1837,  hackberry ;  D.  B.  Young,  Mt. 
Pleasant,  1837,  red  elm;  Mrs.  P.  B.  Vannest,  Garden  Plain,  1837,  walnut 
A.  I.  Maxwell  (Puncheon),  Lyndon,  1837,  oak;  W.  C.  Thomas,  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant, 1837,  red  oak;  Rodney  Crook,  Prophetstown,  1838,  walnut;  J.  A, 
Sweet,  Garden  Plain,  1839,  walnut;  A.  Adams,  Portland,  1839,  walnut;  L 
Culbertson,  Garden  Plain,  1839,  walnut;  J.  W.  Gage,  Prophetstown,  1839' 
walnut;  Z.  Dent,  Clyde,  1839,  white  oak;  L.  B.  Ramsay,  Prophetstown,  1839 
pine;  Donald  Blue,  Mrs.  D.  G.  Ackerman,  Clyde,  1839,  black  oak;  Daniel 
Blue,  Clyde,  1839,  red  oak;  M.  A.  Green,  Ustick,  1840,  red  elm;  Mrs.  F 
Hopkins  Angell,  Hopkins,  1840,  walnut. 

ENTRY-WAY. 

P.  V.  Pollock,  Hopkins,  1835,  walnut;  John  Kent,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1839. 
red  oak ;  E.  J.  Ewers,  Fenton,  1839,  red  oak ;  C.  H.  Slocumb,  Albany,  1839 
white  oak;  A.  Zoirns,  plate  from  log  cabin  built  in  Garden  Plain  in  1845,  oak. 

SOUTH    CABIN. 

H.  Brink,  Sterling,  1834,  poplar;  P.  B.  Besse,  Portland,  1835,  bun 
oak;  John  J.  Knox,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  red  oak;  J.  M.  Hamilton,  Lyndon. 
1835,  butternut;  Mrs.  Peter  Knox,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  cherry;  Mrs.  B.  F. 
Lathe,  Lyndon,  1835,  white  oak;  Henry  L.  Knox,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  white 
oak;  Mrs.  A.  Knox,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1835,  white  oak;  J.  D.  Fenton,  Erie,  1835. 
walnut;  E.  B.  Hill,  Prophetstown,  1835,  white  oak;  Archibald  Knox,  Mt. 
Pleasant,  1835,  red  oak;  A.  R,  Hamilton,  Lyndon,  1835,  cherry;  Win.  Hill, 
Prophetstown,  1835,  red  elm;  C.  F.  Lusk,  Albany,  1836,  cherry;  J.  M. 
Eaton,  Garden  Plain,  1836,  red  elm;  Rachel  Harvey,  Sterling,  1836,  red 
oak;  Capt.  S.  B.  Hanks,  Albany,  1836,  white  oak;  Mrs.  E.  Vennum,  Union 
Grove,  1837,  red  oak;  H.  D.  Burch,  Union  Grove,  1837,  walnut;  W.  Y. 
Ives,  Fulton,  1837,  white  oak;  Mrs.  M.  A.  Town,  Clyde,  1837,  white  oak; 
H.  C.  Fellows,  Fulton,  1837,  red  oak;  Mrs.  Capt,  A.  M.  George,  Garden 
Plain,  1837,  white  oak;  E.  H.  Nevitt,  Albany,  1837,  burr  oak;  John  Coburn, 
Mt.  Pleasant,  1837,  red  oak;  J.  W.  Hazard",  Lyndon,  1837,  red  oak;  John 
Abbey,  Newton,  1837,  red  oak;  Solomon  Hubbard,  Lyndon,  1838,  walnut; 
Robert  C.  Andrews,  Sterling,  1838,  white  oak;  Mrs.  L.  B.  Crosby,  Mt,  Pleas- 
ant, 1838,  black  oak;  Oliver  Hall,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1838,  white  oak;  M.  P. 
Warner,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1838,  walnut ;  W.  G.  Nevitt,  Albany,  1838,  burr  oak  ; 
J.  Y.  Jackson,  Union  Grove,  1838,  red  oak;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Judd,  Mt.  Plea.-am. 
1838,  cherry;  Henry  Bond,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1838,  white  oak;  E.  C.  Hutchin- 
son,  Prophetstown,  1839,  walnut;  C.  P.  Emery,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1839,  cotton- 
wood;  J.  D.  Odell,  Mt,  Pleasant,  1839,  cherry;  John  Scott,  Hopkins,  1839, 
walnut;  Capt.  W.  S.  Barnes,  Albany,  1839,  white  oak;  W.  S.  Wilkinson, 
Mt.  Pleasant,  1839,  cherry;  A.  P.  Thompson,  Newton,  1839,  white  oak; 
Mrs.  H.  C.  Donaldson,  Mt,  Pleasant,  1839,  red  elm;  Mrs.  Julia  T.  (Samp- 
son) Russell,  Sterling,  1839,  walnut;  Mrs.  Florence  H.  (Sampson)  Whit- 


MARY  ANN    (STAKES)    McKNIGHT. 
MABTON.  WASH. 


LIBRARY 

OF  TH€ 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  303 

man,  Hokpins,  1839,  cherry;  Albert  S.  Sampson,  Sterling,  1839,  walnut; 
S.  Currie,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1839,  black  oak;  J.  M.  Dodd,  Mt.  Pleasant,  1839, 
walnut;  A.  J.  Tuller,  Prophetstown,  1840,  walnut;  Sullivan  Jackson,  Mt. 
Pleasant,  1840,  cherry. 

FIRST  WHITE  CHILD  IN  COUNTY. 

In  the  Whiteside  Sentinel  of  July  25,  1907,  we  find  this  reminiscent 
sketch : 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  McKnight,  who  is  distinguished  as  being  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Whiteside  county,  is  visiting  in  Prophetstown  and  vicinity 
and  expects  to  spend  several  weeks  in  this  county.  Her  home  is  in  Mabton, 
Washington. 

Mrs.  McKnight  is  a  bright  and  interesting  lady,  now  past  the  three 
score  and  ten  mark  but  still  well  and  active.  Her  parents,  John  W.  and 
Sarah  Bowman  Stakes,  came  to  this  county  in  1834,  and  settled  on  the 
banks  of  Rock  river  near  Prophetstown.  Mr.  Stakes  bought  the  ferry  boat 
which  had  been  run  by  a  Mr.  McClure.  This  ferry  was  run  across  the 
river  from  the  mouth  of  Walker's  slough  to  a  point  above  the  present  site 
of  Prophetstown  village. 

Mary  Ann  Stakes  (now  Mrs.  McKnight)  was  born  in  a  cabin  located 
near  where  the  north  end  of  the  Prophetstown  bridge  now  is,  October  19, 
1835.  In  1837  or  the  next  year  Mr.  Stakes  made  a  claim  in  Union  Grove 
Precinct,  where  the  city  of  Morrison  now  stands.  He  put  up  a  log  house 
on  the  land  occupied  by  the  residence  on  Grove  street  owned  now  by  F.  A. 
VanOsdol.  Mr.  Stakes  returned  to  Prophetstown  and  ran  the  ferry  at  that 
place  for  awhile,  later  removing  to  Morrison,  where  he  died  in  1861. 

Mary  Ann  Stakes  is  now  the  wife  of  Geo.  McKnight  and  has  resided 
in  the  west  for  a  number  of  years. 

A  LETTER  FROM   VIRGINIA. 

Mrs'.  A.  C.  McAllister  writes  from  Fredericksburg,  Virginia:  In  the 
Whiteside  Sentinel,  I  note  that  you  ask  for  information  about  the  first  house 
built  in  Morrison.  My  father,  H.  S.  Vroom,  erected  the  first  dwelling  in 
Morrison  proper.  Perhaps  some  dwellings  may  have  been  moved  before 
from  Union  Grove.  He  built  the  house  in  the  summer  of  1855,  and  it  is 
still  standing  so  far  as  I  know.  It  has  been  known  in  later  years  as  the 
Woodruff  House,  on  the  corner  south  of  the  M.  E.  church.  Lyman  John- 
son built  a  house  which  was  used  as  a  hotel  across  the  street  east  from  our 
house.  It  is  my  impression  this  building  was  moved  there  and  added  to, 
and  not  built  there.  My  father  and  mother  had  rooms  in  this  house  with 
the  Johnsons,  until  their  own  was  completed.  The  house  may  have  been 
begun  in  1854,  for  my  parents  were  married,  and  my  mother  went  there  a 
bride  in  March,  1855.  The  house  was  not  finished  till  fall.  I  was  born 
there,  Nov.  30,  1855,  and  was  the  first  child  born  in  the  town  of  Morrison. 
The  first  brick  dwelling  was  the  house  on  the  hill  where  my  mother  died 
in  1893,  built  by  John  E.  Duffin  in  the  early  days.  You  can  now  under- 
stand my  hearty  interest  in  Morrison  and  Whiteside  county. 


304  HISTOKY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

MRS.    SIMONSON    AT    NINETY-THREE. 

In  January,  1900,  the  writer  had  the  privilege  of  calling  upon  Mrs. 
Salvina  Simonson,  nearing  her  93rd  anniversary.  She  was  born  in  1807, 
two  years  before  Darwin,  Lincoln,  Tennyson,  Gladstone,  saw  the  light^  Her 
younger  days  were  spent  amid  spinning  wheels,  tallow  candles,  logs  on  the 
hearth.  Her  father  was  a  carpenter,  living  at  Union,  N.  Y.,  between  Owego 
and  Binghamton.  She  was  married  at  twenty,  and  began  life  on  a  farm. 
About  1838  they  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  on  a  farm  at  Round  Grove. 
First  was  a  log  house,  then  a  better  building  of  frame.  Here  her  children 
grew  up,  and  this  was  the  family  home  for  a  half  century. 

Although  the  call  was  made  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  the  old 
lady  was  moving  about,  and  with  a  quick  step  passed  to  an  adjoining  room 
1o  adjust  her  toilet.  Little  infirmity.  Few  wrinkles,  a  slight  deafness,  no 
hesitation  in  speech.  She  retired. at  nine,  rose  at  daybreak.  Up  before  the 
rest  of  the  family,  often  emptying  the  ashes. 

Think  of  it,  picture  it, 
Dissolute  man! 

Slept  well,  scarcely  waking  during  the  night.  Ready  for  three  meals  a  day. 
She  thought  people  used  too  much  rich  food,  cakes  and  pastry,  preferred 
whole  wheat  bread,  enjoyed  fruit,  avoided  tea,  put  just  enough  coffee  into 
hot  water  to  give  it  color,  and  took  no  butter  but  what  was  used  in  cooking 
the  food. 

Her  health  generally  good,  occasionally  a  touch  of  rheumatism.  Neat 
in  dress.  A  small  black  cap  over  her  delicate  gray  hair,  spectacles,  a  plain 
"black  shawl,  an  old-fashioned  apron  of  ample  size.  She  enjoyed  reading, 
and  several  books  of  large  print  were  lying  on  the  table.  Beautiful  was  her 
devout  spirit  in  thankfulness  to  the  Lord  for  his  mercy  during  the  passing 
years. 

Calmly  she  looked  on  either  life,  and  here 

Saw  nothing  to  regret,  or  there  to  fear. 

Longevity  seems  to  be  a  family  inheritance,  as  her  mother  lived  to  95,  and 
then  died  from  the  effects  of  a  fall.  When  the  writer  made  his  call,  Mrs. 
Simonson  was  staying  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Peter  Bressler,  in  Sterling, 
but  she  soon  went  to  visit  her  son  Fred  in  California,  and  died  there. 

THE    WATER    WORKS. 

A  strong  crystal  spring,  dug  up  and  walled  in  1881,  was  the  beginning 
of  the  water  supply.  An  artesian  well  was  bored  in  1896  to  the  depth  of 
1,645  feet,  yielding  a  daily  flow  of  300,000  gallons.  In  1906  four  drive 
wells,  six  inches  wide  and  75  feet  deep,  were  sunk  to  supplement  the  artesian 
-supply.  One  pump  has  a  capacity  of  a  million  gallons  daily,  the  other  a 
million  and  a  quarter.  The  standpipe,  a  conspicuous  landkark  on  the  hill 
on  the  north  side,  is  35  feet  in  diameter  and  45  feet  high.  Surrounding  the 
works  is  a  natural  park  of  nine  acres,  the  trees  forming  a  dense  shade,  fur- 
nished with  seats,  offering  a  tempting  resort  in  the  sultry  days  of  summer. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  305 

As  you  approach  the  plant  is  a  triangular  lawn,  embellished  with  a  foun- 
tain.    I.  H.  Parrish  has  been  the  efficient  engineer  for  nineteen  years. 

Closely  connected  with  the  water  works  is  the  fire  department.  It  is 
of  the  volunteer  order,  receives  an  allowance  of  $25  from  th%city,  and  has- 
18  members  ready  to  respond  to  duty.  H.  T.  Berry  is  Chief;  B.  P.  Hum- 
phrey, First  Asst. ;  W.  A.  Heiss,  Second  Asst. ;  H.  0.  Smouse,  Secy. ;  R.  E. 
Cochran,  Treas. 

"I  consider  that  we  have  probably  the  best  equipped  and  most  efficient 
fire  department  in  the  state  for  a  city  of  our  size,"  was  the  opinion  expressed 
to  a  Sentinel  reporter  by  Chief  H.  T.  Berry. 

The  Jackson  Hose  company  has  a  record  of  honor  and  fidelity.  It 
was  formed  June  7,  1876. 

The  ten  men  who  first  donned  a  fireman's  uniform  in  the  city,  were 
Henry  S.  Ferguson,  Charles  Spears,  A.  C.  Graper,  George  Blue,  Homer  H. 
Marshall,  George  W.  Stafford,  Charles  F.  McKee,  James  Martin,  William 
Brearton  and  E.  Y.  Lane. 

Twenty-two  days  after  the  organization  of  the  company,  the  ten  original 
members  had  procured  uniforms  consisting  of  blue  woolen  shirts,  blue  caps 
and  leather  belts  upon  which  appeared  the  name  of  the  company. 

Of  the  first  ten  members,  one,  Chas.  F.  McKee  remains  after  a  service 
of  thirty-one  years.  Of  the  eight  members  added  in  1883  R.  E.  Cochran 
remains  after  a  service  of  twenty-four  years. 

Eight  members  were  added  in  1883  to  comply  with  the  rules  of  the 
state  association. 

The  first  fire  that  called  out  the  company  occurred  Dec.  29,  1876.  Since 
that  time  the  company  has  run  to  over  one  hundred  fires,  many  of  them 
were  dangerous  by  reason  of  their  location. 

Recently  $400  have  been  spent  in  putting  in  stalls  for  the  horses, 
patent  harness  holders  which  enable  the  driver  to  harness  his  team  while 
on  the  seat,  and  automatic  sliding  doors. 

The  new  pump  which  was  installed  last  year  furnishes  175  pounds 
pressure  and  this  is  enough  to  force  water  to  the  top  of  any  of  the. build- 
ings now  standing  in  Morrison. 

THE    SECKET    SOCIETIES. 

Unhappy  he,  who  from  the  first  of  joys, 

Society,  cut  off,  is  left  alone 

Amid  this  world  of  death. — Thomson. 

The  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  call  their  organization  in  Morrison 
the  Henderson  Camp,  No.  13.  The  Venerable  Consul  is  Harry  L.  Welch, 
the  clerk,  C.  E.  Johnson,  and  Chief  Forester,  Myron  Dillenbeck.  There 
are  about  120  members.  It  provides  for  a  payment  of  one,  two,  or  three 
thousand  dollars  to  the  families  of  deceased  members,  with  care  in  sickness. 
The  age  of  admission  is  between  18  and  45,  and  the  applicant  must  be  of 
good  habits. 

The   Knights   of   Pythias   have   150   members.      The   Chancellor   Com- 


306  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

mander  is  A.  T.  Skelley,  and  the  Keeper  of  Records  and  Seals,  H.  T.  Berry. 
The  society  was  organized  about  1880.  The  Pythian  Sisters  number  125 
with  Mrs.  Belle  Hart-man  as  Most  Excellent  Chief,  and  Mrs.  John  Harrison, 
Mistress  of  Records  and  Correspondence.  At  a  Pythian  Memorial  service, 
May,  1908,  held  in  Baptist  church,  40  members  of  Anchor  Lodge,  No.  120, 
K.  of  P.,  and  20  members  of  Celeste  Temple,  Rathbone  Sisters,  attended, 
and  listened  to  a  discourse  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  J.  W.  Kinnett. 

The  Odd  Fellows,  Grove  Lodge,  No.  257,  have  richly  furnished  rooms 
on  the  third  floor  of  a  brick  block  on  Main  street.  F.  C.  Barnum  is  secre- 
tary. The  lodge  was  organized  May  12,  1858.  The  charter  members  were 
W.  W.  Winter,  D.  P.  Spears,  F.  W.  Chapman,  James  McCreedy,  M.  M. 
McKeen,  and  F.  C.  Woodruff.  Mr.  Winter  was  the  first  Noble  Grand.  There 
are  135  members.  The  good  women  seem  to  be  quite  enthusiastic  for  they 
muster  170  Rebekahs,  with  Mrs.  Albert  Miller  as  secretary. 

The  Mystic  Workers,  as  everywhere  else  in  the  county,  are  increasing 
continually,  having  now  250  members. 

Dunlap  Lodge,  No.  321,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  was  organized  May  30,  1859, 
with  ten  charter  members,  the  best  known  being  John  E.  Bennett,  S.  H. 
McCrea,  H.  M.  Teller,  now  Colorado  senator.  In  1877  there  were  85  mem- 
bers, now  about  100.  The  meetings  are  on  the  first  and  third  Mondays  of 
the  month  in  Masonic  hall.  For  1907  I.  D.  Woodford  was  W.  Master, 
Pierre  Jackson,  secretary.  Among  the  past  masters  is  Dr.  A.  E.  Kennedy, 
and  Mrs.  Lurena  Kennedy  is  Worthy  Matron  of  the  Eastern  Stars,  who 
number  130. 

THE   COUNTY   BUILDINGS. 

Stone  walls  do  not  a  prison  make, 
Nor  iron  bars  a  cage. 

On  a  lofty  ridge  that  runs  through  the  northern  section  of  the  city  are 
the  public  edifices  of  the  county.  First  on  the  west  as  you  enter  the  grounds 
is  the  fire  proof  building  for  the  circuit  clerk,  treasurer,  and  county  clerk, 
and  recorder.  In  the  treasurer's  office  sitting  at  his  desk  was  the  veteran 
official,  W.  H.  Thatcher,  formerly  of  Sterling,  who  as  treasurer  and  clerk, 
has  .grown  gray  in  his  duties,  and  at  eighty  is  the  same  genial  friend  as  in 
his  prime.  In  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  upstairs  W.  C.  Stillson  is  prompt 
to  respond  to  any  call  for  information.  In  the  copy  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  board  of  supervisors,  a  pamphlet  of  50  pages,  printed  for  distribution, 
are  various  reports  of  the  committees.  It  covers  the  time  from  April,  1906, 
to  March,  1907.  For  instance,  there  are  the  physicians'  bills  for  attendance 
on  the  poor  in  the  different  towns,  amounting  to  nearly  $800,  in  sums  from 
one  dollar  to  a  hundred.  There  are  the  grocery  and  dry  goods  bills  for 
articles  furnished  the  common  poor  and  also  indigent  soldiers.  A  full  de- 
tailed report  of  the-  county  farm  in  receipts  and  expenditures. 

In  the  center  of  the  group  is  the  court  house,  completed  in  1865  at  a 
cost  of  over  $14,000.  The  committee  in  charge  was  E.  B.  Warner,  R.  G. 
Clendenin,  and  W.  S.  Wilkinson.  In  size  the  building  is  eighty-five  by 
fifty-five.  The  court  room  is  circular,  with  a  gallery.  Its  chief  ornament 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  307 

is  the  oil  painting  of  Black  Hawk's  prophet,  presented  by  Hon.  E.  B.  Wash- 
burne.  On  the  first  floor  is  the  sheriff's  office,  and  on  the  second,  the  grand 
jury  room  where  the  supervisors  also  meet.  The  walls  are  brick,  corners 
of  cut  stone.  The  succession  of  Judges  Heaton,  Eustace,  Crabtree,  and 
others,  who  have  sat  upon  the  bench,  and  the  lawyers,  Henry,  Leffingwell, 
McPherran,  Manahan,  and  others,  who  have  plead  at  the  bar,  all  passed 
away,  invest  the  familiar  structure  with  sacred  associations. 

On  the  extreme  east  is  the  jail  completed  in  the  winter  of  1858-59,  at 
a  cost  of  over  $10,000.  In  1876  improvements  became  necessary,  an  appro- 
priation of  $4,900  was  made,  and  under  the  superintendence  of  Besse,  Pen- 
nington,  Milnes,  Spafford,  and  Wallace,  the  work  was  done.  The  improve- 
ments were  the  substitution  of  eight  iron  cells,  accommodating  four  prison- 
ers each,  in  place  of  the  former  stone  cells.  The  new  cells  are  ten  feet  deep, 
six  feet  wide,  seven  feet  high,  with  a  steel  corridor  five  feet  wide  and  twenty- 
six  feet  long  in  front.  The  notable  prisoners  confined  here  of  late  were 
the  Swarthout  boys,  and  the  Italian  Randis.  The  jailor's  house  of  brick 
was  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  jail. 

Judged  by  the  occupants  of  the  jail,  Whiteside  is  a  virtuous  county, 
for  the  cells  in  December,  1907,  were  empty,  a  solitary  boy  lounging  at  a 
corridor  window.  Charles  Hamilton,  sheriff,  courteously  unlocked  the  heavy 
steel  doors,  and  gave  the  writer  the  freedom  of  the  dungeons.  Thirty-two 
prisoners  can  be  confined,  four  in  a  cell,  by  swinging  iron  berths  on  each 
side.  A  bath  tub  with  hot  and  cold  water  on  each  floor.  When  a  prisoner 
enters,  he  is  given  a  washing,  and  is  obliged  to  put  on  clean  clothes  once 
a  week.  The  second  story  is  reserved  for  women.  No  insane  victims  are 
received  now,  as  they  are  taken  to  Elgin  or  Watertown. 

As  a  prisoner  enters,  a  careful  entry  is  made  in  a  large  book  of  his 
personal  characteristics — age,  height,  hair,  eyes,  complexion,  nationality. 
Then  other  particulars.  By  whom  committed,  when  committed,  for  what 
offense,  term  of  sentence,  when  discharged,  how  discharged.  The  prisoners 
receive  no  tarts  or  jelly,  but  substantial  food.  The  county  pays  sixty  cents 
a  day  for  men,  seventy-five  cents  a  day  for  women. 

In  front  of  the  public  buildings  is  a  thrifty  native  grove,  an  ideal 
spot  for  mass  meetings,  and  here  Lyman  Trumball,  Henry  M.  Teller,  Ros- 
well  G.  Horr,  and  the  orators  of  several  campaigns  have  roused  the  applause 
of  admiring  multitudes. 

In  the  spring  of  1908  the  jail  was  thoroughly  cleaned  and  freshened 
with  paint  on  all  the  walls  and  woodwork  and  throughout  the  cells.  The 
colors  used  were"  selected  perhaps  with  a  view  to  awakening  the  germs  of 
patriotism  in  the  prisoners,  as  red,  white  and  blue  are  seen  everywhere.  The 
old  calcimine  on  the  walls,  which  had  been  there  for  twenty  years  or  so, 
was  scraped  off  and  the  walls  neatly  painted.  The  work  was  all  done  by 
the  men  in  the  cells.  The  place  is  in  excellent  condition,  perfectly  secure, 
and  has  been  made  a.*  attractive  as  possible  to  the  unhappy  fellows  whose 
imprudence  renders  their  enforced  retirement  from  the  busy  haunts  of  men 
necessary  for  the  public  good.  The  sheriff  studies  to  please. 

The   salary   of   each    county   officer   is   $1,500,   and   each   has   deputies, 


308  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

when  necessary,  the  clerk  three,  circuit  clerk  two,  treasurer  one;  the  sheriff 
is  also  supplied  with  help  when  necessary. 

These  statistics  show  some  of  the  operations  of  the  county  officers  during 
1907:  Number  of  marriage  licenses  issued,  253;  number  of  arrests  made  by 
sheriff  and  assistants,  60;  number  of  prisoners  confined  in  county  jail,  58. 
Convicts  taken  to  Joliet,  9;  crimes  for  which  arrests  were  made — murder,  2; 
manslaughter,  1;  burglary,  4;  robbery,  2;  grand  larceny,  1;  assault  and  bat- 
tery, 9 ;  assault,  2 ;  stoning  railroad  car,  2 ;  contempt  of  court,  1 ;  vagrancy, 
3;  disorderly  conduct,  2;  wife  abandonment,  3;  bootlegging,  2;  dependent 
boys,  2 ;  obtaining  money,  2 ;  fornication,  2 ;  petit  larceny,  3 ;  entering  build- 
ing, 1 ;  burglary  and  larceny,  1.  Insane  taken  to  Watertown,  12.  Several 
insane  patients  were  taken  to  the  asylum  by  others  than  officials. 

THE    FIRST   NATIONAL   BANK    OF    MORRISON. 

By  A.  J.  Jackson,  Cashier. 

In  considering  the  subject  of  banking,  one  is  met  by  the  same  conditions 
that  are  met  in  the  investigation  of  any  of  the  professions.  The  term  "pre- 
historic" presents  itself  and  there  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  in  that  direction 
must  end.  The  members  of  the  various  professions  in  acquiring  knowledge 
in  the  profession  of  their  choice,  must  study  the  elementary  treatises  and  all 
that  follows,  but  in  an  article  that  is  prepared  for  a  work  of  this  kind  very 
little  generalization  is  permitted. 

The  statement  may  well  be  made,  that  an  individual  bank  is  a  part  qf  a 
great  system.  This  will  be  seen  as  early  as  history's  dawn.  The  world  was 
not  old  in  comparison  with  the  age  of  the  race  embraced  in  the  historic  period, 
before  it  is  perceived  that  attention  was  bestowed  upon  what  has  grown  to  be 
one  of  the  prominent  departments  in  business.  Before  the  ten  command- 
ments were  given,  there  were  extensive  live-stock  dealers,  operators  in  real 
estate,  and  bankers  and  brokers. 

The  first  known  banks  were  organized  in  the  twelfth  century.  The 
Venetians  seemed  to  be  first,  followed  by  the  Genoese  and  the  Florentines,  in 
whose  hands  the  business  seemed  to  flourish  most,  until  the  founding  of  the 
bank  of  Amsterdam  in  the  seventeenth  century.  This  particular  organiza- 
tion is  named,  as  this  was  the  model  on  which  was  formed  most  of  the  Euro- 
pean banks  now  in  existence.  The  banks  organized  under  this  law  control 
the  banks  of  the  British  Empire.  . 

Our  National  banking  law  is  copied  to  a  large  extent  from  the  joint 
stock  banking  law  of  Scotland,  and  even  the  bank  of  England,  organized  for 
the  expressed  purpose  of  monopolizing  the  banking  business  of  the  realm, 
was  soon  compelled  to  recognize  the  leadership  of  the  Scottish  banks,  and  now 
the  province  of  the  bank  of  "Threadneedle  street"  is  to  act  as  a  clearing  house 
for  the  consolidated  banks  of  Scotland. 

When  it  was  thought  wise  to  take  steps  to  formulate  a  system  of  finance 
to  assist  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war  of  1861,  the  then  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  decided  to  submit  for  adoption  a  National  banking  law,  and  in 
doing  so,  chose  as  a  model  the  Scottish  banking  laws,  which  were  followed  as 
closely  as  the  conditions  then  existing  would  permit. 


HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  309 

Our  present  banking  law  was  passed  in  the  year  1863,  but  few  banks 
were  organized  under  it  until  the  close  of  the  following  year. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Morrison  was  projected  at  this  time,  and  its 
organization  number  was  1033,  showing  there  were  very  few  compared  with 
the  present  number,  and  then  those  in  operation  were  mostly  in  the  eastern 
states.  This  was  the  first  national  organization  in  Whiteside  county,  and 
remained  the  only  one  for  several  years.  There  was  none  in  Lee  county, 
until  this  bank  had  been  in  operation  a  number  of  years. 

When  the  law  was  passed  the  minimum  amount  of  capital  permitted  was 
$50,000.  This  limit  was  retained  about  thirty  years. 

The  proposition  to  organize  a  national  bank  in  Morrison,  had  its  rise  in 
the  banking  office  of  L.  Smith  &  Co.  The  members  of  the  firm  were  Dr. 
Leander  Smith  a  private  banker  residing  in  the  City  of  Fulton,  and  A.  J. 
Jackson  of  Morrison. 

The  work  of  organization  of  this  bank  was  one  of  a  few  moments'  time. 
Mr.  Jackson  left  the  private  bank  of  which  he  was  the  manager,  stepped 
across  the  street  to  the  store  of  Spears  &  Bro.,  located  in  the  store  now- occu- 
pied by  W.  L.  Angell,  passed  through  to  the  elevator  of  Johnson,  McCrea  & 
Co.,  returning  direct  to  his  banking  office,  the  work  was  done,  and  in  thirty 
minutes  the  organization  papers  were  being  prepared  for  the  signatures  of 
the  subscribers,  and  soon  on  their  way  to  the  office  of  the  comptroller  of  the 
currency. 

This  bank  was  conducted  with  the  original  capital  for  about  six  years, 
when  it  was  increased  to  $100,000. 

The  measure  of  this  bank's  success  has  been  a  matter  of  public  record. 
For  over  forty  years  its  reports  have  been  published  in  the  city  papers  at  such 
intervals  as  are  prescribed  by  the  banking  department.  No  claim  for  excel- 
lence over  any  of  its  neighbors  is  made  by  the  officers  of  the  bank,  indeed, 
they  are  gratified  to  find  that  they  have  been  able  to  keep  pace  with  the  pro- 
cesion  of  banks  and  bankers  that  have  taken  their  places  in  the  list  now 
before  the  public.  Some  banks  may  have  a  larger  capital,  some  a  more  ex- 
tended field  of  operations,  and  may  surpass  this  institution  in  many  ways, 
and  yet  the  family  of  ten  stockholders  that  organized  the  bank  and  owned  it 
were  quite  well  pleased  with  their  undertaking.  The  original  ten  stock- 
holders were  Leander  Smith,  L.  H.  Robinson,  Chas.  Spears,  Wm.  Spears, 
W.  S.  Wilkinson,  W.  F.  Johnson,  A.  N.  Young,  Jas.  Snyder,  A.  C.  Jackson, 
and  A.  J.  Jackson.  They  were  among  the  best  and  most  capable  business 
men  in  the  new  city,  and  were  ambitious  that  their  experiments  should  be  a 
success,  and  were  diligent  in  informing  themselves  upon  the  subject  pre- 
sented. Having  no  pattern  to  follow,  they  evolved  a  course  that  afforded 
them  much  pleasure  and  not  a  little  profit. 

In  looking  back  over  the  forty-four  years  of  the  bank's  existence,  it  is  seen 
that  only  two  of  those  who  were  in  at  the  christening,  are  with  the  stock- 
holders of  today,  namely,  W.  F.  Johnson  and  A.  J.  Jackson.  The  bank  has 
had  the  services  of  three  presidents,  Leander  Smith,  W.  S.  Wilkinson  and 
E.  A.  Smith,  the  present  head  of  the  organization,  the  first  two  holding  their 
offices  from  the  date  of  assuming  it  until  their  death. 


310  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Mr.  Jackson  was  elected  cashier  of  the  bank  on  the  day  of  its  organiza- 
tion, and  has  held  the  position  continuously  since.  No  cashier  of  a  national 
bank  in  the  United  States  has  held  the  position  for  so  long  a  time.  It  has 
been  said  by  those  of  old  time,  that  "there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,"  gen- 
erally, this  may  be  true,  but  even  in  the  old  conservative  profession  of  bank- 
ing, there  is  occasionally  something  occurring  that  is  not  laid  down  in  the 
books.  In  the  year  1901,  Sargent  &  Greenleaf,  a  firm  manufacturing  time- 
locks  for  banks  and  other  purposes  issued  a  catalogue  of  their  out-put,  and  in 
it  appears  this  passage,  "In  May,  1874,  Mr.  Sargent  sold  the  first  time  lock 
ever  purchased  by  a  banker,  to  the  First  National  Bank  of  Morrison,  111., 
making  the  attachment  himself." 

At  this  time  it  was  noticed  by  the  cashier,  that  some  kind  of  a  time-lock 
was  invented  and  was  being  manufactured  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.  A  letter 
addressed  to  the  manufacturer  inquiring  .concerning  the  new  invention, 
brought  a  reply  containing  full  particulars,  with  the  promise  that  the  model 
of  the  lock  should  be  forwarded  at  once  to  Morrison,  for  the  cashier's  inspec- 
tion. .  The  lock  was  brought  to  Morrison,  examined  by  the  cashier,  who 
concluded  it  was  likely  to  be  the  protection  that  was  needed,  and  that  it 
would  become  popular  among  bankers.  The  experiment  was  eminently 
satisfactory,  and  soon  became  generally  known  to  bankers,  inquiries  began  at 
once  to  come  to  the  manufacturers,  and  now  there  is  not  probably  a  bank  in 
the  country  that  is  not  equipped  with  a  time  lock  of  some  pattern. 

The  lock  placed  upon  the  safe  of  this  bank  in  1874,  has  been  in  contin- 
uous service  since,  and  is  running  perfectly  correct. 

It  is  not  thought  necessary  or  desirable  to  go  into  details  concerning  the 
methods  pursued  in  this  bank,  for  banks  are  in  some  ways  like  households, 
all  good,  but  managed  a  little  different  as  to  details. 

The  bank  of  course,  is  quite  partial  to  its  awn  management,  it  has 
endeavored  to  conduct  its  business  in  a  liberal  and  conservative  manner, 
have  a  careful  regard  to  the  national  banking  law,  the  instructions  of  the 
department,  and  the  supervision  of  its  board  of  directors.  The  business  of 
the  bank  has  increased  from  the  date  of  its  organization  to  the  present  time. 
A  statement  of  the  condition  of  the  bank  at  the  date  of  its  last  report  made  to 
the  comptroller  of  the  currency,  Feb.  14,  1908,  is  as  follows: 

RESOURCES. 

Loans  and  discounts $252,936.85 

Overdrafts   3.00 

Bonds  to  secure  circulation. .  .* 88,000.00 

U.  S.  Bonds  on  hand 20,060.00 

Premium  on  U.  S.  Bonds 2,760.00 

Stocks,  securities,  etc 58,172.58 

Real  estate  and  furniture 14,946.45 

Due  from  banks 45,201.54 

Cash  and  cash  items 50,415.13 


Total $532,495.55 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  311 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital  paid  in $100,000.00 

Surplus  and  profits    59,784.50 

Circulation 88,000.00 

Dividends  unpaid 1,910.00 

Deposits   282,801.05 


Total $532,495.55 

PRESENT  DIRECTORS. 

H.  W.  Smith,  W.  F.  Johnson, 

0.  Woods,  E.  A.  Smith, 

-H.  B.  Wilkinson,  M.  H.  Potter, 

D.  S.  Spafford  A.  J.  Jackson, 

BANK   OF    LEANDER    SMITH    &    SON. 

This  is,  the  only  other  financial  institution  in  the  city.  Like  the  bank  of 
Thomas  Coutts  in  London  which  kept  the  same  sign  on  the  building  100 
years  after  his  death,  so  the  name  of  Leander  Smith  remains,  although  dead 
for  several  years.  The  bank  was  started  in  1878  by  Leander  Smith  and 
Duncan  Mackay.  and  this  relation  continued  till  1889,  when  Mackay  retired, 
and  the  present  firm  of  Smith  &  Son  may  be  dated  from  1885.  Two  sons, 
E.  A.,  and  H.  W.  now  control  the  business.  Interest  paid  on  deposits.  A 
bank  of  loans  and  discounts.  Money  orders  are  issued  by  this  bank  at  less 
rates  than  are  charged  by  express  companies  or  the  postoffice  department. 

THE  SCHOOLS. 

A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing, 

Drink  deep,  or  taste  not  the  Pierian  spring. — Pope. 

The  young  people  find  their  enjoyment  in  two  buildings,  the  older  and 
larger  on  the  south  side,  and  the  newer  on  the  hill  to  the  north,  so  that  the 
children  are  really  climbing  the  hill  of  science,  every  day  of  their  lives.  The 
high  school  and  some  of  the  grades  are  in  the  old  building.  A  large  and  com- 
plete faculty.  Prof.  E.  L.  Boyer,  late  of  Bloomington,  successor  of  D.  D. 
Thomerson,  is  at  the  head,  and  teaches  English;  Gladys  Graham,  German 
and  history;  Anna  Taggert,  Latin;  Gertrude  Ross,  mathematics;  W.  E. 
Weaver,  science;  Sophia  V.  Levitin,  English;  Elizabeth  Weidenfeller,  com- 
mercial; Nellie  Poorman,  music  and  mathematics.  There  is  a  library  of  ref- 
erence books  and  a  creditable  museum  of  minerals  and  curios.  On  the  roll 
167  pupils.  The  board  of  education  consists  of  S.  M.  McCalmont,  president; 
Jacob  Feldman,  jr.,  secretary,  and  Mrs.  P.  F.  Burtch,  C.  E.  Proctor,  H.  B. 
Wilkinson.  In  the  graduating  class  of  1908  are  21  members,  only  four  being 
young  men:  James  Lawry,  Josephine  Happer,  Louis  Abbott,  Helen  Green, 
Winifred  Ewers,  Lola  Reynolds,  Helen  Smith,  Neva  Smith,  Lottie  Coltoti, 
Mae  Conlon,  Edith  Matthews,  Ellamae  Feldman,  Agnes  Lively,  Ellis  Potter, 
Florence  Angell,  Hilding  Palmer,  Edith  Nelson,  Marguerite  Ladd,  Bessie 
Bradley,  Zula  Ritchie,  Anna  Hawk. 


312  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  board  of  education  for  the  district  school  is  composed  of  W.  L. 
Angell,  C.  D.  Gallentine,  W.  L.  Brewer,  S.  M.  Ladd,  R.  A.  Norrish,  F.  C. 
Barnum,  and  J.  H.  Gray,  president. 

As  in  all  towns,  the  Morrison  school  system  is  a  development -from  a 
humble  beginning.  A  log  house  in  1838,  a  frame  in  1847,  a  removal  and 
enlargement  in  1858,  the  nucleus  of  the  present  edifice  in  1860.  The  present 
building  is  brick,  three  stories,  and  the  original  cost  was  $20,000,  with  $5,000 
more  for  furniture,  heating  and  apparatus. 

One  of  the  teachers  has  kindly  furnished  the  following  sketch: 

Morrison,  the  county  seat  and  second  city  in  size  in  Whiteside  county, 
has  always  prided  herself  on  her  efficient  public  schools.  As  early  as  1859 
the  main  part  of  the  south  side  school  was  completed.  It  was  two  stories 
high,  in  a  beautiful  park  of  natural  timber,  and  was  the  pride  of  the  vil- 
lage. Later  another  story  was  added  and  still  later  the  wings  were  built, 
making  a  twelve-room  structure. 

Last  November  a  fire  broke  out  at  eight  in  the  morning  threatening  the 
complete  destruction  of  the  time-honored  school  house,  but  the  determined 
efforts  of  the  fire  department  supplemented  by  the  help  of  the  citizens  res- 
cued it,  and  it  was  temporarily  remodeled.  In  June  1908  it  will  be  rebuilt  or 
rather  reconstructed  and  made  modern.  Fifteen  thousand  dollars  is  to  be 
expended  in  making  it  again  worthy  to  house  the  children  of  Morrison.  The 
outside  will  not  be  changed  in  shape  but  it  will  be  given  an  up-to-date  ap- 
pearance. 

During  1907-8  the  Mount  Pleasant  township  high  school  is  occupying 
the  second  floor.  The  third  floor  has  for  some  years  been  used  as  a  historical 
museum  and  a  very  fine  collection  has  been  on  exhibition  there.  The  recent 
fire  almost  ruined  it. 

The  north  side  school  is  a  modern  two-story  brick  with  a  basement  for 
the  heating  apparatus.  It,  too,  is  surrounded  by  a  fine  park  of  trees — 
"Nature's  own  planting".  This  building  is  almost  new  and  is  especially  well 
adapted  for  school  purposes. 

The  course  of  study  compares  well  with  courses  offered  in  larger  cities. 
Manual  Training  is  had  in  some  of  the  grades  and  in  the  township  high 
school.  This  department  is  well  equipped  and  is  growing  in  favor  with 
patrons  and  pupils.  Sewing  has  a  place  in  the  high  school  but  as  yet  nothing 
further  has  been  attempted  in  domestic  science.  Music  is  taught  in  all  the 
grades  and  in  the  high  school,  a  special  supervisor  being  employed  for  that 
work. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  boards  of  education,  both  the  township  high 
school  board,  and  the  city  board,  to  give  the  children  of  Morrison  training 
for  useful  service.  Morrison  believes  that  true  happiness  is  more  certain  and 
more  permanent  to  those  who  have  discovered  their  aptitudes  and.  that  these 
different  courses  all  help  the  child  to  know  his  bent. 

Supt.  J.  S.  Moyer  has  had  experience  in  managing  schools  and  he  has 
been  given  a  corps  of  able  teachers.  The  schools  are  in  good  hands,  thanks 
to  an  interested  patronage. 


TOWNSHIP  HIGH  SCHOOL,  MORRISON 


LIBRARY 
OF  TH€ 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  313 

Prof.  J.  S.  Mover,  thirteen  years  in  the  Fulton  schools,  is  principal  of 
the  grades,  which  have  an  enrollment  of  349.  In  room  one  •  is  Elizabeth 
Taylor;  two,  Emily  B.  Kelly;  three,  Eva  Duffy;  four,  Frances  J.  Wilson; 
five,  Hulda  F.  Peterson ;  another  five,  Gertrude  J.  Douglas ;  six,  Kate  Martin ; 
seven,  Mrs.  Emma  W.  Hollingshead ;  eight,  Miss  Emma  Reid.  Prof.  Moyer 
teaches  reading  and  arithmetic. 

THE  SCHOOLS  AND  THEIR  LIBRARY. 

By  J.  S.  Moyer,  Superintendent  Public  Schools. 

The  schools  of  a  community  are  an  index  of  the  educational  life  of  the 
individuals  who  govern  and  direct  the  affairs  of  the  community.  And  the 
wealth,  culture  and  general  intelligence  of  the  people  of  Morrison  is  indica- 
tive of  the  educational  standard  of  her  schools,  which  standard  is  main- 
tained by  an  able  corps  of  earnest  and  efficient  teachers. 

The  high  school  building  is  being  entirely  rebuilt,  and  when  finished 
will  be  one  of  the  most  modern  and  well  equipped  school  buildings  in  north- 
ern Illinois.  The  high  school  will  occupy  the  second  floor  and  four  grades 
the  first  floor.  The  North  Side,  or  ward  building  is  a  new  and  well  furnished 
building  accommodating  four  grades. 

The  fact  that  the  high  school  has  an  enrollment  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  pupils  is  an  evidence  of  the  interest  and  appreciation  that  our  people 
have  in  educational  matters.  And  when  it  can  be  said  that  forty-six  of  thes? 
pupils  come  from  the  country  outside  of  the  city  limits,  some  driving  eight 
miles,  and  all  studiously  following  a  course  of  study  credited  by  Illinois,  Wis- 
cosin  and  Chicago  Universities,  it  certainly  indicates  that  the  spirit  and  life 
of  educational  conditions  of  Morrison  and  surrounding  country  are  com- 
mendable. 

Nothing  is  left  undone  or  omitted  from  the  educational  forces  that 
may  aid  our  pupils  in  expressing  their  self-activities  in  living  and  working 
with  such  subjects  and  in  such  ways  as  will  make  healthy  bodies,  kind  hearts 
and  well  poised  minds.  To  this  end  manual  training  for  boys  and  sewing  for 
girls  have  been  added  to  the  general  efficiency  of  our  schools.  During  the 
past  year  a  library  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  carefully  selected  books 
has  been  secured  for  the  use  of  the  grades.  The  books  have  been  selected  with 
the  view  of  not  only  interesting  the  children  in  the  world  around  them  but 
also  of  gratifying  the  innate  love  of  legend  and  spirit  that  makes  a  large  part 
of  child  life.  In  the  first  and  second  grades  such  books  at  "True  Fairy 
Stories,"  "Old  World  Wonder  Stories,"  and  "Boy  Blue  and  His  Friends," 
lead  the  child  on  from  his  home  nursery  stories  to  see  a  larger  world  outside 
of  home  and  school,  while  "Plant  Babies  and  Their  Cradles,"  "Five  Little 
Strangers,"  and  "Stories  of  Great  Americans  for  Little  Americans,"  intro- 
duce him  to  nature  and  history.  In  the  higher  grades  there  is  a  wider  variety 
of  subjects  until  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  they  may  be  classified  under  the 
heads  of  history,  geography,  science  and  fiction,  and  include  such  books  as 
"The  Story  of  Our  English  Grandfathers,"  "From  Trail  to  Railway,"  "True 
Tales  of  Birds  and  Beasts,"  and  "Rebecca  of  Sunnybrook  Farm."  Such  a 


314  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

variety  of  books  in  the  hands  of  interested  and  earnest  teachers  cannot  fail 
to  stimulate  the  love  of  the  good  and  the  true  in  the  hearts  of  school  children. 
Inherent  in  every  child  is  a  life  that  is  responsive  to  beauty,  truth  and 
virtue.  These  character  building  influences  are  found  in  the  expressions  of 
our  poets,  prophets  and  seers,  and  to  these  the  child  may  go  and  find  in  his- 
tory and  poetry,  in  biography  and  story,  in  legend  and  myth,  that  which 
satisfies,  strengthens  and  gives  delight  to  childhood.  While  if  we  with- 
hold from  the  child  the  food  which  its  true  life  craves,  we  weaken  it,  throw 
it  into  confusion  and  error,  and  sin  and  sickness  will  follow.  Children  need 
the  companionship  of  influences  that  ennoble  and  enrich  life.  Satisfy  the 
child  in  this  particular,  and  virtue  and  strength  will  be  the  fruit  of  the  uni- 
versal spirit. 

ODELL  LIBRARY  AND  MUSEUM. 

An  idle  hour  I  dream  away, 

Alone  among  my  books  today. — The  Westminster. 

Gladstone  or  Macaulay  would  revel  in  this  quiet  retreat  on  Grove  street, 
not  far  from  the  Whiteside  hotel.  It  is  a  gem  in  arrangement  and  material. 
About  4,000  volumes,  large  enough  for  the  population,  and  twenty-five  to 
thirty  new  books  received  every  month  to  keep  abreast  the  current  thought 
of  the  world.  There  are  three  tables,  containing  magazines  for  reading  and 
books  for  reference.  It  is  well  patronized,  in  the  -winter  season  of  club.?  and 
study,  100  books  sometimes  taken  out.  Besides  the  well  selected  volumes  on 
the  shelves,  are  cases  of  curios  in  the  form  of  shells  and  coral,  Indian  skulls 
and  arrows,  a  variety  of  mineral  specimens.  In  a  show  case  are  rare  books 
like  Homer's  Iliad,  London,  1721,  English  Reader,  1813,  Natural  History, 
1715,  U.  S.  History,  1811.  Some  choice  pictures  on  the  wall,  Execution  of 
Nathan  -Hale,  a  bird's-eye  of  Morrison  in  1885,  a  frame  of  copper  coins, 
the  circle  of  American  authors.  But  the  most  entertaining  is  a  large  group 
of  Morrison  people  of  all  ages  and  sizes,  old  and  young.  A  local  photographer 
gathered  the  faces  taken  in  his  studio  for  thirty  years,  and  put  them  side  by 
side.  As  the  children  then  have  grown  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  their 
baby  features  are  here  embalmed.  It  is  a  sort  of  Egyptian  immortality.  A 
gallery  for  coming  generations. 

The  building  is  the  old  Congregational  church  adapted  to  its  present  use. 
The  books  and  minerals  belong  to  the  early  Morrison  Literary  and  Scientific 
Association,  who  in  1879  received  the  house  and  $8,000  from  J.  Odell,  a  gen- 
erous citizen,  for  the  benefit  of  the  public.  The  property  is  now  in  charge  of 
the  city  which  levies  a  tax  for  its  support  in  addition  to  the  interest  derived 
from  the  endowment.  There  are  nine  trustees  according"  to  the  state  law. 
Patrons  and  visitors  are  sure  of  courteous  treatment  from  Mrs.  Frank  Rob- 
inson, custodian. 

A  former  Sterling  boy  has  shown  decided  capacity  for  business.  In  187& 
Samuel  H.  Ladd  entered  the  jewelry  store  of  Clark  &  Giddings  to  learn  the 
trade,  came  to  Morrison  in  1886,  and  has  now  the  finest  establishment  in  the 
city,  his  operations  extending  to  kodaks  and  musical  instruments.  His  store 
is  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street. 


MORRISON  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


r 

HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  315 

THE  AUDITORIUM. 

Halls  on  second  stories  are  tiresome  and  dangerous,  and  in  her  spacious 
place  of  amusement  on  the  first  floor,  Morrison  has  set  an  example  worthy 
of  imitation.  The  auditorium  is  on  Grove  street,  built  of  frame  in  1900  at  a 
cost  of  $15,000.  There  are  seats  for  seven  hundred  people,  and  1,200  can  be 
accommodated.  A  stock  company,  thirty-three  share  holders  at  fifty  dollars  a 
share.  E.  A.  Smith  is  president,  A.  J.  Jackson,  secretary,  and  treasurer. 

Across  the  street  is  the  armory,  built  several  years  ago,  whose  ample  floor 
space  permits  the  evolutions  of  a  company  of  troops. 

The  city  receives  its  illumination  from  an  electric  plant  established  in 
1889,  H.  S.  Green,  president  and  treasurer,  L.  R.  Ramsay,  secretary.  There 
are  130  incandescent  lights,  furnished  at  $19.50  a  year,  and  three  arc  lights 
at  $75  apiece.  The  price  of  gas  is  $1.25  net  per  thousand  feet.  The  office  is 
on  Main  street. 

The  Whiteside,  the  leading  hotel,  brick,  three  stories,  was  erected  in 
1865,  and  is  the  headquarters  for  lawyers,  judges,  jurymen,  and  other  limbs 
of  the  law  in  court  time.  The  block  of  the  First  National,  opposite,  was  put 
up  in  1864.  A  central  situation,  the  street  just  east  leading  to  the  station. 

WHITESIDE  FARMERS'  TELEPHONE  COMPANY. 

This  was  incorparated  May  18,  1903.  The  capital  stock  is  $20,000,  divided 
into  eight  hundred  shares  paid  up,  with  a  par  value  of  twenty-five  dollars 
each.  The  object  of  the  company  is  to  build  and  maintain  telephone  lines  or 
exchanges  or  both  in  Whiteside  and  adjoining  counties,  state  of  Illinois,  with 
such  extensions  or  connections  with  other  telephone  lines  as  may  hereafter  be 
decided,  and  to  furnish  telephone  communications  over  its  lines  at  a  mini- 
mum cost  to  its  stockholders. 

The  switch  board  fee  $2.50  per  share,  per  year,  payable  semi-annually 
in  advance. 

Single  communications  limited  to  five  minutes  on  party  lines,  and  three 
minutes  on  trunk  lines. 

There  are  seven  directors.    The  officers  are: 

President,  C.  H.  Mason. 

Vice-Pesident,  H.  L.  Ewing. 

Secretary,  C.  E.  Johnson. 

Treasurer,  R.  E.  Cochran. 

THE  GREENHOUSES. 

These  are  at  the  southeastern  edge  of  the  city,  and  reached  by  a  contin- 
uous sidewalk.  A  delightful  stroll  on  an  October  morning.  Two  firms  close 
together.  In  the  front  show  window  of  Davis  Bros,  a  bright  display  of  car- 
nations and  chrysanthemums  at  our  visit  recalled  Lowell's  poem  on  the 
dandelion : 

Thou  art  my  tropics  and  mine  Italy; 
To  look  at  thee  unlocks  a  warmer  clime. 

Several  greenhouses,  the  longest  400  .feet. 


316  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  larger  establishment  is  that  of  the  C.  D.  Gallentine  Co.,  which  has 
grown  from  one  house  140  feet  long,  nine  years  ago,  to  twenty-nine  glass- 
covered  roofs  averaging  220  feet  in  length.  The  main  crops  are  cucumbers, 
two  crops  a  season,  and  tomatoes,  one  crop.  A  pretty  sight,  the  tomatoes  and 
cucumbers  climbing  on  wires  to  the  roof.  Markets  are  found  east  and  west, 
Chicago  taking  the  bulk  of  the  product.  To  destroy  fungvis  and  insects,  the 
ground  before  planting  is  sterilized  by  infusion  of  steam  through  a  multitude 
of  pipes.  To  secure  a  balmy  temperature  during  the  wintry  months,  3,000 
tons  of  soft  coal  are  consumed.  The  seed  of  cucumbers  and  tomatoes  are 
sown  in  broad  trays,  transferred  to  pots,  then  planted  in  the  large  beds. 
Cucumbers  bear  in  two  months  from  seed,  tomatoes  in  three.  The  day  tem- 
perature is  kept  at  85  degrees,  night  at  65. 

GROVE    HILL   CEMETERY. 

Princes,  this  clay  must  be  your  bed, 

In  spite  of  all  your  toweia 
The  tall,  the  wise,  the  reverend  head, 

Must  lie  as  low  as  ours. — Isaac  Watts. 

A  charming  spot,  a  sacred  resort.  It  lies  along  the  northern  edge  of  the 
city,  and  the  open  gateway  invites  you  to  enter.  Arbor  vitae,  singly  and  in 
clusters,  seems  to  be  the  favorite  evergreen,  with  its  delicate  leaves,  giving  an 
air  of  cheerfulness  to  the  solemn  retirement.  The  turf  is  soft  and  velvety,  the 
lots  are  kept  trim  and  fresh,  and  there  is  a  sad  satisfaction  in  walking  up  and 
down  the  avenues,  and  reading  the  names  of  so  many  who  once  took  part  in 
the  busy  affairs  of  the  world.  It  is  like  taking  a  Morrison  directory  of  the 
last  generation.  Here  they  all  come  at  last:  Snyder,  Sholes,  Gray,  Wilson, 
Duffin.  Eli  Upton,  1811-1900.  Dr.  H.  C.  Donaldson,  1825-1896.  Coroner, 
kind  physician,  awhile  in  Sterling.  Charles  Spears,  1814-1884,  and  Rebecca 
Spears,  1822-1895,  have  a  monument  of  light  red  granite.  Leander  Smith, 
1889,  aged  seventy.  Baird,  Mason,  Wood,  Wallace,  McAllister,  Whitcomb, 
Jackson,  Baker,  Ely.  Here  is  a  granite  memorial  that  recalls  a  family  sorrow. 
Burritt  E.  Phinney,  1883,  only  25,  and  M.  Loyal  Phinney,  1887,  'only  24, 
just  ready  to  begin  their  promising  career.  Loyal  C.  Twitchell,  Vermont, 
1812-1903,  and  Mary  H.,  1814-1892.  Charles  Shirk,  1815-1904,  and  Sarah, 
his  wife.  There  are  three  Yennum  tombs,  and  at  each  the  writer  expected  to 
see  the  name  of  the  notable  centenarian,  Mrs.  Phebe,  but  in  vain.  Edward 
Vennum,  1842-1897,  soldier.  Two  Robinson  monuments,  one  simply  "Rob- 
inson," the  other  S.  W.  Robinson.  John  S.  Green,  1831-1888.  Wm.  Spears, 
1872,  aged  59.  This  couplet  over  a  humble  grave: 

Rest,  mother,  rest  in  quiet  sleep, 

While  friends  in  sorrow  o'er"  thee  weep. 

Burr,  Brown,  Fellows,  Farrington,  Boyd,  Bent,  what  associations!  The 
death  of  his  daughter,  Charlotte,  was  a  blow  to  Prof.  H.  E.,  which  saddened 
his  remaining  days.  Nancy  Kingsbury,  1873,  age  64.  Levi  Beach,  1810- 
1893.  Sampson,  Savage,  Lane,  Baum,  Winfield  S.  Wilkinson,  1812-1893,  and 
his  wife,  Frances  E.  Sampson,  1814-1890. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  317 

How  life-like  thro'  the  mist  of  years, 
Each  well  remembered  face  appears. 

A  large  tract  has  been  added  to  the  cemetery  on  the  north  with  a  vault 
at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  and  already  many  handsome  monuments  have  been 
erected.  On  a  long  solid  block  is  the  name  "Jennie  Jackson,  1842-1901,  the 
first  of  her  family  to  depart  this  life." 

In  various  parts  of  the  grounds  sleep  brave  heroes  of  the  wars.  Win. 
Henry  Harrison  Hutten,  surgeon  U.  S.  M.  H.  S.  1838-1897.  For  thirty-six 
years  a  faithful  servant  of  his  country.  H.  P.  Baker,  Co.  G,  8th  111.  cavalry. 
I>.  J.  Quackenbush,  Co.  B,  34th  111.  infantry.  Also  G.  A.  Q.,  Band  of  34th 
111.  Milton  Morse,  Co.  B,  140th  111.  infantry.  Joseph  Myers,  Co.  B,  34th  111. 
J.  A.  Hulett,  Co.  A,  12th  111.  cavalry.  Jason  Booth,  Co.  A,  1st  W.  Va.  in- 
fantry. There  is  a  whole  row  of  the  gallant  dead.  Chas.  Vorgt,  Co.  G,  156th 
111.  Jacob  Alsrod,  Co.  B,  140th  111.  J.  H.  Clifford,  Co.  F  12th  111.  W.  A. 
Stowell,  B.  H.  W.,  1819-1899.  J.  W.  Bowser,  Co.  G,  2nd  Mo.  S.  M.  cavalry. 

The  main  driveways  are  paved  with  brick,  and  many  of  the  lots  terraced. 
The  good  people  of  Morrison  evidently  consider  Grove  Hill  as  the  choicest 
jewel  in  their  crown. 

THE  MANSIONS  OF  MORRISON. 

The  stately  homes  of  England, 

How  beautiful  they  stand, 
Amid  their  tall  ancestral  trees, 

All  o'er  the  pleasant  land.— Mrs.  Hemans. 

New  York  has  Fifth  avenue,  Boston  Beacon  street, .  Chicago  Sheridan 
road,  and  Morrison  her  Grove  street.  Too  humble  a  title  for  so  pretty  a 
thoroughfare.  Sheridan  Boulevard  would  sound  better  and  do  justice  to  the 
situation.  On  a  high  ridge  sloping  to  the  south  stand  a  succession  of  villas 
in  various  styles  of  architecture,  colonial,  Queen  Anne,  Elizabethian.  Here 
beginning  on  the  west  is  the  red  residence  of  M.  V.  Card,  with  its  sweeping 
view  of  the  valley,  the  buff  dwelling  of  J.  B.  Markey  of  the  refrigerator  fac- 
tory, the  elaborate  frame  mansion  of  Ed.  A.  Smith,  banker,  the  buff  villa  of 
Charles  Bent  and  next  that  of  his  son,  the  home  of  the  Missas  Teller,  the  white 
frame  of  Robert  Wallace,  the  brick  of  Charles  Foster,  the  square  brick  with 
portico  of  Mrs.  Smith,  widow  of  Leander.  Among  the  historic  people  in  this 
aristocratic  row  are  Julia  and  Mary  Teller,  sisters  of  the  distinguished  Colo- 
rado Senator,  Henry  M.  Teller.  Of  eight  children,  one  is  dead,  Addison  and 
James  are  in  Colorado.  The  father  died  on  the  farm  in  Union  Grove,  the 
mother  in  Morrison.  A  grandfather's  clock  from  the  eastern  home  stands  in 
a  corner  of  the  sitting  room.  No  more  delightful  home  than  that  of  Charles 
Bent  with  its  hospitable  hall  and  spacious  parlors.  An  ideal  library  in  the 
rear.  Low  book  cases  with  glass  doors  along  the  sides  filled  with  standard 
authors,  one  corner  devoted  to  rare  volumes  of  early  and  later  Illinois  history. 
Indian  and  Mexican  vases  for  the  antiquarian.  Around  the  writing  table  in 
the  center  with  its  fantastic  shaded  light  what  deliberations  of  state,  what 
questions  of  research,  what  plans  of  patriotism.  There  too.  is  the  Spear? 


318  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE   COUNTY 

house,  one  of  the  first  on  the  hill.  To  the  east  on  Genesee  street  is  the  large 
brick  residence  of  Mrs.  Taylor,  widow  of  the  old  physician.  Of  late  years 
many  handsome  residences  have  been  erected  on  the  south  side,  which  is 
quite  level.  One  of  the  finest  is  the  splendid  villa  of  M.  H.  Potter,  dealer  in 
lumber,  the  gray  stone,  bright  roof,  and  shaven  lawn,  making  a  perfect  pic- 
ture. Most  are  frame  but  in  excellent  taste,  as  those  of  H.  S.  Green,  Judge 
Ramsay.  J.  H.  Snyder,  A.  J.  Jackson,  Roy  Davis,  J.  W.  Steiner.  On  the 
lawn  of  Dr.  Hazelton,  south  of  the  track,  are  two  primeval  relics  leaning 
together  which  would  be  a  treasure  for  a  historical  society.  They  are  the 
stones,  the  burrs  of  the  first  mill  in  Whiteside  county,  at  Jacobstown  on  Rock 
creek,  about  1840  or  before. 

THE  WOMEN'S  CLUBS. 

A  creature  not  too  bright  or  good, 

For  human  nature's  daily  food; 

For  transient  sorrows,  simple  wiles, 

Praise,  blame,  love,  kisses,  tears,  and  smiles. — Wordsworth. 

No  city  of  its  size  anywhere  has  so  much  refinement  and  intelligence  as 
Morrison.  Its  good  wives  and  daughters  devote  their  afternoons  of  leisure  to 
reading  and  research  instead  of  finding  enjoyment  in  the  passing  diversions 
of  the  hour  which  leave  no  permanent  profit  at  the  end  of  the  year.  The  city 
has  at  least  five  associations  of  ladies  who  meet  regularly  for  purposes  of  im- 
provement. 

One  of  the  oldest  is  the  Fortnightly  club,  organized  in  1894.  The 
officers  for  1907-1908,  are  Mrs.  Decima  Bent,  president;  Mrs.  Ellen  Smith, 
vice-president;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Boyd,  secretary;  Mrs.  Hettie  Milne,  treasurer. 
There  are  twenty-one  members.  A  booklet  is  printed  giving  the  topics  for 
the  various  meetings.  A  page  is  devoted  to  "In  Memoriam"  for  deceased 
members.  The  motto  for  the  year  is  from  Thackeray:  "My  good  people,  it 
is  not  only  impossible  to  please  you  all,  but  absurd  to  try."  The  topics  of  dis- 
cussion have  a  wide  range :  Confucius,  Zoroaster,  George  Eliot,  Women  of  the 
Bible,  Lady  Macbeth,  Our  Forgotten  Foremothers,  Should  a  wife  recehe  an 
allowance?  Readings  and  songs  give  variety  to  the  sessions. 

Another  is  the  Monday  Evening  club.  Mrs.  Burtch  is  president,  and 
Mrs.  Cornelia  Green,  secretary.  Here,  too,  the  subjects  for  examination  have 
a  broad  field.  In  1906  they  took  up  The  World's  Greatest  Short  Stories, 
Irving,  Balzac,  Dickens,  Thackeray,  Poe,  Hawthorne.  A  leader  is  appointed 
previously  on  essays  or  on  poems.  A  passage  is  read  by  members  in  turn, 
and  at  conclusion  questions  are  asked.  In  1907,  English  Essays  had  promi- 
nence. Bacon,  Addison,  Swift,  Lamb,  De  Quincey,  Carlyle.  Emerson, 
Macaulay,  Ruskin,  Arnold.  One  year  they  considered  the  great  poets,  like 
Shakespeare,  Milton,  Burns,  Coleridge,  Longfellow.  A  delegate  is  regularly 
sent  to  general  meetings  of  women's  clubs. 

The  Daughters  of  the  Revolution  have  nearly  thirty  members,  and  have 
enrolled  many  of  the  prominent  ladies  of  the  city.  The  Regent  is  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Lapham  Brown;  vice-regent,  Mrs.  Cornelia  Green;  secretary,  Mrs.  Val- 
lie  Sholes  Green;  registrar,  Mrs.  Letitia  Happer  Payne;  historian,  Mrs.  Ab- 


. 

HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  319 

bietta  Porter  Wilkinson.  The  meetings  are  held  once  a  month.  Although 
the  questions  are  chiefly  confined  to  our  own  country,  the  patriotism  of  other 
lands  is  not  forgotten.  Washington  and  his  administration,  the  constitution, 
quotations  from  American  history,  historic  homes,  men  and  women  of  his- 
tory with  five-minute  talks,  war  time,  the  historical  novel,  political  parties, 
show  the  character  of  their  work.  Readings  and  papers.  The  discussions  are 
informal  and  enthusiastic. 

There  is  a  Domestic  Science  club  composed  of  ambitious  housekeepers 
who  aim  at  excellence  in  the  important  and  desirable  graces  of  culinary  art, 
meeting  at  each  other's  homes  from  time  to  time.  Practical  demonstrations 
are  often  given.  The  topics  vary  from  the  "use  of  salmon"  to  "preparations 
from  bread  dough." 

A  Progressive  Reading  circle  take  up  some  of  the  best  books  of  standard 
or  recent  literature.  For  instance,  Nov.  4,  1907,  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Bent, 
the  lesson  for  reading  and  discussion  was  the  first  three  chapters  of  "The 
Little  Minister." 

CITY  OFFICERS  OF  MORRISON. 

Mayor,  G.  H.  Kentfield. 

Aldermen,  A.  P.  Pelham,  A.  D.  Stone,  C.  E.  Lutyen,  F.  A.  VanOsdol, 
R.  A.  Norrish  and  Wm.  Boyd. 

City  clerk,  A.  R.  Baird. 

City  attorney,  W.  A.  Blodgett. 

Marshal,  Chris  Welch. 

Assistant  marshal,  A.  G.  Puddifoot. 

Street  commissioner,  Egbert  Buis. 

Supt.  Waterworks,  I.  H.  Parrish. 

Supt,  Grove  Hill  cemetery,  H.  H.  Kelly. 

Chief  of  fire  department,  Harry  Berry. 

The  population  is  between  3,000  and  3,500. 

The  Mystic  lodge  in  Round  Grove  is  thought  to  be  the  only  one  of  its 
kind  in  the  United  'States  that  owns  the  building  in  which  its  meetings  are 
held  as  well  as  the  ground  upon  which  the  structure  is  located.  The  hall  has 
lately  been  enlarged  to  forty  feet  in  length  and  further  improved  by  the  ad- 
dition of  a  stage  and  two  dressing  rooms,  so  it  may  be  utilized  for  social  and 
dramatic  entertainments,  parties,  balls  or  other  gathering?  that  very  often 
require  a  suitable  room  to  assemble  in  a  small  place  as  well  as  in  larger  towns 
than  Round  Grove.  The  new  hall  was  formally  opened  and  dedicated  in 
1907. 

THE   CHURCHES. 

Why  should  we  crave  a  hallowed  spot? 

An  altar  is  in  each  man's  cot, 

A  church  in  every  grove  that  spreads 

Its  living  roof  above  our  heads. — Wordsworth. 

On  one  of  the  southern  streets  is  the  Holland  church,  the  largest  society 
in  Morrison,  and,  doubtless,  the  latest.  There  are  115  families,  125  scholars 
in  the  Sunday  school,  three  catechetical  classes,  a  young  ladies  society,  and  a 


320  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

woman's  missionary.  The  sermons  are  in  Dutch,  morning  and  evening,  and 
the  congregation  so  large  that  the  frame  edifice  must  be  enlarged.  Most  of 
the  people  live  in  the  country,  and  some  at  so  great  a  distance  that  they  must 
start  soon  after  seven  for  morning  service.  The  families  are  patriarchal, 
from  nine  to  twelve  children  often.  Very  punctual,  turning  out  rain  or 
shine.  Excellent  citizens,  having  brought  from  the  old  country  the  virtues 
of  thrift,  economy,  and  neatness,  live  bountifully,  and  work  strenously.  The 
sheds  for  seventy-five  teams  and  the  hitching  posts  indicate  the  rural  char- 
acter of  the  worshipers. 

The  pastor,  Peter  John  Bouma,  was  born  in  the  Netherlands,  educated 
partly  at  Kampen,  H.,  and  partly  in  Michigan.  He  has  been  twenty  years 
in  America,  and  five  here.  Every  year  he  visits  every  family,  occupying  two 
-days  every  week. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL. 

On  Sunday,  May  20,  1906,  the  Mehodist  church  was  re-dedicated  amid 
great  rejoicing.  The  former  edifice  was  so  completely  transformed  that  the 
present  is  really  a  new  church  on  the  former  site.  From  the  Sentinel  of  May 
17,  1906,  we  condense  the  details  of  the  rejuvenated  sanctuary.  The  entire 
building  was  raised  three  feet,  and  a  stone  wall  laid,  making  an  eight  foot 
basement  for  dining  room,  kitchen,  fuel  and  boiler  rooms.  The  main  build- 
ing is  10x60  feet,  and  the  audience  room  sixty  feet  square.  It  is  heated  by 
steam.  By  means  of  rolling  partitions,  all  of  the  rooms  can  be  thrown  into 
one  spacious  auditorium,  with  ample  seating  capacity  for  special  occasions. 
'The  exterior  is  painted  white,  the  interior  decorated,  a  steel  ceiling,  walls 
frescoed,  artistic  electric  light  fixtures.  There  are  nine  handsome  memorial 
windows,  costing  $700,  given  by  members  of  the  church.  The  Good  Shep- 
herd in  the  east  was  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Lucinda  Curtis  in  memory  of  her  hus- 
band Cyrus  and  daughter  Eva.  On  the  south,  one  by  J.  H.  Kennedy,  for 
his  father,  A.  E.  Kennedy  and  his  mother,  Rachel.  Paul  preaching  on  Mars 
Hill  by  Charles  and  Mary  McMullen.  One  by  Mark  and  Phebe  Root  for 
their  father  and  mother,  John  and  Elizabeth.  On  the  north  side  a  window 
given  by  the  Payne  family  for  William  and  Eliza  Payne,  and  on  the  oppo- 
site one  by  the  Thomas  families  for  G.  W.  and  Mary  Thomas.  One  on  the 
east  by  Chas.  McMullen  and  the  Teller  family  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  C.  Wood- 
ruff, and  another  on  the  west  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  V.  Walker.  One  on  the 
north  by  the  Epworth  League. 

The  parsonage  is  on  the  north.  The  first  was  erected  in  the  sixties,  but 
was  sold  and  removed,  and  the  present  attractive  and  modern  residence  built 
in  1903,  at  a  cost  of  $4.200.  Taking  church  and  manse  together,  no  more 
convenient  and  complete  church  property  in  the  county. 

Like  all  Western  churches,  the  Methodists  in  Morrison  had  their  days  of 
struggle.  Rev.  James  McKean,  a  missionary,  held  service  in  a  grove  in  Mt. 
Pleasant,  in  the  house  of  James  J.  Thomas.  In  1836  he  formed  a  class,  con- 
sisting of  James  T.  Thomas  and  wife,  and  George  0.  James  and  wife,  the 
first  religious  organization  in  Mt.  Pleasant.  The  semi-centennial  was  cele- 
brated in  Morrison,  May  1-3,  1887.  This  M.  E.  society  is  really  an  outgrowth 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  321 

of  the  Unionville  church,  organized  Oct.  8,  1842,  Rev.  B.  Weed,  presiding 
elder,  and  Rev.  Chester  Campbell,  preacher  in  charge.  The  church  belonged 
to  Union  Grove  circuit,  Rock  River  conference.  The  circuit  included  Union 
Grove,  Erie,  Wine-hell's  Grove  or  Kingsbury,  Lyndon,  Otter  Bluffs,  Albany, 
Genesee  Grove,  Fulton,  and  Rock  River  Bend.  Among  the  prominent  names 
we  find  A.  C.  Jackson,  class  leader,  D.  B.  Young,  local  preacher,  Samuel 
Slocumb  and  Luke  Abbey,  stewards.  The  services  at  Unionville  were  con- 
ducted in  school  houses  until  1855,  when  a  church  was  erected,  Rev.  S.  B. 
Baker,  being  the  preacher  in  charge.  In  1858  came  the  Morrison  church, 
the  first  sermon  preached  in  July,  1858,  at  old  Concert  Hall,  by  Rev.  J.  W. 
Waterbury.  It  was  on  the  third  floor  of  the  building  now  occupied  by  the 
Green  Drug  Co.,  and  G.  W.  Robinson.  Here  the  services  were  held  until 
the  removal  of  the  church  from  Unionville  to  Morrison  in  1862.  At  a  meet- 
ing of  the  society  in  1860  at  the  Baptist  church,  arrangements  were  made  for 
the  purchase  of  lots  from  S.  H.  McCrea  for  $300,  and  the  Unionville  church 
for  $900,  and  $100  for  the  bell  which  had  disappeared.  The  building  was 
removed  and  dedicated  May  23,  1862.  The  repairs  and  removal  cost  $2,000, 
In  1858  the  Morrison  circuit  was  established,  and  in  1863  the  town  was  made 
a  station.  In  1877  a  new  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $4,808,  the  old 
building  being  remodeled  in  connection.  There  was  a  spire  113  feet  high. 
Rev.  H.  W.  Thomas,  D.  D.,  of  Aurora,  conducted  the  exercises  of  dedication, 
Sunday,  Sept  2,  1877. 

Since  the  organization  in  1842,  the  churches  in  Unionville  and  Mor- 
rison have  had  38  pastors,  including  Rev.  M.  G.  Wenz.  At  the  dedication, 
May  20,  1906,  the  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  A.  T.  Horn,  D.  D.,  of 
Evanston,  presiding  elder  of  the  Dixon  district.  On  Wednesday,  May  23, 
Rev.  A.  M.  White,  of  Chicago,  former  pastor,  gave  an  address.  The  present 
pastor,  Rev.  M.  G.  Wenz,  is  a  graduate  of  Northwestern  University  and 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  and  the  flourishing  condition  of  the  church  owes 
much  to  his  scholarly  taste  and  earnest  effort. 

There  is  a  membership  of  about  250,  with  numerous  societies,  mission- 
ary, ladies'  aid,  brotherhood,  Epworth  league,  Queen  Esther  circle.  A  girl 
is  supported  in  Porto  Rico  school.  A  group  of  busy  workers. 

THE    PRESBYTERIAN. 

On  March  28,  1905,  this  sanctuary  was  the  scene  of  a  solemn  and  yet 
delightful  celebration.  It  was  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  its  organization. 
Of  those  who  became  members  in  1855,  only  four  are  now  living,  David 
Cowan,  of  Polo;  Mrs.  Ellen  B.  Murray,  Clear  Lake,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Agnes  W. 
Graves,  Unionville;  and  A.  J.  Jackson,  of  Morrison.  To  add  interest  to  the 
occasion  many  of  the  older  members  were  present,  Mrs.  Leander  Smith,  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Snyder,  Mrs.  M.  S.  Heaton,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Van  Osdol,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Foster,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matthew.  Roses  and  potted  plants  threw  a  freshness 
and  charm  over  the  joyous  occasion. 

After  invocation  by  Rev.  W.  V.  Jeffries,  of  the  Presbyterian,  anthem 
by  the  choir,  and  prayer  by  Rev.  M.  G.  Wenz,  of  the  Methodist  church,  an 
historical  sketch  was  read  by  Mr.  A.  J.  Jackson,  cashier  of  the  bank.  He 


322  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

has  peculiar  qualifications  for  the  performance  as  he  is  the  only  member 
living  in  the  city  who  belonged  to  the  early  organization.  From  the  sketch 
which  was  printed  in  full  in  the  Sentinel  we  are  enabled  to  glean  much 
valuable  information.  At  Unionville,  March  28,  1855,  twenty-two  persons 
in  all,  met  to  consider  the  formation  of  a  Presbyterian  church.  Among 
them  were  John  and  Phebe  Vennum,  W.  H.  Lane  and  Catherine,  Henry 
and  Abigail  Ustick,  N.  M.  and  Harriet  Jackson,  Win.  Lane,  Samuel  and 
Frances  Miller,  Austin  and  Fanny  Martin.  Rev.  W.  C.  Mason  and  Rev. 
W.  W.  Harsha  were  the  committee  from  Presbytery  to  effect  the  organiza- 
tion. W.  Kier  and  N.  M.  Jackson  were  ordained  elders.  John  Kier  and 
A.  J.  Jackson  were  received  as  members,  and  the  roll  was  then  24.  During 
the  next  year  nine  members  were  added.  For  three  and  a  half  years,  Rev. 
Jacob  Coon  acted  as  stated  supply.  The  first  services  were  held  in  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Unionville,  organized  in  1844.  During  the  summer 
of  1855  the  railroad  located  its  station  at  Morrison,  and  the  young  congre- 
gation decided  to  remove  thither,  in  1858  erected  a  building,  which  was 
replaced  in  1883  by  the  'present  structure.  Rev.  A.  H.  Lackey  served  as 
supply  for  two  or  three  years,  followed  at  different  times  by  Armstrong, 
Kelly,  E.  Erskine,  and  others,  until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  Rev.  George 
Paull,  a  young  minister  from  Pennsylvania,  came  for  five  months  as  he  had 
decided  to  go  as  missionary  to  Corisco,  Africa.  He  soon  died  there,  and  was 
deeply  mourned.  That  autumn,  Rev.  Geo.  T.  Crissman  was  called,  laboring 
with  high  esteem  until  1878.  An  interval  of  six  months  was  filled  by  Rev. 
W.  M.  Blackburn,  and  another  of  two  years  by  Rev.  S.  H.  Weller.  Rev. 
James  Frothingham  preached  for  four  years,  and  on  his  departure  in  1886, 
Rev.  J.  W.  Skinner  was  chosen  pastor,  continuing  until  his  removal  to  Colo- 
rado in  1902.  Rev.  W.  V.  Jeffries  filled  the  pulpit  until  1907,  when  Rev. 
\V.  C.  Crofts  was  invited  to  the  vacancy.  He  is  a  graduate  of  McCormick 
seminary,  Chicago,  a  classmate  of  Rev.  C.  G.  Richards  in  Sterling.  The 
membership  of  the  church  is  310,  with  280  scholars  enrolled  in  the  Sunday 
school,  and  a  C.  Endeavor  of  thirty.  The  usual  missionary  and  ladies'  soci- 
eties, and  a  men's  brotherhood.  William' Fraser,  elder,  in  an  article  in  the 
Monthly  Messenger,  Fulton,  says  the  present  church,  occupied  in  1884,  cost 
$15,000,  and  the  organ  since  installed,  $1,800.  The  board  of  trustees  elected 
in  1893  consisted  o"f  A.  J.  Jackson,  Edward  Vennum.  C.  Shirk,  Robert.  Wal- 
lace, and  S.  M.  Ladd. 

CHURCH   OF   THE   GOOD   SHEPHERD. 

This  solid  brick  church  stands  on  the  corner  of  Gl'ove  and  Cherry 
streets,  and  was  erected  in  1870  at  a  cost  of  $11,000.  The  Universalists 
formed  an  organization  as  early  as  1866  with  J.  R.  Bailey.  Jesse  McKee,  W. 
Twining,  G.  S.  Fullmer  and  W.  Topping,  as  trustees;  J.  M.  Burtch,  secretary 
and  J.  Mayo,  treasurer.  The  constitution  was  signed  by  48  persons.  The 
dedication  sermon  was  preached  Feb.  16,  1870,  by  Dr.  Ryder,  of  Chicago. 
No  regular  pastors  for  many  years.  Rev.  J.  F.  Newton,  of  Dixon,  has  been 
preaching  of  late  on  Sunday  afternoons,  as  well  as  delivering  a  series  of 
literary  lectures  on  Friday  evening. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  323 


Worship  was  held  as  early  as  1857  in  houses,  and  in  1862  the  brick 
church  was  built.  Among  the  early  priests  were  Kennedy,  Ford,  Daly,  Gov- 
ern, Gormley.  When  there  is  no  resident  pastor,  the  priest  at  Fulton  has 
officiated.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  M.  A.  Dorney,  educated  at  the  Jesuits' 
College  in  Chicago.  There  are  two  hundred  souls  in  the  congregation,  mostly 
in  the  country.  An  altar  society  of  forty  ladies.  A  neat  interior  with  two 
rows  of  pews,  and  on  the  walls  the  usual  pictures  of  the  stations  of  the  cross. 
An  elegant  new  rectory  lately  completed  at  a  cost  of  $4,"300.  A  fine  situation 
on  a  terrace  on  west  side  of  Bay  street. 

THE    BAPTIST. 

This  was  started  like  other  Morrison  churches  in  Union  Grove  in  its 
palmy  days,  and  the  first  services  were  held  by  Rev.  E.  Ingham,  a  home  mis- 
sionary. In  1854  the  society  was  organized  with  thirteen  members,  Timothy 
Dimick  and  wife,  Sanford  Williams  and  wife,  W.  H.  Pollard  and  wife,  E. 
A.  Pollard  and  wife,  Nancy  Lewis,  Clarinda  Dimick,  A.  I.  Maxwell,  N.  S. 
Barlow  and  wife.  The  first  services  in  Morrison  were  at  Johnson's  Hall. 
The  first  building  was  on  corner  of  Genesee  and  Park  streets,  completed  in 
1857.  Rev.  L.  L.  Lansing  was  first  pastor,  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  V.  Allison, 
K.  W.  Benton,  A.  A.  Russell,  Deland,  Keene,  Collins,  and  others,  no  pastor 
remaining  a  long  time.  In  1872  a  new  brick  church  was  erected  on  corner 
of  Grove  and  Cherry  streets.  The  membership  at  one  period  was  280,  but 
it  has  declined  of  late  years,  and  at  present  there  are  108.  The  minister  in 
charge  is  Rev.  J.  W.  Kinnett,  in  his  second  year.  He  took  a  course  at 
Rochester  Theological  Seminary,  University  of  Chicago,  and  is  now  study- 
ing for  a  degree.  There  are  the  usual  woman's  societies,  B.  Y.  P.  U.,  and 
a  Sunday  school  of  75  pupils. 

On  the  south  side  is  a  small  Swedish  Lutheran  church,  and  near  Smith's 
bank  a  Christian  Science  Reading  room,  open  from  1  to  5  P.  M.,  with  Sun- 
day services  at  10  A.  M. 

ST.  ANN'S  EPISCOPAL. 

It  was  organized,  Nov.  22,  1888.  The  building  is  frame  with  a  base- 
ment for  parish  meetings.  Rev.  Edwin  Weary,  of  Sterling,  is  priest  in 
charge.  Finance  committee  consists  of  R.  Norrish,  R.  E.  Cochran,  R.  Wood, 
J.  Ritchie,  A.  Penn.  There  are  15  families,  and  32  members.  Three  guilds, 
St.  Ann's,  ten  members;  St.  Margaret's,  twelve;  Junior,  eight.  The  work  at 
this  mission  has  been  performed  mostly  by  the  clergy  of  Grace  church.  Ster- 
ling. During  the  summer,  students  from  the  Western  Theo.  Seminary  have 
spent  their  vacation  in  Morrison.  For  ten  years  St.  Ann's  had  a  resident 
pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Gear,  now  rector  of  Maywood,  111.  Before  the  erection  of 
a  church  building,  services  were  held  in  a  public  hall. 

THE   WHITESIDE  SENTINEL. 

Some  said.  John,  print  it,  others  said,  Not  so, 
Some  said,  It  might  do  good,  others  said,  No. 

— John  Bunyan. 


324  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Little  Iceland  some  years  ago  celebrated  her  Millennial,  a  thousand  years 
since  her  start.  America  is  too  young  for  such  a  performance.  Philadelphia 
had  the  Centennial  in  1878,  and  Chicago  the  Columbus  anniversary  in  1893. 
But  our  semi-centennials  are  becoming  numerous  even  in  the  West,  and 
the  Sentinel  had  hers  in  the  issue  of  July  25,  1907.  From  a  paper  of  that 
date,  we  are  glad  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  this 
long  established'  journal.  The  Sentinel  says: 

OUR    FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY. 

Fifty  years  ago — July  23,  1857 — The  Sentinel  was  first  issued  to  the 
public.  No  other  newspaper  now  published  in  Whiteside  was  then  in  exist- 
ence, so  that  it  can  be  truthfully  said  that  The  Sentinel  is  the  oldest  paper 
published  in  the  county. 

In  1857  the  new  town  of  Morrison,  which  had  been  located  with  the 
coming  of  the  railroad  in  the  fall  of  1855,  was  beginning  to  develop,  and  the 
citizens  felt  that  a  newspaper  medium  should  be  established  by  which  its  advan- 
tages as  a  commercial  point,  and  its  fine  location  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the 
most  fertile  agricultural  districts  in  the  State,  could  be  made  more  generally 
known.  With  this  in  view  they  invited  Mr.  Alfred  McFadden,  who  was  con- 
nected with  a  paper  known  as  the  Fulton  Investigator,  to  take  charge  of  an  of- 
fice in  Morrison,  which  invitation  he  accepted.  They  advanced  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  to  him,  which  he  was  to  repay  in  advertising,  and  copies  of 
the  paper.  A  hand  press  and  a  sufficient  amount  of  type  to  print  the  paper 
and  do  ordinary  job  work,  were  purchased,  and  on  the  23rd  of  July,  1857, 
the  first  number  of  The  Whiteside  Sentinel,  a  six-column  four-page  paper 
was  sent  forth  to  do  its  work  in  assisting  to  build  up  Morrison  and  White- 
side  county. 

The  Sentinel  was  conducted  by  Mr.  McFadden  until  1862,  when,  owing 
to  ill  health,  he  leased  it  to  Elmer  Searle  for  one  year.  At  the  expiration  of 
the  lease  Mr.  McFadden  resumed  its  publication,  and  in  1868  enlarged  it 
to  an  eight-column  four-page  paper.  In  July,  1867,  The  Sentinel  was  pur- 
chased by  Charles  Bent  and  Maurice  Savage,  who  published  it  until  May, 
1870,  when  Mr.  Bent  became  the  sole  proprietor.  He  instituted  many  im- 
provements, and  also  enlarged  the  paper  to  four  pages  of  nine  columns  each. 
In  July,  1877,  Mr.  Bent  sold  the  office  to  Robert  W.  Welch  of  New  York 
city,  from  whom  he  repurchased  -it  in  March,  1879,  in  the  interim  having 
published  a  history  of  Whiteside  county,  and  has  since  been  its  proprietor. 

From  April  1,  1899,  to  Oct.  1,  1899,  the  Sentinel  was  published  as  a 
semi-weekly,  but  subscribers  were  dissatisfied  with  the  change,  and  it  returned 
to  its  original  form  as  a  nine-column  weekly.  On  Sept.  28,  1905,  it  was 
enlarged  to  a  seven-column,  eight-page  paper,  and  since  July,  1907,  has 
been  published  as  a  twelve-page  newspaper. 

During  the  absence  of  its  owner  while  attending  to  his  official  duties 
as  U.  S.  Pension  Agent  at  Chicago  it  has  been  continued  under  the  suc- 
cessful management  of  Charles  Bent,  Jr. 

The  Sentinel  adds  this  hopeful  prophecy:  The  cycle  of  fifty  years  has 
now  closed  at  the  commencement  of  which  Morrison  with  now  a  population 


CHICAGO  &  NORTHWESTERN  DEPOT,  MORRISON 


LIBRARY 
OF  TH€ 

wmmt  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  325 

of  nearly  3,000,  was  a  hamlet  embracing  less  than  300  people,  and  the  county 
with  its  population  now  of  nearly  40,000,  containing  then  only  a  few  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  and  it  will  not  be  unreasonable  to  predict  that  the  next 
fifty  years  will  bring  as  great  a  growth  in  population  and  material  benefit 
as  the  past  fifty  years  have  witnessed. 

THE   MORRISON    RECORD. 

The  younger  of  the  two  weeklies  of  the  city,  and  a  progressive  paper. 
It  was  founded  March  17,  1894,  by  H.  E.  Brown.  Buell  A.  Langdon  bought 
one  half  interest,  Sept.  1,  1894,  and  the  firm  became  Brown  &  Langdon. 
This  continued  till  Jan.  1,  1897,  when  Langdon  bought  Brown's  interest. 
Langdon  was  alone  till  May  1,  1902,  when  he  sold  to  W.  B.  Barnes,  who 
ran  the  paper  until  Dec.  1,  1904,  when  C.  E.  Johnson  purchased  one  half 
interest,  and  six  months  later,  the  remainder.  Since  that  time,  he  has  been 
sole  editor  and  proprietor. 

The  Record  is  a  six-column  quarto,  or  eight  pages,  well  printed,  and 
is  a  bright,  clean,  attractive  sheet.  It  has  one  unusual  feature.  There  are 
no  patent  insides,  no  plate  matter  prepared  in  Chicago,  and  sent  broadcast 
over  a  hundred  counties.  Numerous  advertisements  and  a  generous  supply 
of  local  affairs  furnish  material  in  plenty  for  the  columns.  Republican  in 
politics,  and  sound  in  every  good  cause.  The  presses  are  run  by  gas  engines. 
The  office  is  on  the  north  side  of  West  Main  street,  and  the  Record  comes 
out  every  Thursday.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  practical  printer,  an  affable  young 
gentleman,  and  is  rapidly  advancing  the  circulation  of  his  paper. 

VARIOUS  VENTURES. 

The  Reform  Investigator,  started  by  Elmer  Searle  in  1868,  devoted  to 
financial  reform,  published  at  the  Sentinel  office,  was  removed  in  1870,  to 
Chicago,  and  perished  in  the  fire  of  1871. 

During  the  Greeley  campaign  of  1872  the  Morrison  Independent  was 
issued  with  L.  S.  Ward  as  business  manager,  and  J.  W.  Huett,  editor,  and 
discontinued  in  1874.  In  July,  1874,  the  office  was  purchased  by  G.  J. 
Booth  and  Son,  who  published  the  Morrison  Times,  but  after  two  years, 
they  moved  to  Rock  Falls,  and  started  the  Whiteside  Times. 

In  July,  1876,  Guernsey  Conolly  and  Frank  A.  Gore  moved  their  print- 
ing office  from  Lyndon  to  Morrison,  publishing  the  Morrison  Democrat,  advo- 
cating Tilden's  election,  but  it  retired  in  1877. 

THE    FACTORIES. 

Let  us  then  be  up  and  doing, 
With  a  heart  for  any  fate. 

As  you  pass  to  the  west  end,  over  a  long  building  is  a  huge  sign  with 
glaring  letters,  Libby,  McNeill  &  Libby,  Condensed  Milk  Plant.  It  was  started 
March  4,  1907,  W.  P.  Page,  supt.,  and  employs  45  men  and  7  girls.  The 
farmers  bring  milk  in  ten-gallon  cans.  After  it  is  weighed,  it  is  thrown  into 
a  large  storage  tank,  and  the  systematic  process  begins.  The  heating  in 


326  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

copper  kettles,  the  adding  of  sugar,  the  vacuum  pan,  where  steam  eliminates 
water  and  impurities,  the  filling  of  the  cans,  placing  in  coolers,  and  then  in 
barrels  of  600  pounds  for  shipment  to  bakers  and  confectioners.  After  the 
cans  are  emptied,  they  are  washed  by  steam  and  sterilized.  Nothing  is  left 
undone  to  insure  perfect  cleanliness.  The  whole  building  from  top  to  bot- 
tom would  make  a  Dutch  housekeeper  dance  for  joy.  In  one  room  is  an 
array  of  small  bottles  on  shelves  of  milk  subjected  to  analysis.  As  we  were 
informed,  these  milk  plants  are  a  direct  benefit  to  farmers  by  affording  a 
home  market  for  cash  and  by  increasing  the  value  of  the  land.  It  rents  for 
more  per  acre,  and  rises  in  valuation. 

The  can-making  department  at  the  Libby,  McNeill  &  Libby  plant  made 
a  very  respectable  reputation  for  itself  one  day  by  turning  out  22,037  cans 
in  four  hours.  The  average  run  is  around  the  5,000  per  hour  mark,  but  on 
this  particular  occasion  it  was  stretched  a  trifle.  This  department  is  in  charge 
of  Mr.  Bernheisel,  lately  of  Rockford. 

Not  far  off  is  the  Refrigerator  factory.  It  was  started  for  the  sole  manu- 
facture of  refrigerators,  but  to  furnish  employment  at  dull  seasons  of  the 
year,  school  furniture  was  added  as  a  sort  of  by-product.  For  instance,  from 
May  to  September,  furniture,  from  September  to  May,  refrigerators.  In 
winter  135  hands  are  employed.  Fifteen  years  in  operation.  The  chief 
woods  used  are  elm,  ash,  and  gum.  A  late  innovation  in  the  interior  of 
the  refrigerator  is  the  insertion  of  glass  and  enamel  instead  of  zinc.  More 
'  ornamental,  but  increases  the  price.  A  perfect  fire  system  with  a  pressure 
through  the  pipes  on  every  floor  from  their  own  51,000  gallon  tank.  W.  H. 
Colyer,  nine  years  in  the  works,  showed  the  writer  much  courtesy. 

SENATOR    TRUMBULL    AT    MORRISON. 

Prof.  S.  A.  Maxwell  sends  this  reminiscence:  In  the  fall  of  1866,  Sena-* 
tor  Lyman  Trumbull  addressed  a  large  audience  on  the  political  issues.  A 
laughable  incident  occurred  in  the  middle  of  his  speech.  To  illustrate 
a  point,  he  shouted,  "Show  me  a  Democrat,"  and  with  more  emphasis,  "Show 
me  a  Democrat!"  At  this  juncture,  a  red-faced,  half-witted,  and  half-intoxi- 
cated man  arose  at  the  end  of  the  platform,  and  swinging  his  hat,  shouted, 
"I  belong  to  that  party."  Senator  Trumbull  turned,  and  taking  in  the 
measure  of  the  fellow,  scathingly  retorted,  "Yes,  and  I  think  you  got  into 
it  as  Nasby  did  in  the  Philadelphia  convention,  by  the  color  of  your  nose 
and  the  smell  of  your  breath."  After  the  tremendous  applause  subsided,  a 
local  politician  called  the  Senator's  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  chap  was 
not  sound  in  mind,  not  a  fair  representative  of  the  great  party,  whereupon 
Trumbull  promptly  made  an  apology,  by  saying  that  had  he  known  the 
mental  condition  of  the  fellow,  he  would  not  have  uttered  the  retort. 

MORRISON    IN    U.    S.    SENATE. 

In  the  Republican  &  Gazette,  Sterling,  William  Caffrey,  editor,  July  28, 
I860,  appeared  the  following  advertisement: 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  327 

Hiram  A.  Johnson.  Henry  M.  Teller. 

Attorneys  and  Counsellors  at  law. 

Solicitors  in  chancery,  Morrison,  Whiteside  county.     Will  practice  at  all  the 

courts  of  the  22nd  judicial  district,  and  in  the  supreme  and 

U.  S.  district  courts  of  Illinois. 

But  Mr.  Teller  did  not  remain  long  enough  in  Whiteside  to  become 
known  to  the  bar  or  to  the  people,  for  adopting  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  he 
removed  to  Colorado  in  1861,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In  1876, 
Centennial  year,  when  Colorado  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  he  was  elected 
to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  and  except  three  years  in  the  cabinet  of  President 
Arthur  as  secretary  of  the  interior,  1882-1885,  has  held  the  office  by  re-elec- 
tion. His  present  term  expires  in  1909.  During  a  late  campaign,  he  spoke 
in  Morrison  on  the  court  house  grounds.  It  is  somewhat  curious  that  in  his 
sketch  in  the  Congressional  Directory,  1906,  while  the  town  of  his  birth, 
Granger,  N.  Y.,  1830,  is  given,  and  the  town  of  his  education,  Rushford 
academy  and  Alfred  University,  no  mention  of  Morrison  or  Whiteside.  It 
reads:  "In  January,  1858,  removed  to  Illinois,  and  practiced  law  there  until 
April,  1861." 

One  of  Teller's  early  cronies  during  his  struggling  days  in  Morrison, 
was  the  solemn  and  dignified  A.  J.  Jackson,  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Bank.  He  always  meets  the  Senator,  who  regularly  visits  Morrison  to  see 
his  sisters  when  on  his  way  to  Washington.  They  occasionally  slept  together 
in  an  old  shack  on  Main  street,  since  moved  away  and  torn  down,  whose 
ceiling  was  so  low  that  it  was  impossible  to  stand  erect.  They  once  went 
to  see  it,  and  get  a  sliver  of  the  tenement  that  had  sheltered  their  noble  frames. 

Honor   and   fame   from    no    condition    rise, 
Act  well  your  part,  there  all  the  honor  lies. 

Senator  Henry  M.  Teller,  of  Colorado,  announces  that  he  will  return 
to  private  life  at  the  expiration  of  hi^  present  term  in  the  Senate  in  1909. 
The  Senator,  who  is  in  his  seventy-ninth  year,  and  in  splendid  health,  said' 
lately:  "I  can  foresee  no  contingency  that  will  cause  me  to  again  seek  elec- 
tion for  the  Senate.  I  do  not  care  to  give  a  specific  reason  for  my  retirement, 
beyond  the  weight  of  years.  By  next  March  I  shall  have  spent  a  little  over 
thirty-two  years  at  Washington,  mostly  as  Senator  from  Colorado.  I  think 
that  is  a  sufficient  time  for  me  to  spend  in  public  service,  and  will  retire." 

ALPHEUS    CLARK    POST. 

This  is  number  118  G.  A.  R.,  and  was  organized  Dec.  6,  1881.  Frank 
Clendenin  was  first  post  commander,  and  by  re-election  held  the  office  four 
years.  Among  the  best  known  of  the  twenty  since  are  Charles  Bent,  G.  W. 
Howe,  E.  W.  Payne,  and  A".  J.  Jackson.  The  commander  for  1907  was  Wil- 
liam J.  Trye.  From  1904  to  1905  was  C.  W.  Mitchell,  also  a  familiar  face. 
The  regular  meetings  are  held  at  the  post  room  on  the  second  and  fourth 
Mondays.  Thirty  members  are  given  in  the  blue  booklet  used  by  the  boys 
for  reference.  At  the  January  meeting  of  the  W.  R.  C.,  'No.  116,  these 


328  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

officers  were  installed:  Mrs.  Phoebe  Burch,  president;  Mabel  Fellows,  sec- 
retary; Mary  Davis,  treasurer;  Mrs.  Lasher,  senior  vice;  Miss  Alice  Harri- 
son, conductor;  Miss  Cora  Hall,  assistant  conductor;  Mrs.  Amy  Heiss,  musi- 
cian ;  Julia  Winters,  chaplain.  Talks  from  the  veterans  and  a  banquet  suc- 
ceeded. 

MARRIED   SIXTY-TWO  YEARS. 

We  glean  this  happy  domestic  item  from  the  Sentinel  of  April  9,  1908: 

Besides  being  election  day,  Tuesday  was  an  important  day  for  at  least 
two  people  in  this  city,  as  that  day  was  the  sixty-second  anniversary  of  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jotham  McKee.-  This  worthy  couple  have  been 
residents  of  Whiteside  county  for  forty-two  years,  during  which  time  they 
have  lived  in  Ustick  and  in  this  city. 

Mr.  McKee  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  October  27,  1821, 
and  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  was  a  farmer  in  his  native 
county  until  January,  1866.  He  then  came  to  Whiteside  county,  Illinois, 
and  lived  in  this  city  for  twelve  years,  during  which  time  he  conducted  a 
meat  market.  He  served  in  the  capacity  of  constable,  also  as  deputy  sheriff, 
and  for  ten  years  was  city  marshal,  and  for  four  years  street  commissioner. 
He  was  a  capable  officer  and  served  the  public  by  attending  to  his  duties  with 
diligence  and  efficiency.  In  1878  he  bought  a  160-acre  farm  in  Ustick  and 
moved  there,  conducting  the  farm  for  several  years.  He  retired  from  the 
farm  a  few  years  ago,  and  came  to  this  city  to  reside  among  his  many  old 
friends  and  acquaintances. 

Delight  Frink  was  born  November  30,  1824,  in  Cortland  county,  New 
York,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Esther  Frink,  who  were  natives 
of  New  York,  as  were  Mr.  McKee's  parents.  Jotham  McKee  and  Delight 
Frink  were  united  in  marriage  April  7,  1846,  in  New  York.  They  have  one 
son,  James,  who  lives  in  Rockford,  Illinois. 

Mr.  McKee,  though  in  his  eighty-seventh  year,  is  vigorous  for  one  of  his 
age  and  during  the  past  winter  was  always  among  the  first  to  battle  with  the 
snow  drifts,  keeping  his  walks  clean  as  many  younger  citizens  neglected  to  do. 

RECENT  DEATHS  OF  OLD  SETTLERS. 

Alfred  Heaton,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  died  at  his  home  in 
Morrison.  1908,  after  an  illness  of  several  weeks.  He  was  nearly  eighty-eight 
years  of  age  and  had  resided  in  this  township  the  greater  part  of  the  time  since 
1837. 

Alfred  Heaton,  son  of  William  and  Martha  Heaton,  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson county,  New  York,  April  28,  1820.  In  1837,  eighteen  years  before 
the  first  railroad  was  built  through  this  township  he  came  with  his  family 
to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  and  located  on  section  3.  In 
Unionville,  May  11,  1845,  he  was  married  to  Eliza  J.  Robertson,  who  died 
May  29,  1895,  shortly  after  they  had  celebrated  their  fiftieth  anniversary. 

In  1850  Mr.  Heaton  crossed  the  western  plains  and  the  Rockies  with  a 
company  going  to  California  in  search  of  gold.  They  traveled  the  entire 
distance  with  oxen  and  wagon.  A  year  and  a  half  later  Mr.  Heaton  returned 
by  way  of  Panama. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  329 

4 

When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  with  Company  C,  Eighth  Illi- 
nois Cavalry,  and  served  until  September,  1862,  in  the  same  regiment  which 
his  son  enlisted  in  later. 

In  1881  he  moved  to  Dakota  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first 
legislature  holding  a  session  in  South  Dakota  after  it  became  a  state. 

In  1893  he  returned  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  which  has  since  been  his  home. 

Flavins  J.  Jackson  was  born  Aug.  22,  1825,  near  Chesterville,  Knox 
county,  Ohio,  and  died  Feb.  8,  1908,  at  the  age  of  82  years,  5  months  and 
16  days.  He  came  west  with  his  father's  family  in  1837,  settling  on  a  claim 
where  Morrison  now  is  and  has  made  his  home  here  ever  since. 

UNION  GROVE. 

By  Prof.  S,  A.  Maxwell. 
I  hear  the  tread  of  pioneers 

Of  nations  yet  to  be, 
The  first  low  wash  of  waves  where  soon 

Shall  roll  a  human  sea. — Whittier. 

The  original  settler  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Union  Grove  was  Joshua 
T.  Atkinson,  who  came  to  this  county  in  1834,  and  made  extensive  claims 
in  Union  Grove  during  the  summer  of  1835.  He  built  a  cabin  into  which 
his  family  moved  in  July,  1836.  Previous  to-  his  removal  to  Geneseo,  Henry 
county  in  1875,  he  lived  for  many  years  on  his  farm  in  Union  Grove.  He 
was  an  energetic  pioneer,  and  with  the  assistance  of  Andrus  Hubbard  and 
C.  G.  Woodruff  of  Lyndon,  made  the  first  breaking  plow  ever  constructed  in 
the  county.  He  also  has  the  credit  of  introducing  the  first  reaper  into  the 
county.  He  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  being  first  elected  in  1836. 
None  of  the  descendants  of  Mr.  Atkinson  are  now  living  in  the  county. 
Among  other  early  settlers  may  be  named  Henry  Ustick,  who  later  removed 
to  Ustick  township,  Ira  Burch,  D.  B.  Young,  Elisha  Hubbart,  Stephen  Jeffers, 
John  A.  Robertson.  All  of  these  have  children  or  grandchildren  still  resid- 
ing in  the  county.  Jacob  Baker  was  one  of  the  prominent  pioneers.  He 
purchased  a  claim  in  1842.  He  came  from  Fulton  where  he  had  resided 
three  years,  and  where  in  1840  he  organized  the  first  Sunday  school  in  the 
county.  A  strong  temperance  advocate,  a  radical  abolitionist  of  the  Lovejoy 
type,  maintaining  a  station  on  the  underground  railroad  for  years.  Because 
of  his  radical  views  on  slavery,  he  withdrew  from  the  M.  E.  church,  and  in 
January,  1845,  at  the  Unionville  schoolhouse,  with  D.  B.  Young,  Henry 
Boyer,  and  others,  organized  a  society  more  in  harmony  with  their  senti- 
ments. As  a  sequel  to  this,  a  church  building  was  erected  in  Unionville,  and 
services  held  regularly  until  1870,  when  the  building  was  removed.  Since 
that  time  no  services  have  been  held  in  the  town  except  Sunday  schools  and 
occasional  preaching  in  schoolhouses.  After  Morrison  sprang  up,  several 
churches  were  removed  to  that  place  from  Unionville,  where  they  were  organ- 
ized and  flourished  for  a  time.  Mrs.  W.  B.  Bull,  of  Union  Grove,  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  Jacob  Baker,  and  her  children  and  grandchildren  represent  the 
fourth  and  fifth  generation  of  their  noted  pioneer. 


330  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  first  school  in  the  town  was  taught  by  Miss  Mary  Jeffers  in  1840, 
in  a  room  in  Henry  Boyer's  log  cabin.  In  the  same  year  A.  J.  Maxwell  was 
engaged  to  build  a  frame  schoolhouse  on  a  corner  of  the  farm  of  D.  B. 
Young,  the  same  now  owned  by  Hon.  H.  M.  Teller,  of  Colorado,  on  the  Mt. 
Carroll  road.  When  the  building  was  enclosed,  a  meeting  was  called,  and 
it  was  decided  to  change  the  site,  and  it  was  moved  across  the  prairie  to  the 
place  where  Mrs.  Graves  now  lives,  near  the  Unionville  schoolhouse.  About 
1882  C.  T.  Heathcote  purchased  this  building,  and  removed  it  to  Morrison 
for  a  dwelling.  It  now  forms  the  west  part  of  the  residence  of  Mrs.  0.  P. 
Gray.  There  are  now  eight  schools  in  Union  Grove,  with  progressive  teach- 
ers. Among  the  pedagogues  who  have  taught  in  the  town  during  the  last 
forty  years  are  Columbus  Vennum,  W.  F.  Eastman,  S.  D.  Gossert,  F.  Ogs- 
bury,  Miss  Kate  Martin,  S.  A.  Maxwell,  W.  S.  Ellison,  J.  V.  Washburne, 
Frank  Willsey,  Miss  Bertha  Lati-mer,  and  Arthur  Klontz. 

Unionville  has  the  distinction  of  having  the  only  official  branch  office 
of  the  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau  in  the  county.  Complete  records  are  kept  show- 
ing meteorological  conditions  for  every  day  for  the  past  several  years.  Mr. 
S.  A.  Maxwell,  the  observer,  has  during  the  past  five  years  furnished  data 
to  attorneys,  bearing  on  cases  in  Whiteside  and  Carroll  courts,  and  Clinton, 
Iowa. 

Among  the  early  settlers  still  in  the  town  after  45  years  may  be  men- 
tioned Ira  S.  Burch,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milo  Johnson,  William  Annan,  Miss  Kate 
Annan,  and  John  Phinney.  The  latter  is  a  well  known  teacher,  having 
served  in  various  parts  of  Whiteside,  and  doubtless  has  the  record  for  more 
years  of  educational  usefulness  than  any  other  in  the  profession.  He  is  in 
fairly  good  health  for  an  octagenarian,  and  lives  on  his  farm  with  his  daugh- 
ter and  husband,  two  miles  west  of  Morrison.  He  was  born  in  Vermont  in 
1824. 

In  the  west  part  of  Union  Grove  are  the  Cat-tail  Bottoms,  a  by-word 
from  the  earliest  days  for  rough  travel  and  impossible  cultivation.  It  has 
been  discovered  that  they  are  highly  valuable,  and  Oscar  A.  Oliver,  formerly 
in  business  in  Sterling  and  Chicago,  now  residing  on  the  west  side  of  the 
bottoms,  south  of  Morrison,  on  the  Garden  Plain  road,  has  started  extensive 
celery  beds,  which  thrive  like  a  green  bay  tree.  Other  growers  are  Ira  Burch 
and  Peter  Clapp.  The  latter  has  purchased  the  interest  of  George  DeHaan. 
The  quality  of  the  vegetable  is  excellent,  and  large  shipments  are  made  to 
the  cities. 

West  of  Unionville  is  a  neatly  kept  cemetery.  On  the  tombs  you  may 
read  such  names:  Wenger,  Richmond,  Pollard,  Summers.  The  oldest  per- 
son is  Joseph  Johnson,  who  died  in  1864,  aged  ninety,  a  soldier  of  1812. 
The  children  of  Rev.  H.  Hawkins,  1861:  Jane  Root,  1851.  Here  is  a  spruce 
planted  by  a  girl  over  the  grave  of  her  lover.  Henry  Ustick,  aged  66,  who 
died  in  1855.  Elijah  Town,  1843.  Peter  Root,  1862,  Co.  B,  75th  Illinois 
Volunteers.  These  rural  grave  yards,  what  places  for  meditation  and  mem- 
ory! Here  sleep  these  faded  forms  far  from  the  madding  crowd,  the  strug- 
gles of  the  busy  world. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  3:31 

MRS.    PHEBE  VENNUM,    CENTENARIAN.  „ 

By  Prof.  S.  A.  Maxwell. 

The  woman  of  Whiteside  county  to  attain  the  greatest  age  was  Mrs. 
Phebe  Vennum,  whose  last  years  were  spent  in  the  home  of  her  son,  Edward 
Vennum,  Union  Grove,  She  was  born  at  Rockaway,  Morris  county,  New 
Jersey,  June  23,  1784,  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Abigail  Jackson.  The 
father  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  holding  the  rank  of  major, 
On  Feb.  25,  1802,  Phebe  became  the  wife  of  Isaac  Lewis  of  Sussex  county, 
by  whom  she  had  two  sons,  James  L.,  born  Jan.  25,  1803,  and  Benjamin 
J.,  born  July  4,  1805.  Mr.  Lewis  died  in  1814,  and  Mrs.  Lewis  with  her 
two  children  removed  with  her  parents  to  Knox  county,  Ohio,  where,  three 
years  later,  she  married  John  Vennum,  of  Washington,  Pa.  They  had  three 
sons,  Edward,  Columbus,  and  John  N.,  and  one  daughter,  Betsy,  who  died 
in  infancy.  Mrs.  V.  came  to  Illinois  with  her  husband  and  family  in  1846, 
and  settled  in  Union  Grove  on  section  3,  where  Mr.  V.  died  Feb.  12,  1858. 
After  his  death,  she  made  her  home  for  31  years  with  her  son,  Edward,  a 
prosperous  farmer.  Her  health  was  remarkable.  To  her  one  hundredth 
year,  she  had  taken  little  medicine,  and  was  never  seriously  sick.  Her  senses 
to  her  last  illness  were  acute,  and  conversation  with  her  was  always  a  pleas- 
ure. The  writer  visited  her  at  the  age  of  102,  and  presented  her  a  cane  on 
behalf  of  W.  0.  Dudley  and  A.  J.  Maxwell  of  Lyndon.  At  this  time,  her 
sight,  hearing,  and  power  to  converse,  were  excellent.  One  June  23,  1884, 
her  one  hundredth  anniversary,  nearly  200  relatives,  friends,  and  neighbors, 
young  and  old,  assembled  at  the  Vennum  home  to  pay  their  respects  to  the 
venerable  pioneer.  Among  those  present  was  Benjamin  Lewis,  of  Flint,  Mich., 
the  eighty-year  old  son  of  Mrs.  Vennum.  At  the  old  settlers'  meeting  on 
Morrison  fair  ground,  Sept.,  1884,  Mrs.  Vennum  was  present,  being  then  one 
hundred. 

Mrs.  Vennum  was  nearly  five  when  Washington  was  inaugurated,  fif- 
teen at  his  death  in  1799,  twenty-five  when  Lincoln  was  born,  thirty-four 
when  Illinois  became  a  state  in  1818,  fifty  when  the  first  settlers  came  to 
Whiteside,  seventy-seven  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civjl  war,  and  105  lacking 
four  days  at  her  death,  June  19,  1889.  Peter  Ford,  who  died  at  Deer  Grove, 
1907,  at  the  age  of  105,  and  Mrs.  Vennum,  are  the  only  two  centenarians 
of  the  county. 

THE   OLD   MILL   AT    UNIONVILLE. 

By  S.  A.  Maxwell. 

The  wide-spreading  pond,  and  the  mill  which  stood  by  it, 

The  bridge,  and  the  rock  where  the  cataract  fell. — Woodworth. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  other  landmark  in  Whiteside  county  familiar  to 
more  people  than  the  stone  grist  mill  on  Rock  creek.  Just  fifty  years  ago, 
in  the  summer  of  1858,  its  erection  was  began  by  John  A.  Robertson  and 
Wm.  Annan,  but  it  was  not  completed  till  Dec.,  1859.  It  has  always  been 
in  operation,  and  grists  of  wheat,  buckwheat,  and  corn,  are  still  turned  out 


332  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

to  the  satisfaction  of  customer?.    The  larger  part  of  its  work  now  is  the  grind- 
ing of  mixed  corn  and  oats  for  feeding  stock. 

In  1867,  Annan  became  sole  owner  by  the  purchase  of  Robertson's  inter- 
est. Annan  died  about  twenty  years  ago,  and  his  son,  Wm.  Annan,  who  had 
been  employed  in  the  mills  since  1868,  has  conducted  the  business  since. 

The  first  mill  on  this  site  was  a  saw  mill  built  in  1839  by  John  A.  Rob- 
ertson and  Benjamin  Burns.  The  latter  traded  his  interest  in  1842  for  the 
whole  of  section  2  in  Union  Grove,  and  this  section  of  the  mill  interest  changed 
owners  two  or  three  times.  In  1855  Porteus  Robertson  owned  it,  and  sold 
out  to  Wm.  Annan.  For  several  years,  the  mill  ran  irregularly,  as  saw 
logs  became  scarce,  and  as  excellent  pine  lumber  could  be  obtained  cheap  at 
Fulton  and  Albany.  When  it  became  a  poor  investment,  the  proprietors 
wisely  concluded  to  take  it  down,  and  erect  the  present  grist  mill. 

Rock  creek  furnishes  the  power  for  the  mill.  Previous  to  1862,  a  brush 
dam  was  used,  but  since,  a  frame  dam  has  'done  excellent  service  with  occa- 
sional repairs.  The  mill  and  dam  are  only  sixty  feet  from  the  public  road 
from  Morrison  to  Unionville,  which  here  crosses  the  creek  on  a  splendid 
steel  bridge.  It  was  erected  in  1892  in  place  of  the  previous  structure  of 
frame. 

STERLING. 

So  we  grew  together, 

Like  to  a  double  cherry,  seeming  parted. — Shakespeare. 

If  any  one  walks  Third  street  from  east  to  west,  two  miles  long,  now 
lined  with  stores  and  residences,  and  thinks  of  the  time  when  there  were  a 
few  scattered  cabins  on  either  end,  he  will  soon  have  an  idea  of  the  wonderful 
development  of  the  city.  For  years  there  were  indeed  two  rival  towns,  Har- 
risburg  on  the  east  and  Chatham  on  the  wast.  Hezekiah  Brink  was  the  pioneer 
who,  in  June,  1834,  put  up  the  first  log  hut  in  what  is  now  the  first  ward. 
Every  year  following  brought  accessions.  In  1835  the  Albertsons;  in  1836 
Luther  Bush,  Nelson  Mason,  Van  J.  Adams;  in  1837  Hugh  Wallace,  E.  B. 
Worthington,  the  Woodburns,  Ezekiel  Kilgour;  in  1838  Luther  Wetherbee, 
the  Whipples,  Jesse  Penrose,  Jonathan  Stevens;  in  1840  R.  L.  Wilson,  John 
Dippell.  But  there  was  a  jealousy  between  the  two  towns.  Between  the  west 
line  of  Harrisburg  and  the  east  line  of  Chatham  were  six  blocks  called  neutral 
territory.  It  was  soon  found  that"  to  exert  any  influence  the  towns  must 
sink  their  differences,  and  unite  for  the  common  good.  This  necessity  was 
hastened  by  the  importance  of  securing  the  county  seat.  At  a  conference 
in  1839  the  consolidation  was  effected,  and  Sterling  adopted  as  the  name,  at 
the  suggestion  of  Hugh  Wallace,  in  compliment  to  his  friend,  Col.  Sterling, 
of  Pennsylvania.  Broadway  was  made  the  dividing  line,  and  the  new  court- 
house was  erected  on  its  west  side  in  1844.  This  became  the  center  of  busi- 
ness, and  stores  sprang  up.  But  a  large  gap,  a  long  hill  still  separated  the 
eastern  part  of  Sterling  from  the  west.  It  was  so  as  late  as  1856.  After  the 
excitement  due  to  the  removal  of  the  postoffice  to  the  west  end  by  Joseph 
Hutchison,  to  quiet  the  enraged  patrons,  Mr.  Hutchison  put  up  a  small 


THIRD  STREET,  STERLING,  IN  1868 


LIBRARY 

OF  TH£ 

!WVE°SITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

one-story  building  on  the  hill,  which  gradually  attracted  trade,  and  led  to 
other  improvements. 

It  will  be   noticed  that   the   avenues   of  Sterling,   running   north   and 
south  to  the  river,  are  much  wider  than  the  streets  east  and  west,     Rock 
river  was  considered  a  navigable  stream,  and  small  steamers  in  good  stage 
of  water  came  from  the  Mississippi.     So  delighted  with  the  arrival  of  Capt. 
Harris  in  1836  in  his  steamer  Pioneer  that  the  proud  citizens  of  upper  town 
named  it  Harrisburg  in  his  honor.     As  late  as  1844,  when  Gait  and  Craw- 
ford were  carrying  on  a  general  store,  they  sent  lard,  butter,  and  other  produce 
to  St.  Louis  by  occasional  boats  that  made  the  trips  up  and  down  the  river. 
A  political  incident  is  pleasantly  recalled  in  connection  with  the  block 
built  on  Third  street  in  1858  by  J.  H.  Boynton.     Hon.  John  P.  Hale,  the 
famous   anti-slavery  senator   of  New   Hampshire,   was   advertised   to   speak, 
Oct.  30,  but  the  wind  was  so  wintry,  that  an  out-door  meeting  was  impossible, 
and  as  the  partitions  of  the  Boynton  block  were  not  up,  the  whole  lower 
floor  was  seated,   and  several  hundred  men   made  comfortable.     He  spoke 
for  two  hours,  keeping  his  audience  in  good  humor  with  his  argument,  ridi- 
cule, and  illustration,  and  there  was  a  sigh  when  the  genial  speaker  left 
the  stand.     No  more  delightful  piece  of  political  oratory  was  ever  given  in 
the  city. 

THE   HOTELS. 

Whoe'er  has  traveled  life's  dull  round, 

Where'er  his  stages  may  have  been, 
May  sigh  to  think  he  still  has  found, 

His  warmest  welcome  at  an  inn. — Shenstone. 

Four  of  the  older  hotels  are  gone,  the  Central  House,  Sterling  House, 
the  American  somewhat  later,  the  Wallace  House,  now  the  office  of  the 
Gazette.  The  Boynton  has  been  metamorphosed  into  a  European  hotel.  The 
old  WTallace  House,  built  in  1854-55  by  Hugh  Wallace,  enjoyed  a  high  repu- 
tation for  twenty  years,  secured  chiefly  through  the  management  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  McCune,  who,  like  the  landlords  of  English  country  inns, 
gave  their  personal  attention  to  office  and  kitchen. 

The  opening  of  the  Gait  House,  erected  in  1877  by  Thomas  A.  Gait, 
drew  together  the  largest  assemblage  of  prominent  persons  since  the  railroad 
inauguration  in  1855.  The  reception  and  ball  on  the  evening  of  August  21 
was  attended  by  five  hundred  invited  guests,  comprising  state  officers,  editors, 
men  in  high  station  from  various  cities.  Flowers,  music,  decorations,  made 
the  brilliantly  lighted  halls  a  scene  of  Arcadian  revelry.  A  sumptuous  ban- 
quet. Toasts  and  replies  by  Attorney  General  Edsall,  Speaker  Shaw,  Con- 
gressman Burchard,  Sullivan  of  Chicago  Journal,  Judge  Eustace,  Win.  Barge, 
M.  S.  Henry,  C.  C.  Buell,  E.  B.  Washburne  stood  on  the  stairway,  and  said 
a  few  words,  the  last  appearance  of  our  distinguished  diplomat  in  the  city. 
The  enterprise  represents  an  investment  of  $75,000.  J.  H.  Gray,  of  Chi- 
cago, was  the  first  lessee.  The  building  is  brick,  four  stories  above  basement, 
and  one  hundred  by  hundred  and  twenty  feet  on  the  ground.  Accommoda- 
tions for  two  hundred  guests. 


334  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Built  a  few  years  later  is  the  Randolph  House,  corner  Third  and  A 
avenue,  on  the  site  of  the  oldest  grocery  in  Wallacetown,  kept  by  Robert 
and  Edgar  Randolph,  whose  gray-haired  father,  a  soldier,  was  until  his 
death,  the  oldest  citizen,  and  regularly  given  the  place  of  honor  on  the  plat- 
form at  public  celebrations.  It  is  just  north  of  the  Northwestern  station,  con- 
venient for  travelers,  and  until  her  decline  of  health,  was  conducted  by  Mrs. 
Emma  Randolph,  widow  of  Edgar. 

SOME    EARLY    MEMORIES. 

By  John  D.  Arey. 

Oft  in  the  stilly  night 

Ere  slumber's  chain  has  bound  me 

Fond  memory  brings  the  light 

Of  other  days  around  me. — Moore. 

Before  the  cities  of  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  existed,  the  place  they  occupy 
was  called  Rock  river  rapids.  In  1837  a  town  of  about  one  half  mile  square 
was  laid  out  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  called 
Harrisburg  in  honor  of  Capt.  Harris,  who  ran  the  first  steamboat  up  the  river 
to  this  place.  Soon  after  a  town  of  the  same  size  was  laid  out  on  the  same 
side  of  the  river,  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  about  one-third  of  a  mile  below 
Harrisburg,  called  Chatham.  At  this  time  the  State  of  Illinois  began  a 
series  of  internal  improvements,  one  of  which  was  a  canal  up  and  down  the 
rapids,  to  enable  boats  to  pass  them  by  a  lock.  The  canal  was  located  along 
the  south  bank  of  the  river,  and  about  $40,000  expended  toward  its  construc- 
tion. This  gave  the  south  side  of  the  river  a  great  advantage  in  future  pros- 
pects, and  a  town  one  mile  square,  called  Rapid  City,  was  laid  out  on  that 
side  opposite  Chatham,  and  while  the  state  work  was  in  progress,  completely 
overshadowed  the  prospects  of  the  two  north  side  towns.  The  work  done  on 
the  canal  was  one-half  mile  in  length,  between  avenues  A  and  D  in  the  pre-- 
ent  city  of  Rock  Falls.  A  dry  stone  wall,  eight  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  to 
be  four  feet  wide  at  the  top,  was  laid  along  the  margin  of  the  river  far  enough 
out  from  the  bank  to  give  the  canal  the  proper  width,  the  stone  quarried 
from  the  bank  to  build  the  wall,  and  the  stripping  and  waste  from  the  quar- 
ries deposited  on  the  river  side  of  it,  making  a  bank  about  fifty  feet  wide 
and  a  little  higher  than  the  wall.  When  the  work  was  stopped,  the  wall,  was 
from  six  to  eight  feet  in  height,  but  no  part  of  it  was  completed.  The  failure 
of  this  work  put  a  stop  to  any  further  improvements  in  Rapid  City,  and  it 
passed  out  of  existence. 

When  Whiteside  county  was  organized,  Lyndon  was  fixed  upon  as  the 
county  seat,  and  the  courts  were  held  there  for  a  few  years.  The  town  did 
not  furnish  a  suitable  building  in  which  to  hold  courts  and  keep  the  county 
records,  and  it  became  a  question  between  the  towns  in  different  parts  of  the 
county  as  to  which  could  hold  out  the  greatest  inducements  and  secure  the 
prize.  Harrisburg  and  Chatham  both  realized  that  neither  could  succeed  if 
opposed  by  the  other,  and  immediately  decided  to  unite  their  fortunes  and 
the  towns  at  the  same  time,  which  they  did  by  laying  out  a  street  north- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  335 

westerly  from  the  river  bank,  through  the  center  of  the  piece  of  land  between 
them,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  width,  called  Broadway,  and  extending 
the  streets  in  each  town  until  they  intersected  it,  distinguishing  the  num- 
bering of  the  blocks,  by  east,  or  west,  of  Broadway.  A  committee  from  each 
town  was  authorized  to  decide  on  which  side  of  Broadway  the  county  build- 
ing should  be  located,  and  on  a  name  for  the  new  town.  Block  fifty-seven 
west  of  Broadway  was  selected,  and  the  new  name  was  Sterling,  given  in 
honor  of  a  personal  friend  of  one  of  the  committee.  In  1844  a  courthouse 
was  erected,  and  the  courts  were  therein  located.  There  were  then  about 
two-thirds  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sterling  living  east  of  Broadway,  but  as 
stores  and  hotels  were  built,  they  were  mostly  located  west,  and  in  1855,  when 
the  first  railroad  was  built,  a  majority  of  the  people  were  living  there.  When 
the  first  depot  was  located  there  were  but  two  or  three  buildings  in  the  town 
west  of  Third  avenue,  the  lower  dam  was  built  the  same  season,  and  the  stone 
used  in  its  construction  was  taken  from  the  old  canal  wall,  and  the  quarries 
that  were  opened  in  both  banks  of  the  river  above  the  dam.  Wallace's  addi- 
tion was  laid  out  and  stores,  hotels,  and  other  business  enterprises  grew  up 
in  the  new  part  of  the  town.  Mills  and  factories  were  built  on  the  water 
power,  and  the  city  which  was  incorporated  in  1857  has  had  a  steady  growth 
to  the  present  time. 

In  1857,  Morrison,  then  an  important  station  on  the  railroad,  and 
located  near  the  center  of  the  county,  raised  the  question  of  a  new  location  for 
the  county  seat.  An  act  was  passed  by  the  General  Assembly  enabling  the 
people  to  vote  on  it.  Out  of  a  total  vote  of  3,203,  it  was  carried  for  the  town 
of  Morrison  by  a  majority  of  59,  and  the  county  offices  were  moved  to  that 
place  in  1858,  where  they  have  since  remained. 

At  the  time  of  the  earliest  settlement  of  Rock  river  rapids,  the  nearest 
point  where  the  people  could  receive  their  mail,  was  at  Dixon's  ferry,  where 
the  mail  route  from  Peoria  to  Galena  crossed  Rock  river,  and  a  postoffice 
was  established.  The  first  postoffice  was  opened  within  the  limits  of  the 
present  city  of  Sterling  in  1837,  and  was  kept  in  a  store  on  River  street,  on 
the  west  side  of  Chestnut  street  in  the  town  of  Chatham. 

FERRIES  AND  BRIDGES. 

The  river  knows  the  way  to  the  sea; 
Without  a  pilot  it  runs  and  falls. — Emerson. 

In  the  days  of  Harrisburg,  a  ferry  propelled  by  horse  power  was  run 
across  Rock  River  above  the  rapids  for  a  few  years  and  discontinued.  From 
that  time  until  the  lower  dam  was  built,  the  only  way  of  crossing  the  river 
at  Sterling  with  teams,  was  fording  in  summer,  or  crossing  the  ice  in  winter. 
A  fund  was  raised  by  subscription  in  1856,  and  the  first  bridge  was  built 
from  avenue  B,  crossing  the  north  channel  to  the  island,  from  the  island 
to  the  south  bank.  The  bridge  was  completed  with  the  exception  of  the 
floor  planking  at  the  south  end,  when  it  was  carried  out  by  the  i<!e  in  the 
spring  of  1857.  The  railroad  bridge  west  of  Nelson  was  at  the  same  time 
taken  from  the  piers  and  left  standing  with  the  track  on  it,  on  the  bottom 


336  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

lands  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  about  half  a  mile  down  the  stream.  A 
boat  was  then  built,  and  a  ferry  established  about  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  present  location  of  the  First  avenue  bridge.  A  cable  chain  was  laid  across 
the  river,  and  the  boat  was  propelled  by  a  tread  power,  the  chain  running 
over  the  drive  wheel,  and  over  pulleys  at  each  end  of  the  boat.  A  few  years 
afterward  another  ferry  was  established  at  Broadway,  and  was  operated  by 
anchoring  one  end  of  a  wire  cable  about  a  thousand  feet  in  length,  in  the 
center  of  the  river  above  the  ferry,  with  the  other  end  attached  to  the  boat 
in  such  a  manner  that  it  could  be  swung  across  the  river  by  the  current. 
The  cable  was  supported  above  the  water  by  small  boate  located  at  intervals 
of  about  two  hundred  feet,  under  the  line  of  the  cable;  it  did  not  prove  a 
.success,  and  only  ran  one  season.  About  the  same  time  a  rope  ferry  was 
started  on  avenue  B  below  the  dam,  which  was  operated  until  in  1863  a 
stock  company  was  formed,  and  a  toll  bridge  was  built  at  the  same  place, 
and  maintained  until  a  few  years  after  the  present  bridge  was  built. 

The  present  free  bridge  between  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  was  voted  by 
a  large  majority,  and  completed  in  1878.  It  is  a  six-span  bridge,  each  span 
171  feet  long,  the  superstructure  of  iron  being  twenty  feet  above  the  bed 
of  the  river,  with  a  road  bed  eighteen  feet  wide,  and  a  walk  five  feet  wide 
on  each  side.  The  abutments  and  piers  of  Batavia  stone.  The  structure  is 
guaranteed  to  sustain  a  weight  of  1,800  pounds  to  the  lineal  foot. 

In  1874  George  W.  Barr  fitted  up  a  steam  tug,  purchased  at  Lyons, 
Iowa,  and  operated  it  as  a  ferry  boat  between  the  cities.  It  was  called  the 
White  Swan,  and  did  a  good  passenger  traffic  for  several  years. 

•  Avenue  G  Bridge,  completed  in  December,  1907,  is  the  latest  structure 
thrown  across  the  river.  It  is  the  second  on  the  same  site.  The  first  barely 
completed  and  ready  for  travel,  was  swept  away  bodily  in  the  tremendous 
ice  gorge  of  March,  1906.  The  solid  iron  and  stone  work  snapped  like  pipe 
stems  before  the  resistless  wall  of  moving  blocks.  Steps  were  taken  at  once 
to  rebuild,  and  the  rapid  reconstruction  is  worthy  of  all  praise. 

The  committee  in  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  bridge  were  Super- 
visors A.  E.  Parmenter  of  Lyndon,  Frank  Thomas  of  Tampico,  and  Rollin 
Halsted  of  Rock  Falls;  Road  Commissioners  F.  S.  Bressler,  Amos  Hoover 
and  John  I.  Phillips,  the  clerk  of  the  board  being  Roy  R.  Baer. 

The  approximate  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  superstructure  is  $32,000; 
the  concrete  abutments  $8,000;  the  fill  and  grading  $1,500,  making  the  total 
cost  of  the  bridge  $41,500,  which  is  $3,500  less  than  the  appropriation  pro- 
vided for  the  building  of  the  bridge.  The  town  of  Sterling  voted  the  sum 
of  $22,500  to  rebuild  the  structure  and  the  county  appointed  a  committee  of 
supervisors  to  act  for  the  county,  which  is  equivalent  to  appropriating  $22,500 
for  the  county's  share  of  the  bridge. 

The  total  length  of  the  Avenue  G  bridge  is  1,200  feet  and  is  built  in 
two  parts,  covering  channels  on  each  side  of  the  island  at  the  foot  of  Avenue 
G.  A  truss  bridge  was  erected  across  the  south  channel.  It  is  a  300  foot 
span,  the  largest  single  span  on  Rock  river  and  is  a  magnificent  structure. 
There  are  nine  spans  of  100  feet  each  on  the  north  side.  This  is  plate  girder 
.superstructure.  The  width  of  the  roadway  is  twenty-four  feet,  and  the  floor 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  337 

is  twenty  feet  above  the  normal  surface  of  the  water.  This  is  five  feet  and 
four  inches  higher  than  the  old  structure.  The  plate  girders  are  ten  feet 
deep.  The  floor  of  the  bridge  was  built  on  the  bottom  of  the  girder.  On 
the  old  bridge  the  floor  was  built  in  the  center  of  the  girder.  The  girders 
will  act  as  a  wind  break  during  winter.  It  was  necessary  to  re-enforce  the 
girders  and  at  intervals  of  fifteen  feet  "wind"  braces  were>  erected  to  brace 
the  girders. 

The  new  bridge  is  believed  to  be  even  more  substantial  than  the  other. 
It  looks  firm  enough  to  stand  for  all  time.  A  magnificent  prospect  up  and- 
down  the  stream.  Really  the  most  picturesque  spot  in  the  city's  landscape. 

OUR    OLDER    HOUSES. 

All  houses  wherein  men  have  lived  and  died 

Are  haunted  houses.     Thro'  the  open  doors 

The  harmless  phantoms  on  their  errands  glide 

With  feet  that  make  no  sound  upon  the  floors. — Longfellow. 

The  cabins  of  the  earliest  settlers,  Brink,  Brewer,  Kilgour,  and  others,. 
Wallace's  fort,  are  gone.  So  the  hotels,  Sterling  House  and  Central  House, 
and  later,  the  American  in  first  ward,  torn  down  in  1908.  The  stone  house 
west  of  Central  Park,  sometimes  called  the  Glass  house,  was  built,  says  M. 
M.  Warner,  about  1847,  by  Captain  McCabe,  who  many  years  ago  navigated 
Rock  river  at  the  time  from  Como  to  Rock  Island  and  operated  the  stone 
flour  mill  at  Como.  The  mill  at  the  time  was  the  largest  on  Rock  river.  The 
captain  went  to  California,  and  died  there. 

Kilgour's  log  hut  stood  near  the  site  of  Walter  Haskell's  mansion. 
George  Brewer's  father  built  his  first  house  with  bass  wood  sides,  near  the 
river,  south  of  Mr.  Brewer's  present  home.  Luther  Bush  built  a  low  one- 
story  house  in  1838  near  the  present  Lincoln  school.  The  stone  foundation  is 
two  feet  thick,  heavy  enough  for  tower  of  Babel.  Mr.  Bush  and  his  sons 
Ed  and  Henry  burned  brick,  and  erected  that  large  double  dwelling  on 
Broadway,  lately  purchased  by  John  Hoover.  This  was  in  1856.  The  son, 
Henry,  with  his  family,  occupied  it,  and  he  died  there  in  1907.  John  Arey 
says  Hugh  Wallace's  first  cabin  was  near  Power's  coal  shed,  and  that  he 
moved  into  the  old  wooden  fort  in  1844. 

Of  all  the  antique  dwellings,  the  Wilson  house  is  the  best  known.  R. 
L.  Wilson  came  from  Sangamon  county  in  1840,  and  his  family  the  next 
year.  For  awhile  they  lived  in  a  house  near  the  river,  and  in  1846  occupied 
'the  present  brick  near  the  Central  School.  It  is  only  one  story,  the  style  in 
that  day,  as  there  are  some  in  Prophetstown,  with  thick  walls.  It  will  yet 
outlast  many  of  our  modern  dwellings.  Here  the  Col.  and  Mrs.  Wilson 
entertained  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Here  the  children  grew  up  and  mar- 
ried. Both  liked  company.  Soon  after  the  colonel  returned  from  his  trip 
to  Europe,  the  writer  called,  and  was  received  .in  a  front  room.  He  heartily 
enjoyed  the  tour  which  he  had  planned  long  before.  No  more  intelligent 
and  gracious  man  ever  lived  in  the  city. 

Ben  Butt  house  on  Third  street,  first  ward,  a  white-washed  frame  on  a 
high  bank,  was  put  up,  says  Mrs.  R.  C.  Thompson  of  De  Kalb,  sometime  in 


338  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  forties.  An  old  timer  is  the  small  dingy  trick  once  occupied  by  Sheriff 
John  Dippell.  It  is  on  Broadway,  north  of  Fourth  street,  The  American 
House,  first  ward,  Mrs.  Susan  Shultz  says,  was  erected  in  1857.  Luther  Bush 
built  the  old  courthouse  with  bricks  burned  by  himself  in  eastern  part  of 
Sterling.  According  to  Mrs.  M.  F.  Spalsbury,  that  narrow  house,  corner  of 
Third  and  Fifth  avenue,  was  erected  by  Dr.  Benton  for  dwelling  and  drug 
store  about  1849.  The  lower  story  is  grout,  or  a  mixture  of  lime  and  gravel 
poured  into  a  frame.  Early  fashion.  Now  they  call  it  concrete. 

The  lower  story  of  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  casket  factory  on 
Third  street,  it  will  be  observed,  is  made  of  even  blocks,  carefully  dressed. 
These  were  quarried  along  the  river  and  trimmed  into  shape  by  Edward 
Jamieson,  a  Scotch  marble  cutter  from  Edinburg.  This  on  the  authority  of 
Mrs.  Spalsbury.  He  afterward  went  south,  and  was  killed  by  Morgan  raiders 
during  the  war.  She  also  says  that  Andy  McMoore  had  a  one  story  brick 
for  the  sale  of  candy  and  groceries,  where  Schmoeger's  meat  shop  is  now. 

The  second  set  of  old  buildings  may  be  dated  after  the  fifties.  The  Wal- 
lace House,  long  the  leading  hotel,  being  near  the  depot.  The  Patterson  & 
Witmer,  store  block,  now  the  Rock  Falls  Manufacturing  Company.  The 
Commercial  block,  just  west  on  Third  street.  Among  the  private  houses  are 
the  spacious  mansion  of  Hugh  Wallace,  west  of  Simpson's  lumber  yard,  now 
owned  by  Mrs.  Emma  Randolph;  next  the  smaller  stone  dwelling  erected  by 
Gabriel  Davis  in  the  same  year,  1855;  the  Smith  Patterson  residence  of 
Tsrick,  further  west.  Near  the  park  is  the  old  home  of  Nelson  Mason,  erected 
about  1855,  where  he  resided  till  his  removal  to  Chicago.  The  postoffice  is 
on  part  of  his  lot.  The  stone  in  the  Wallace,  Davis  and  Mason  houses  was 
taken  from  the  river. 

THINGS   THAT    HAVE   VANISHED. 

But  past  are  all  his  triumphs.     The  very  spot 

Where  many  a  time  he  triumphed,  is  forgot. — Goldsmith. 

Just  as  the  Roman  Empire  arose,  flourished  and  fell,  so  do  various  enter- 
prises in  the  young  cities  of  the  West.  Conditions  change,  and  they  are 
given  up.  The  mitten  factory  stands  in  Rock  Falls,  but  no  more  mittens 
.are  made.  The  hand  corn-planters  of  Batchellers  are  a  thing  of  the  past. 
Zollinger's  grist  mill  makes  no  more  flour.  In  Sterling,  we  hear  no  more 
of  the  Williams  &  Orton  Company,  the  Empire  Feed  Mill;  the  Mineral 
Paint  Works,  the  pruning  shears  shop,  the  packing  house,  which  an  old 
directory  claimed  was  the  largest  west  of  Chicago,  having  a  capacity  for 
slaughtering  500  hogs  per  day.  After  the  dam  and  race  were  completed  in 
1853,  Joshua  and  William  McKinney  built  a  stone  mill,  which  long  had  a 
reputation  for  its  flour.  Then  Church  &  Patterson,  Dillon  and  Bowers.  Of 
all  our  industrial  establishment?,  the  distillery  started  in  1864  by  John  S. 
Miller,  was  the  most  extensive.  The  huge  buildings  covered  five  acres,  two 
thousand  head  of  cattle  grew  fat  in  the  sheds,  two  thousand  bushels  of  grain 
were  used  every  day,  and  8,500  gallons  of  alcohol  daily  manufactured.  The 
government  tax  was  $5. (100  a  day.  or  a  yearly  revenue  to  Uncle  Sam  of  nearly 
two  million  dollars.  The  business  of  the  works  required  the  services  of  117 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  339 

men,  whose  weekly  wages  amounted  to  $0,000.  The  alcohol  was  shipped  to 
Europe  and  South  America.  For  convenience  of  shipment,  the  railroad 
made  a  switch  to  the  ware  house.  It  was  a  busy  spot.  Farmers  were  sure 
of  a  market  for  their  grain,  and  the  highest  prices  were  paid.  Nearly  every 
day  a  procession  of  teams.  In  1880  a  disastrous  fire  involved  the  sheds  and 
the  helpless  cattle  in  common  ruin,  but  the  sheds  were  rebuilt.  After  th'e 
death  of  Mr.  Miller,  the  sons,  John  and  William,  carried  on  the  business  until 
the  works  were  closed,  1884,  by  agreement  with  other  distillers  to  regulate 
the  production.  The  buildings  remained  vacant  until  they  were  finally  taken 
down,  and  today  not  a  brick  is  left  to  mark  the  site. 

Two  nurseries  once  in  Rock  Falls,  now  not  one.  The  city  has  spread 
over  the  early  gardens  of  Mr.  Lukens,  and  the  evergreens  and  apple  rows  of 
Grove  Wright,  east  of  town,  have  been  converted  to  other  uses.  The  old  brick 
'Courthouse  in  Sterling  on  Broadway  was  a  prominent  landmark  as  it  stood, 
lonely  and  forlorn,  for  many  years,  after  the  removal  of  the  records  to  Mor- 
rison, until  it  was  taken  down  to  make  way  for  cottages.  The  early  Presby- 
terian church  is  a  mournful  memory.  In  your  mind's  eye,  Horatio,  you  can 
picture  it  where  the  high  school  now  rears  its  quaint  facade.  And  the  little 
white  Lutheran  church  on  the  prairie  is  gone  with  all  its  traditions  of  strug- 
gle and  sacrifice. 

Farewell,  a  long  farewell,  too,  to  the  primitive  schoolhouses.  Yes,  two 
generations  of  them.  Not  only  those  rooms  in  which  Mrs.  Worthington  and 
Martha  Millikan  presided  but  the  next  set  in  the  wards:  the  brick  in  the 
first  ward,  the  brown  one-story  depot  in  the  third,  and  the  two-story  square 
frame  in  the  second,  moved  to  Locust,  opposite  Burlington  station.  Wallace's 
•old  fort  and  the  diminutive  brick  of  Thomas  A.  Gait  stocjd  on  or  near  the 
site  of  Simpson's  lumber  yard.  There  was  a  hill,  but  it  was  cut  away.  Wil- 
liam Miller's  spacious  frame  mansion  is  on  the  spot  occupied  by  Wallace's 
barn.  D.  R.  Beck's  incomplete  brick,  Fourth  street,  is  now  metamorphosed 
into  a  cozy  cottage  by  Prof.  Chaplin. 

East  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  church,  fronting  on  Seventh  street,  was  for 
several  years  after  1858  a  desolate  graveyard.  The  tombstones  were  ready  to 
tumble.  John  Arey  attended  funerals  there,  but  no  burials  were  made  after 
the  cemetery  was  opened.  In  time  the  bodies  were  taken  up,  the  ground 
reverted  to  the  original  owners,  and  cottages  are  now  on  the  site.  The  old 
Sterling  House,  where  Prof.  Chaplin's  mansion  stands,  was  moved  there,  and 
was  kept  awhile  by  the  late  George  Wells,  a  tailor  and  well-known  citizen. 
His  widow,  Becky,  long  survived  him. 

In  1854  William  Hess  came  from  Pennsylvania  and  put  up  a  combined 
bouse  and  carriage  shop  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  street  and  Ninth,  avenue,  and 
for  thirty  years  buggies  for  repair  stood  in  front  of  his  place.  Now  the 
buildings  are  both  gone  and  grass  is  growing  on  what  appears  to  be  a  vucmt 
lot.  John  Arey  speaks  of  T.  Winn's  hotel  in  the  eastern  part  of  Sterling 
about  1845  as  quite  a  large  building,  but  it  disappeared  very  early.  Nelson 
Mason  and  his  brother,  Carlyle,  had  a  small  blacksmith  shop  near  Isaac 
Bressler's  store,  in  the  middle  of  the  prairie,  but  only  for  a  short  time. 
Carlyle  went  to  Chicago,  started  iron  works,  and  grew  rich. 


340  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

And  where  is  the  Sunday  tabernacle?  Where  go  the  figures  when  they 
be  "rubbit"  out?  asked  the  Scotch  lad  of  the  master.  On  Monday  evening, 
March  14,  1904,  closed  the  most  remarkable  series  of  religious  meetings 
Sterling  ever  saw.  For  nearly  five  weeks  Rev.  William  A.  Sunday  spoke  in 
ti  wooden  tabernacle  to  several  thousand  people,  afternoon  and  night.  It 
was  the  sensation  of  the  city,  and  men,  women,  and  children  crowded  to  the 
plain,  felt-covered  structure.  An  immense  choir  sang  the  songs  of  Zion. 
The  number  of  converts  was  placed  at  1,647.  Every  church  received  large 
accessions.  On  the  conclusion  of  the  meetings  the  tabernacle  was  removed. 

Long  will  the  tale  be  told, 
Yea,  when  our  babes  are  old. 

As  the  stranger  gazes  at  the  imposing  brick  tower  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational church  on  Second  avenue  and  Fourth  street,  he  will  never  know 
that  for  over  thirty  years  a  generation  of  excellent  New  England  people  met 
Sunday  after  Sunday  for  worship  in  the  familiar  white  frame  on  the  same 

ftlt-C 

Where  is  my  Highland  laddie  gone? 

Where  is  Wallace  Hall,  from  whose  rostrum  Wendell  Phillips,  Horace 
Greeley,  and  Henry  Ward  Beecher  addressed  admiring  audiences,  and  later 
Farwell  Hall,  on  whose  platform  Camilla  Urso  and  Wilhemj  drew  their  bows, 
and  Ingalls  and  Dr.  Swing  uttered  their  messages? 

For  twenty  years  the  Agricultural  Fair  was  the  yearly  jubilee  of  town 
an  country  on  Sanborn's  forty-acre  pasture  along  the  river.  Several  good 
wooden  buildings  were  erected  in  the  shape  of  a  floral  hall,  stables,  amphi- 
theater, and  other  requisites.  Although  the  display  of  vegetables  and  stock 
was  never  very  attractive,  the  week  was  always  anticipated  with  pleasure 
because  the  fair  was  a  common  meeting  ground  of  friends  from  all  parts  of 
the  county.  But  the  weather  man  so  often  sent  rain  and  mud  that  week 
that  the  profits  failed  to  pay  the  premiums,  and  when  Morrison  started  her 
fair  the  Sterling  show  died  a  natural  death.  The  visit  of  Grant  and  Logan 
in  1880.  widely  advertised  by  A.  A.  Terrell,  drew  an  enormous  crowd,  and 
was  the  third  illustrious  occasion  in  the  history  of  Sterling. 

Gone  is  that  wing  dam  built  by  Wyatt  Cantrell  in  1838  at  the  foot  of 
Walnut  street.  It  was  made  of  loose  stones  thrown  up  in  the  river,  making 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees  with  the  bank.  For  ten  years  people  from 
Whiteside,  Henry,  and  Bureau  brought  their,  grists  to  this  primitive  mill, 
as  it  was  the  only  one  in  the  country.  Cantrell  was  a  Kentuckian,  coming  to 
Illinois  in  1812  and  settling  in  Sangamon  until  he  removed  to  Whiteside  in 
1836.  He  died  in  Kansas,  but  his  body  was  brought  to  Sterling,  and  his 
tomb  may  be  seen  in  Riverside,  with  other  of  his  compeers  of  the  thirties 

THE    CITY    ORGANIZATION. 

When  vice  prevail?,  and  impious  men  bear  sway, 
The  post  of  honor  is  a  private  station. — Addison. 

Sterling  was  organized  as  a  city  under  a  special  charter  granted  by  the 
legislature,  1857.  At  the  first  election  held  in  April,  Lorenzo  Hapgood  was 


GOVERNMENT  BUILDING,  STERLING 


LIBRABV 

OF  TH€ 

DIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  341 

chosen  mayor,  John  Pettigrew  and  D.  H.  Myers,  aldermen  of  first  ward; 
Henry  Bush  and  D.  R.  Beck,  for  second;  James  Gait  and  B.  G.  Wheeler,  for 
third.  At  council  meeting  L.  K.  Hawthorne  was  made  city  clerk;  E.  N. 
Kirk,  city  attorney ;  W.  S.  Wilkinson,  surveyor.  The  charter  was  amended 
in  1869. 

From  Lorenzo  Hapgood  to  John  L.  Janssen,  elected  in  1907,  the  city  has 
had  thirty-nine  mayors.  In  the  long  list  appear  the  names  of  several  old 
and  prominent  citizens.  Most  were  chosen  for  one  term,  but  a  few  were  in 
office  for  the  second  or  third  term :  Hapgood,  Nelson  Mason,  Coblentz,  J.  G. 
Manahan,  B.  C.  Church,  C.  Burkholder,  J.  R.  Johnson.  In  186.6  was  the 
temperance  issue,  T.  A.  Gait,  mayor.  Generally,  the  contest  turns  on  personal 
popularity.  Of  the  past  mayors  .several  yet  survive  the  strain  of  office  and 
live  in  the  city:  Street,  Green,  Lawrence,  Hershey,  Burkholder,  Miller, 
Johnson,  Bell,  Lewis.  Bennett  lives  in  Minneapolis  and  Patterson  in  Kansas 
City. 

THE    TALE    OF    THE   POSTOFFICE. 

By  John  D.  Arey. 

He  comes,  the  herald  of  a  noisy  world, 

With  spattered  boots,  strapped  waist,  and  frozen  locks, 

News  from  all  nations  lumbering  at  his  back. — Cowper. 

At  the  time  of  the  earliest  settlement  of  Rock  River  rapids  the  nearest 
point  where  the  people  could  receive  their  mail  was  Dixon's  Ferry,  where 
the  mail  route  from  Peoria  to  Galena  crossed  Rock  river,  and  a  postoffice  was 
established.  The  /first  postoffice  was  opened  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
city  of  Sterling  in  1837,  and  was  kept  in  a  store  on  River  street,  on  the  west- 
side  of  Chestnut  street,  in  the  town  of  Chatham.  River  street  is  occupied  by 
the  C.  &  N.-W.  railway  and  Chestnut  street  is  now  Fourth  avenue.  John  D. 
Barnett  was  postmaster.  The  next  location  was  on  the  south  side  of  Fourth 
street,  between  Main  and  Fulton  streets,  in  Harrisburg,  now  Sixteenth  and 
Seventeenth  avenues.  Daniel  D.  Guiles  was  postmaster.  Eliphalet  B.  Worth- 
ington  was  next  appointed,  and  kept  the  office  in  his  residence,  on  the  south- 
east, corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets,  now  Third  street  and  Sixteenth  avenue. 
During  his  term,  which  was  about  twelve  years,  the  towns  of  Harrisburg  and 
Chatham' were  united,  and  he  purchased  block  52  on  the  east  side  of  Broad- 
way and  built  a  residence,  where  he  kept  the  office  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
parties.  Lewis  D.  Crandall  was  Mr.  Worthington's  successor,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  appointment  kept  a  small  stock  of  groceries  and  notions  in  the  north- 
east room  of  the  courthouse,  where  he  kept  the  office,  until  he  finished 
the  building  now  standing  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Third  street 
and  Eighth  avenue,  into  which  he  moved  his  store,  and  from  there 
the  office  was  taken  to  a  store  across  the  street  in  the  west  part  of 
the  brick  front  now  standing  on  the  south  side  of  Third  street,  east 
of  the  alley,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth  avenues.  Bradly  Nichols  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Crandall,  and  during  his  term  the  office  was  moved  from  the 
brick  front  to  the  rear  room  of  a  building  occupied  as  a  bank  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  Third  street  and  Sixth  avenue.  This  room  was  not  a  suitable 


342  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

place  for  the  office,  and  a  building  was  erected  for  it  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  Third  street  and  Fifth  avenue.  This  building  was  the  first  one  erected 
for  a  postoffice,  and  in  it  were  put  up  the  first  boxes  for  rent  to  the  patrons 
of  the  office.  Joseph  Hutchinson,  who  kept  a  store  in  the  building  now 
standing  on  the  north  side  of  Third  street,  the  fourth  east  of  Avenue  A,  was 
next  appointed  by  President  Buchanan,  and  moved  the  postoffice  into  his 
store.  The  people,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  that  were  interested  in  the 
development  of  the  new  western  part  of  town,  were  so  incensed  at  this  action 
they  signed  an  order  authorizing  Charles  Ginkinger,  who  was  a  deputy  under 
the  former  postmaster,  to  go  to  Hutchinson's  store  and  get  their  mail,  take 
it  to  the  old  office  and  distribute  it.  In  a  few  days  the  postoffice  department 
sent  an  official  to  Sterling,  who  told  the  parties  they  could  not  have  two  post- 
offices  in  one  town.  This  made  the  people  furious,  and  the  leading  citizens 
to  the  number  of  about  forty  met  in  the  old  part  of  the  town  and  marched 
in  a  body  through  the  middle  of  the  road,  where  the  mud  was  three  or  four 
inches  in  depth  to  Hutchinson's  store  for  their  mail,  and  while  it  was  given 
out  to  them  they  occupied  themselves  by  stamping  the  mud  from  their  boots, 
and  some  were  careless  enough  to  get  up  on  the  counters  to  do  it.  This 
demonstration  caused  Mr.  Hutchinson  to  promise  the  people,  if  they  would 
wait  until  he  could  put  up  a  building  on  the  hill,  he  would  move  the  office 
into  it.  He  immediately  erected  a  building  on  the  north  side  of  Third 
street,  on  the  west  side  of  the  alley  between  First  and  Second  avenues,  where 
the  postoffice  remained  through  the  rest  of  his  term  and  through  the  term 
of  L.  King  Hawthorne,  who  was  appointed  by  Abraham  Lincoln  as  Mr. 
Hutchinson's  successor.  Mrs.  Emily  J.  C.  Bushnell  wa?  next  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln.  She  moved  the  office  to  a  building  now  standing  on  the 
east  side  of  First  avenue,  the  third  north  of  the  Germania  Maennerchor. 
Mrs.  Electa  E.  Smith,  who  kept  the  office  in  the  same  place,  was  Mrs.  Bush- 
nell's  successor.  During  Mrs.  Smith's  term  Thomas  A.  Gait  and  George  S. 
Tracey  erected  the  Academy  of  Music  block,  and  fitted  up  the  north  room 
for  a  postoffice,  which  was  occupied  by  Mrs.  Smith  during  the  latter  part 
of  her  term,  in  which  place  the  office  remained  until  the  present  postoffice 
was  built  and  opened  for  the  first  time,  Oct.  1,  1905.  During  the  time  the 
office  was  in  the  Academy  of  Music  building  the  following  persons  kept  it,  in 
the  order  named:  Mrs.  Electa  E.  Smith,  Charles  M.  Worthington,  William 
A.  McCune,  Thomas  Diller,  John  R.  Johnson  and  Thomas  Diller,  who  moved 
the  office  into  the  government  building.  Mr.  Diller's  successor  is  James  P. 
Overholser,  the  present  postmaster.  Mail  delivery  by  carriers  was  estab- 
lished in  the  term  of  W.  A.  McCune,  and  rural  mail  delivery  in  the  second 
term  of  Thomas  Diller. 

In  addition  to  Mr.  Arey's  excellent  sketch  we  take  some  items  from 
an  article  read  by  George  O.  Stroup  at  the  postoffice  banquet  in  1907.  It 
seems  that  Nelson  Mason  carried  the  sacks  from  Dixon  to  Sterling,  on  a 
horse  in  summer  and  on  a  sledge  in  winter.  He  received  the  princely  com- 
pensation of  eight  cents  a  mile.  The  postoffice  in  Barnett's  store  was  in  a 
box  kept  under  the  counter,  and  there  were  only  a  dozen  families  to  receive 
mail.  As  there  were  no  postage  stamps,  the  postage,  25  cents,  had  to  be  paid 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  343 

by  the  person  calling,  and  if  he  had  no  money  the  letter  was  either  held ' 
until  he  borrowed  it,  or  the  amount  was  charged  to  his  account. 

The  new  government  building,  erected  in  1905  at  a  cost  of  $45,000  is  a 
handsome  one-story  structure  of  brick  and  stone,  on  the  corner  of  Fourth 
street  and  Second  avenue,  on  the  west  part  of  the  old  Nelson  Mason  prop- 
erty. The  business  of  the  office  has  increased  rapidly.  At  the  close  of  the 
fiscal  year,  June,  1907,  the  total  receipts  were  nearly  $23,000  and  the  ex- 
penses $14,000,  including  salaries  and  other  outlay.  The  amount  of  money 
passing  through  the  office  in  the  form  of  money  orders  was  $110,000.  In 
1894  the  receipts  were  only  $13,000,  almost  doubled  in  thirteen  years.  In- 
cluding the  janitor,  there  are  thirty-five  people  connected  with  the  office. 

The  Sterling  postoffice  for  the  calendar  year  1907  made  the  greatest 
gain  in  its  history,  the  receipts  showing  a  gain  of  twelve  per  cent  over  the 
year  1906.  The  receipts  for  the  year  1907  were  $24,000,  while  the  year 
1906  the  receipts  were  $21,500,  or  a  net  gain  of  $2,500.  The  receipts  of  the 
Chicago  postoffice  during  the  same  period  showed  a  net  gain  of  eight  per 
cent. 

P.   O.   ACCOUNT  BOOK. 

Before  the  writer  lies  a  little  book  bound  in  leather,  eight  inches  by 
four,  which  was  kept  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Worthington  in  part  of  his  administration 
of  the  early  Sterling  office.  He  was  appointed  during  Harrison's  term,  1841, 
and  this  book  appears  to  be  a  sort  of  cash  book  or  record  of  moneys  received 
for  letters  or  merchandise.  Reading  one  page  recalls  a  host  of  old  Sterling 
names:  H.  Whipple,  pills,  50  cents,  quinine,  25  cents;  Hugh  Wallace,  5 
cents;  Luther  Bush,  letter  sent,  12V2  cents;  Col.  Wilson,  sent,  37J/2;  Van  J. 
Adams,  18%;  L.  H.  Woodworth,  18%;  Capt.  Woodburn,  1834 ;  Albert  S. 
Coe,  121/2 ;  Dr.  Pennington,  25;  N.  Mason,  25;  John  Gait,  25;  Carlisle  Mason, 
27;  R.  C.  Andrews,  10;  Jesse  Penrose,  12% .  Some  names  occur  over  and 
over.  In  fact,  the  patrons  of  the  office  were  easily  counted.  Rev.  George 
Stebbins,  the  minister,  appears  frequently,  and  Hugh  Wallace,  M.  S.  Henry, 
lawyers;  R.  S.  Wilson,  county  clerk,  and  the  Gaits,  John,  Maria,  James, 
Mary,  and  then  a  mixture,  Asa  Emmons,  Samuel  Albertson,  Joel  Harvey, 
Kilgore,  De  Garmo,  Manahan,  Crawford,  BrewTer,  Moore,  Platt,  .Dippell, 
Wells.  A  big  business  in  pills  and  quinine.  No  doctors  or  drugs  and  plenty 
of  ague  and  bile,  and  the  doses  had  to  be  sent  by  mail.  So  we  find  frequent 
receipts  of  50  cents  and  a  dollar  for  medicines.  Accounts  were  kept  of  money 
sent  for  papers.  Charges  occur  like  these:  March  21,  sent  one  dollar  for 
Dollar  Newspaper  for  S.  Albertson;  January  1,  sent  one  dollar  for  Chicago 
Democrat  for  Isaac  Merrill;  in  January,  Dr.  Pennington  sends  one  dollar 
to  Greeley  and  McElrath  for  New  York  Tribune;  in  March,  sent  one  dollar 
to  Wilson  &  Co.,  for  Amer.  Book  of  Beauty  for  James  Gait ;  Thomas  Gait 
sends  25  cents  for  Youth's  Friend,  Philadelphia;  February,  R.  C.  Andrews 
sends  one  dollar  for  Prairie  Farmer. 

This  fascinating  nugget  of  old  postoffice  operations  runs  from  1843  to 
1847.  The  book  was  in  possession  of  Jesse  Johnson,  grandson  of  Mr.  Worth- 
ington, and  given  by  him  to  the  W.  Co.  Historical  Society.  Accompanying 
it  is  a  thin  ledger  in  which  the  dates  run  from  1846  to  1850.  According  to 


344  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

this  some  things  were  charged.  That  is,  under  each  name  is  a  Dr.  account 
of  various  items  of  postage  for  letters  and  papers  not  paid  as  received.  For 
instance,  after  Noah  Merrill's  is  footed  up  on  the  Dr.  side  for  journals  and 
letters  he  has  credit  on  the  Cr.  side  by  cash  and  on  April  8,  1850,  "By  use  of 
team  and  boy  for  half  a  day,  one  dollar."  It  would  make  a  modern  city  P.  M. 
grin  to  glance  through  the  closely  written  charges  of  14  and  25  cents  to  be 
balanced  on  the  other  page  by  occasional  payments  of  cash,  or  sometimes  in 
trade,  as  so  many  bushels  of  wheat  or  so  many  pounds  of  salt  pork.  Verily, 
the  world  moves,  and  the  days  of  our  grandmothers  have  gone. 

Better  fifty  years  of  Europe 
Than  a  cycle  of  Cathay. 

Note. — The  writer  is  in  possession  of  a  fact  never  published.  When 
Joseph  Hutchinson  received  the  nomination  for  postmaster  it  fell  like  a 
thunderbolt  upon  the  people,  as  he  was  a  stranger  recently  from  the  east, 
and  it  was  not  known  that  he  was  an  applicant  for  the  office.  The  mystery 
was  soon  explained.  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  from  Pennsylvania,  President 
Buchanan's  state,  and  they  were  personal  friends,  so  that  it  was  perfectly  nat- 
ural for  Mr.  H.  to  ask  for  the  office  and  the  President  to  grant  it.  So  Col. 
Wilson  was  made  paymaster  by  President  Lincoln  during  the  war,  because 
he  and  Mr.  Lincoln  were  in  the  legislature  together  and  belonged  to  the  Long 
Nine  who  moved  the  capital  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield. 

The  permanent  improvement  of  the  streets  was  begun  several  years  ago 
and  is  steadily  prosecuted  as  finances  permit.  A  large  extent  of  Third,  Fourth 
and  Locust  streets  is  paved  with  brick,  and  many  of  the  other  streets  and 
avenues  curbed  and  macademized.  Sewerage  will  soon  be  installed  all  over 
the  outlying  districts.  A  long,  narrow  park  in  the  center  of  Broadway,  at- 
tractive with  flowers  and  shrubbery  in  place  of  the  rank  growth  of  weeds  so 
long  a  disgrace,  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  that  fine  thoroughfare,  destined 
to  become  one  of  the  fashionable  drives  of  the  future  city.  A  Euclid  avenue 
or  Drexel  boulevard. 

GROUP   OF  PIONEER  MOTHERS. 

I  heard  the  bell  tolled  on  thy  burial  day, 

I  saw  the  hearse  that  bore  thee  slow  away. — Cowper. 

During  my  first  visit  to  Sterling  in  1851,  in  company  with  my  father, 
we  made  our  home  with  Hugh  Wallace,  a  Cumberland  county  lawyer,  wh>> 
had  married  Mary  Gait  of  Lancaster  county.  They  were  both  close  friends 
of  my  father,  so  intimate,  indeed,  that  he  was  invited  to  "stand  up"  at  their 
wedding.  They  lived  in  the  old  fort,  a  one-story  frame  building  near  the 
present  spacious  mansion  of  Mrs.  Randolph  on  West  Third  street,  built  by 
Mr.  Wallace,  as  he  became  prosperous. 

A  delightful  visit  of  a  week.  Both  were  genuine  western  hosts,  doing 
everything  for  our  comfort.  Mr.*.  Wallace  was  a  thorough  housekeeper.  How 
we  ate  and  how  we  slept.  A  bountiful  table.  This  hospitality  continued  to 
her  death.  During  her  whole  life  she  was  a  good  Samaritan,  another  Dorca«, 
ever  ready  to  make  sacrifice  for  her  own  family  or  her  neighbors.  The  Wai- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  345 

lace  home  was  a  Mecca  for  every  eastern  visitor.  A  woman  of  wonderful 
self-control.  Although  trouble  after  trouble  came  into  her  household,  her 
face  always  wore  the  same  gracious  expression. 

But  an  old  age,  serene  and  bright, 
And  lovely  as  a  Lapland  night, 
Shall  lead  thee  to  thy  grave. 

Mrs.  Maria  Gait  belonged  to  the  Buyers  family,  who  had  lived  for  gen- 
erations on  a  tract  of  land  near  the  Gap  in  Lancaster  county,  deeded  by  the 
Penns. 

The  farm  of  John  Gait,  still  in  possession  of  the  family,  lies  along  the 
Elkhorn,  near  Gait  station  west  of  Sterling,  and  here  in  1851  I  first  saw  Aunt 
Maria,  whose  kindness  was  so  often  enjoyed  after  my  removal  to  the  west. 
Deer  were  then  about,  and  I  remember  a  pet  fawn  running  in  the  front  yard. 

Aunt  Maria  was  a  woman  of  intelligence  and  refinement,  somewhat  re- 
tiring, finding  her  highest  enjoyment  in  her  own  household,  not  caring  to 
visit,  but  always  delighted  to  welcome  her  friends  at  her  hearthstone.  Her 
last  years  were  spent  in  Sterling,  and  even  at  ninety  she  found  great  pleasure 
in  rising  early  to  prepare  the  family  breakfast. 

Mrs.  Mason's  maiden  name  was  Barnett.  Nelson  Mason,  her  husband, 
was  a  Scotchman  .from  Paisley.  She  was  a  sister  of  the  first  Mrs.  Pennington. 
That  substantial  dwelling  between  postoffice  and  park,  constructed  of  stone 
from  Rock  river,  was  erected  by  Nelson  Mason  about  1855,  the  same  year 
the  Wallace  mansion  in  the  west  end.  Mr.  Mason  was  mayor  during  the  Civil 
war.  A  man  of  excellent  judgment. 

My  acquaintance  with  the  Mason  family  began  in  1857.  It  then  con- 
sisted of  the  father  and  mother  and  the  two  daughters,  Emily  and  Ann,  an 
older  sister,  Mrs.  Bross,  living  in  Chicago.  Never  in  all  my  experience  have 
I  entered  a  home  where  the  welcome  was  so  spontaneous,  so  cordial,  from  every 
inmate  of  the  circle.  The  soul  of  good  cheer  pervaded  the  very  atmosphere. 
The  memory  of  those  calls  is  very  fragrant,  and  I  sigh  to  think  that  every 
member  of  that  charming  group  is  no  longer  among  the  living. 

0  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand, 
The  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still. 

Mrs.  Mason  was  one  of  the  most  genial  persons  I  have  ever  met.  Her 
laugh  was  contagious.  Let  me  change  one  word  in  a  familiar  quotation: 

A  merrier  woman, 


Within  the  limit  of  becoming  mirth, 
I  never  spent  an  hour's  talk  withal. 

The  death  of  Emily  in  her  prime  was  a  blow  to  the  fond  maternal  heart 
and  ever  afterwards  there  seemed  to  be  a  touch  of  sadness  in  the  old  joyous 
greeting. 

Only  a  vestige  is  left  of  the  neat  Worthington  cottage  on  Broadway, 
which,  with  its  barberry  hedge,  was  once  a  familiar  landmark.  This  was 
the  postoffice  in  1851,  and  here  we  came  for  our  letters  from  the  east.  Of  a 


346  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

large  family,  Anna,  Mary  and  Edward  are  dead,  Mr.-*.  Norwood  in  Chicago, 
and  Josephine,  wife  of  C.  C.  Johnson,  Esq.,  of  Sterling,  only  remaining.  The 
father,  Eliphalet,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut. 

Mrs.  Worthington  was  a  delicate  woman,  a  neat  figure,  and  always  wore 
a  curl  in  front.  She  received  a  good  education  in  her  Philadelphia  home 
and  was  ready  to  give  her  unsophisticated  neighbors  the  benefit  of  her  accom- 
plishments. She  opened  a  school,  and  also  taught  a  class  in  painting.  Like 
Titian,  who  used  his  brush  at  ninety-nine,  Mrs.  Worthington  never  lost  her 
love  for  art,  and  in  her  old  age,  living  alone,  the  visitor  would  find  her  busy 
at  some  new  painting  which  she  would  explain  with  the  genuine  enthusiasm 
of  an  artist. 

Both  Elizabeth  Kilgour  and  her  husband,  Ezekiel,  came  from  Cumber- 
land county,  Pennsylvania.  She  was  a  Graham,  a  famous  name  in  Scotch 
genealogy,  and  the  sturdy  spirit  of  the  clan  survives  in  her  descendants  today. 
They  came  in  1837,  and  Mr.  Kilgour  died  in  1848,  leaving  her  the  care  o/ 
a  growing  family.  She  was  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  trained  them  well 
A  woman  of  decided  convictions.  One  physical  feature  which  I  recall  was 
her  voice,  which  continued  loud  and  strong  even  in  old  age. 

Could  her  children  speak,  they  might  arise  and  call  her  blessed,  for  they 
all  led  excellent  lives.  Two  were  soldiers,  Ezekiel  dying  in  the  Nashville 
hospital  in  1862.  William,  of  the  Seventy-fifth  Illinois,  who  became  general, 
was  severely  wounded,  participated  in  all  the  dreadful  battles  of  the  Tennes- 
see campaigns,  and  saw  more  desperate  service  than  most  of  our  veterans. 
For  a  long  time  in  front  of  his  residence  on  the  Pennington  road  he  had  a 
board  labeled  "Chickamauga  Street." 

Mrs.  Col.  Wilson,  as  she  was  generally  called,  was  Eliza  Jane  Kincaid, 
of  a  prominent  Kentucky  family.  John  Kincaid,  who  died  in  1873,  was  an 
intimate  friend  of  Henry  Clay.  Of  all  our  pioneer  mothers,  Mrs.  Wallace  and 
Mrs.  Wilson  saw  most  noted  people,  because  their  husbands  were  in  politics. 
While  Mrs.  Wallace  met  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  U.  F.  Linder,  Mrs.  Wilson 
knew  Lincoln,  Edwards,  Herndon  and  the  worthies  of  early  Springfield. 

Mrs.  Wilson  was  the  last  of  the  pioneer  inothers  of  Sterling  to  pass  away 
and  one  of  the  oldest.  She  died  in  March,  1907,  and  had  she  lived  to  the 
following  May,  would  have  been  ninety -two.  A  woman  of  remarkable  firm- 
ness and  composure.  A  placid  brow  amid  all  the  trying  times  of  a  long 
career. 

Through  all  the  changing  scenes  of  life, 

In  trouble  or  in  joy, 
The  praises  of  my  God  shall  still 
My  heart  and  tongue  employ. 

SOME  EARLY  DOCTORS. 

By  medicine  life  may  be  prolonged,  yet  death 

Will  seize  the  doctor,  too. — Shakespeare. 

Dr.  A.  S.  Hudson  was  in  Sterling  in  1856,  and  perhaps  several  years 
before.  Some  prominent  families  held  him  in  high  esteem,  and  were  not 
willing  to  be  sick  under  the  care  of  any  other  physician.  Poor  Mrs.  Coblentz 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  347 

was  very  enthusiastic  in  his  praise,  and  would  quote  his  opinions  on  all  occa- 
sions. A  slender  man  with  long  beard. 

He  was  scientific,  studious,  read  much  in  his  profession,  and  had  the 
bearing  of  a  scholar.  For  awhile  our  early  library  was  stored  in  his  house. 
He  built  the  dwelling  now  occupied  by  Ed  Bowman.  Across  the  street  was 
Kirk,  now  the  Wash  Dillon  property,  and  over  on  Second  street  was  Sackett. 
J  believe  these  men  had  in  view  a  select  corner  of  professional  aristocracj1, 
an  intelligent  Four  Hundred. 

All  bright  fellows  and  all  gone.  It  makes  one  sad  to  recall  their  shattered 
hopes.  A  home  course  of  lectures  was  organized  just  before  the  war,  and 
Dr.  Hudson  was  one  of  the  speakers.  His  subject  was  "Correlation  of  Life  and 
Death."  The  style  was  learned,  a  little  above  the  average  Sterling  mind  of 
that  day.  The  lectures  were  given  in  Commercial  block,  just  west  of  the 
burial  case  factory.  On  leaving  here,  the  doctor  finally  reached  California, 
where  he  died  a  few  years  ago. 

As  my  older  readers  know,  Sterling  was  once  the  happy  county  seat,  and 
the  courthouse  stood  in  the  block  west  of  Broadway,  between  Third  and 
Fourth.  It  was  the  center  of  business,  and  the  best  storehouse  near  it  is  the 
brick  block  now  occupied  by  Frank  Bowman  on  Third.  In  1858  in  this 
building  I  found  a  drug  store  under  the  firm  of  Anthony  &  Royer.  It  was 
soon  afterwards  dissolved  by  mutual  consent. 

Dr.  M.  M.  Royer  came  from  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  at- 
tended medical  lectures,  I  think,  in  Philadelphia,  then,  as  since,  the  resort 
of  students.  Like  Edinburgh  abroad.  He  was  a  brother  of  the  late  George 
Royer,  farmer  east  of  town,  whose  widow  still  resides  in  a  neat  cottage  on 
Fifth  street  with  her  daughter  Tillie.  The  face  of  John  Royer,  a  son,  who 
married  Bertha  Seidel,  is  daily  seen  at  the  counter  of  the  Sterling  National 
Bank. 

Lentil  his  retirement  a  few  years  ago  and  subsequent  residence  in  Chicago 
and  his  death  at  that  place,  Dr.  Royer  was  in  constant  practice.  Always 
ready  to  respond  to  call  of  suffering,  rich  or  poor.  Willing  at  any  hour  of 
the  night.  His  saddle  bags  in  the  H.  S.  tell  of  many  a  weary  horseback  ride 
over  our  early  swampy  roads  when  a  buggy  was  impossible.  His  wife  was 
Lizzie  Hoover,  and  she  and  two  daughters,  Emma  and  Libbie,  live  in  Chicago. 
No  better  physician  in  diseases  of  women  and  children. 

During  his  first  years  in  Sterling,  Dr.  J.  P.  Anthony  resided  on  the 
corner  of  Fourth  avenue  and  Fourth  street.  Mrs.  Ladd  lived  and  died  in  the 
same  house,  somewhat  enlarged.  A  pump  stood  in  the  front  yard,  and  the 
children  from  the  Presbyterian  Sunday  school  ran  there  for  water.  That 
was  in  the  sixties. 

The  old  oaken  bucket,  the  iron-bound  bucket, 
The  moss-covered  bucket  which  hung  in  the  well. 

When  the  war  broke  out  Dr.  Anthony  responded  to  his  country's  call, 
and  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  Illinois, 
returning  at  the  close  of  his  sen-ice  as  surgeon  of  the  Sixty-first.  Soon  after- 
wards he  erected  the  office  on  First  avenue  where  Dr.  Frank  was  for  awhile, 


348  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

residing  in  the  rear  dwelling  until  he  built  the  spacious  home  on  West  Fourth 
street  in  which  he  and  Mrs.  Anthony  died,  and  where  the  daughter  Permelia 
remains. 

There  was  something  about  Dr.  Anthony's  face  and  manner  that  re- 
minded me  of  our  old  family  doctor,  John  W.  Luther,  in  the  east.  He 
brought  cheer  into  the  sick  room,  always  had  a  smile  and  hopeful  word,  and 
in  his  long  experience  soothed  many  a  sad  heart.  Seldom  failed  in  his 
diagnosis.  A  long  and  faithful  practice.  He  had  the  courage  of  his  con- 
victions, and  you  always  knew  where  he  stood.  Besides  his  son  Frank,  Dr. 
Jacob  Kauffman  read  medicine  in  his  office.  I  remember  Jake's  stovepipe 
hat. 

None  of  our  doctors  advanced  so  rapidly  as  Dr.  W.  J.  Gait.  His  modest 
sign  first  appeared  near  the  gate  of  Mrs.  Amanda  Crawford's  farm,  west  of 
Sterling,  then  on  the  Stolp  house  in  Emerson,  next  in  Sterling,  where  it  re- 
mained. Dr.  Gait  read  medicine  in  Strasburg,  and  attended  lectures  in 
Philadelphia.  Through  his  family  connection  and  his  own  activity,  he  grad- 
ually gained  an  extensive  practice,  which  he  held  until  failing  health. 

Few  of  my  readers,  I  suppose,  can  recall  that  frame  drug  store,  owned 
by  Harvey,  an  Englishman,  that  stood  in  the  hollow  on  the  corner  of  Third 
and  Locust,  about  1860.  It  was  a  hollow,  sure  enough,  and  in  rainy  weather 
on  dark  nights  it  was  dangerous  without  a  lantern  to  cross  the  boards  span- 
ning a  raging  torrent  that  might  easily  drown  a  man.  Dr.  Gait  bought  this 
building,  and  erected  the  substantial  edifice  in  which  he  had  his  drug  store 
and  office  till  his  death.  Several  changes  since.  The  Keefers,  Mrs.  Brown, 
now  Mr.  Bickford. 

The  doctor  died  the  youngest  and  the  richest  of  our  physicians.  Not 
much  over  forty-five  at  his  death,  by  his  professional  labors  and  business 
operations  he  accumulated  in  about  twenty  years  an  estate  of  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  As  he  never  married,  his  last  months  of  invalidism  were 
spent  at  the  Gait  house.  Dr.  Gait  was  a  man  of  quiet  tastes,  and  his  greatest 
delight  was  to  sit  of  a  winter  evening  around  the  stove  in  his  store  with  a 
few  congenial  spirits  like  Aleck  McCloy  and  Champion,  and  discuss  people 
and  politics. 

PROPHETS  OF  THE  PAST. 

But  in  his  duty,  prompt  at  every  call, 

He  watched,  and  wept,  he  prayed,  and  felt  for  all. — Goldsmith. 

Among  the  earliest  ministers  were  Rev.  George  Stebbins  of  the  Presby- 
terian, and  Rev.  S.  F.  Denning  of  the  Methodist.  Mr.  Stebbins  was  an  earn- 
est man  and  highly  esteemed.  Mr.  Denning  was  a  forcible  speaker,  and  his 
wife  was  devoted  to  the  missionary  cause.  Both  deserve  to  be  held  in  grateful 
remembrance  for  their  Christian  zeal  in  the  day  of  small  things,  and  for  the 
foundations  they  laid  for  churches  to  come. 

Among  the  first  ministers  we  heard  in  Sterling  were  two  Lutherans, 
William  Uhl  and  Mr.  Thummel,  father  of  our  genial  veteran,  Anson.  Both 
sound,  serious  clergymen,  and  both,  I  think,  read  their  sermons.  Father 
Thummel  had  received  a  thorough  education  in  Germany,  was  a  solid  the- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  349 

ologian,  and  used  our  language  with  an  elegance  and  precision  that  made  it 
a  pleasure  to  listen. 

Mr.  Uhl  from  Dixon,  and  Mr.  Thummel  from  Prairieville,  were  occa- 
sional supplies,  but  after  awhile  Rev.  W.  A.  Lipe  received  a  call  to  the  little 
white  frame  church,  which,  with  its  tiny  belfry,  was  long  a  landmark  among 
the  trees  on  the  edge  of  town.  He  was  just  from  the  seminary,  boyish  in 
appearance,  full  of  energy  and  enthusiasm,  sociable,  much  among  his  mem- 
bers in  Sterling  and  at  Emerson,  then  Empire. 

He  had  a  strong  voice,  made  the  room  ring,  and  was  a  fine  singer.  How 
he  reveled  in  music.  At  revival  meetings,  in  the  Sunday  school,  he  always 
led  the  chorus  of  sacred  song.  His  people  and  children  caught  his  spirit,  and 
you  were  sure  of  lively  singing  in  the  Lutheran  church.  After  a  chaplaincy 
in  the  war,  he  returned  to  his  charge  here,  finally  leaving  for  Nebraska,  and 
is  now  at  West  Point  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Hefley,  wife  of  the  veteran,  is  a 
sister.  Mr.  Lipe  came  about  1860  and  left  in  1873. 

A  day  of  small  things  when  Rev.  U.  W.  Small  was  Congregational  pas- 
tor, 1859-1864.  A  society,  but  no  building.  The  services  were  held  in  halls. 
A  modest  man,  intelligent,  well  read,  laborious,  much  more  vigorous  in  mind 
than  in  body.  He  married  Miss  Oilman,  graduate  of  Mt.  Holyoke,  teacher 
in  Central  school,  a  woman  of  lovely  character.  An  awful  tragedy  threw  a 
gloom  over  their  later  lives.  Their  son,  Forrest,  a  lawyer,  at  the  outset  of  a 
promising  career,  was  mysteriously  killed  in  Minnesota,  and  the  blow  nearly 
prostrated  the  poor  mother.  Miss  Oilman's  likeness  is  in  our  Historical 
Society. 

No  more  commanding  figure  ever  stood  in  the  Sterling  pulpits  than  that 
of  Rev.  Ebenezer  Erskine,  D.  D.  A  handsome  man  of  portly  form;  open 
countenance,  winning  manners,  and  a  hand  ever  ready  for  the  warm  grasp 
of  friendship.  A  mass  of  dark  hair  which  he  shook  back  from  his  forehead. 
A  ready  writer  and  a  vigorous  preacher.  His  gospel  had  no  uncertain  sound. 
A  thorough  Calvinist,  a  disciple  of  the  Alexanders  and  the  Princeton  School 
of  Theology.  On  resigning  his  charge  here  in  1865,  he  started  the  North- 
western Presbyterian  in  Chicago,  which  finally  was  succeeded  by  the  present 
Interior.  Dr.  Erskine  returned  to  the  ministry  and  accepted  the  charge  of 
a  large  congregation  at  Newville,  Pa.,  where  he  died  a  few  years  ago  after  a 
long  pastorate.  Dr.  Erskine  left  in  the  spring,  and  the  pulpit  that  summer 
was  supplied  by  Prof.  Elliott,  Scotchman,  from  McCormick  Theological 
Seminary. 

That  autumn  a  call  was  given  to  a  tall,  dignified  young  gentleman,  bear- 
ing for  his  first  name  that  of  an  excellent  relative,  Bishop  Meade  of  Virginia. 
This  was  Rev.  M.  C.  Williams.  His  sermons  showed  marks  of  careful  prep- 
aration, and  were  given  in  a  style  of  pleasant  persuasion,  with  no  attempt  at 
declamation,  which  is  almost  sacrilegious  in  the  sacred  desk. 

After  a  ministry  of  eight  years  and  charges  in  Princeton  and  Toledo,  he 
finally  settled  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  established  the  MidjContinent,  after- 
wards merged  in  Herald  &  Presbyter,  Cincinnati.  His  tastes  were  literary, 
and  various  articles  and  booklets  appeared  from  his  pen.  Twice  abroad.  His 


350  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

summers  at  Mackinac  island  in  a  cottage  on  the  hill.     His  death  a  year  ago 
removed  a  correspondent  for  whom  I  cherished  a  warm  regard. 

How  life-like  through  the  mist  of  years, 
Each  well-remembered  face  appears. 

When  I  came  to  Sterling  in  the  summer  of  1856,  Elder  Mason  was 
already  on  the  ground.  He  was  really  a  home  missionary  of  the  Baptist 
church.  He  had  only  a  Tittle  group  of  members  to  begin  with,  Mrs.  Harden, 
Deacon  Todd,  Nichols,  and  a  few  others,  but  he  held  revival  meetings  every 
winter,  and  in  the  spring  the  converts  were  taken  to  the  river,  and  with  prayer 
and  song  the  solemn  rite  of  baptism  was  administered. 

Mr.  Mason  was  the  most  genial  of  men.  Much  of  his  pastoral  work  was 
done  on  the  street  and  in  the  homes.  He  liked  to  mingle  among  people,  and 
always  had  a  cheerful  greeting.  The  present  church  is  the  third  or  fourth 
which  grew  from  the  pioneer  chapel  which  he  started,  and  on  the  wall  should 
be  a  tablet  with  the  inscription :  "In  loving  memory  of  Rev.  J.  T.  Mason,  to 
whose  devotion  this  church  under  God  owes  its  foundation."  He  died  a  few 
years  ago  in  Amboy,  but  Mrs.  Mason  returned,  and  lives  in  the  early  home. 

Like  the  Congregational,  the  Baptists  at  first  met  in  upper  rooms  above 
stores.  In  the  choir  was  C.  B.  Smith,  afterwards  a  lawyer  at  Mt.  Carroll,  with 
his  violin,  and  the  politest  of  ushers  was  A.  A.  Terrell,  whose  tragic  death  a 
few  years  ago  in  Chicago  will  be  remembered  by  our  readers. 

Not  on  the  field  so  early  as  some  of  the  others  was  Rev.  Emanuel  Brown, 
for  nearly  thirty  years  minister  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  church,  dying  in 
1900,  on  Good  Friday,  like  the  Master  he  served  so  faithfully.  He  was  de- 
voted to  his  congregation,  laboring  in  season  and  out  of  season,  never  taking 
a  vacation,  finding  his  highest  enjoyment  in  his  work.  Very  sociable,  plain 
in  his  manners  and  popular  with  all  classes  in  the  community.  Families 
that  had  no  church  connection  always  called  upon  him  in  time  of  sickness  and 
death.  A  favorite  minister  for  couples  who  came  to  town  to  be  married. 
Like  Daniel,  a  man  greatly  beloved,  and  his  name  is  still  fragrant  in  the  city 
where  he  labored  so  long. 

To  see  the  hopeful  face  and  active  step  of  Rev.  Martin  Post,  one  can 
hardly  believe  that  he  goes  back  to  his  first  ministry  in  our  Congregational 
church  forty  years,  or  1866.  After  a  pastorate  of  six  years,  to  California  for 
a  time,  and  then  back  from  1884  to  1894.  Since  his  return  from  the  south 
he  resides  at  Chapin,  near  Jacksonville,  in  the  regular  discharge  of  his  min- 
isterial functions.  An  excellent  preacher.  Thoroughly  grounded  in  the  great 
doctrines  of  the  gospel,  and  in  touch  with  every  type  of  theological  discussion, 
his  discourses  are  marked  by  scholarly  thought,  rhetorical  finish,  and  impres- 
sive delivery.  He  has  a  message,  and  utters  it  with  a  conscience.  Perhaps 
John  Wesley  will  not  be  the  only  minister  preaching  at  eighty-five. 

I  must  add  a  paragraph  of  forgotten  history.  While  the  Congos  were 
worshiping  in  a  hall  a  supply  one  Sunday  was  Dr.  Chadbourne,  at  that  time 
the  most  eminent  educator  in  the  country.  He  occupied  all  kinds  of  posi- 
tions as  professor  at  Williams,  president  of  Wisconsin,  lecturer  at  Smith- 
sonian, leader  of  scientific  expeditions  to  Florida  and  Iceland,  a  remarkable 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  351 

scholar.    He  was  a  fluent  speaker,  wore  glasses.    How  he  was  brought  here,  I 
do  not  know. 

ONE    OF    THE    EARLY    TEACHERS. 

Schoolmasters  will  I  keep  within  my  house, 

Fit  to  instruct  her  youth. 

*     *     *     To  cunning  men 

I  will  be  very  kind,  and  liberal 

To  mine  own  children  in  good  bringing  up. — Shakespeare. 

A  half  sheet  of  paper,  bluish  in  tinge,  placed  in  the  Whiteside  Historical 
Society,  bears  the  following  legend:  "Names  of  scholars  comprising  the 
school  taught  by  Mrs.  Sarah  Worthington  in  the  old  courthouse  in  1848." 
Fifty  boys  and  girls  in  two  columns,  a  number  to  each.  And  who  are  they? 
Looking  at  these  names  is  almost  like  walking  through  a  cemetery  and  glanc- 
ing at  the  tombstones.  Here  are  some  of  the  most  familiar :  Ann  E.  Wilson, 
Charles  Mack,  Emma  Wilson,  Emily  Worthington,  Harriet  Landis,  Josephine 
Worthington,  Mary  Worthington,  Sarah  Stebbins,  Theodore  Mack,  Edward 
Worthington,  Arabella  Hedlock,  Caroline  Brink,  Harriet  Albertson,  Martha 
Kilgour.  Most  of  the  fifty  are  on  the  other  shore.  Paper  was  valuable  in 
those  days,  and  prohibition  was  already  on  the  carpet.  For  on  the  back  of  the 
sheet  are  three  stanzas  of  a  cold-water  song.  Here  is  the  first : 

Speed,  speed,  the  temperance  ship! 

Ye  winds,  fill  every  sail ! 
Behold  her  sailing  o'er  the  deep, 

Out-riding  every  gale. 

This  Mrs.  Sarah  Worthington  was  Sarah  McShane,  of  Philadelphia,  who 
was  married  in  1834  to  E.  B.  Worthington.  She  had  a  thorough  education 
in  all  the  accomplishments  of  those  times,  and  before  her  marriage  was  a 
teacher  in  Philadelphia.  A  dingy  card  before  us  as  we  write  tells  the  story: 

Misses  Davidson  &  McShane's 

Infant's  School, 

No.  44  North  Seventh  street, 

a  few  doors  below 

Arch  street. 

Terms :     3  dollars — Sewing,  1  dollar  extra. 
Hours  of  tuition,  from  9  to  12,  and  from  2  to  5  o'clock. 

Today  this  would  be  called  a  kindergarten. 

On  removing  after  marriage  to  Sterling,  to  meet  a.  pressing  want  and 
beguile  her  mind,  Mrs.  Worthington  resumed  her  early  occupation.  She 
opened  a  school,  1838,  in  the  first  frame  house  in  the  place.  Among  her 
pupils  were  the  Bush,  Kilgour,  and  Brewer  families.  The  next  year  she 
started  a  class  in  painting,  in  which  appear  the  names  of  Johnson,  Stephens, 
and  Brown.  She  enjoyed  teaching,  and  of  painting  she  never  seemed  to  tire. 
Even  at  an  advanced  age,  far  in  the  eighties,  she  showed  the  writer  the  latest 
specimens  of  her  skill  as  they  hung  on  the  walls  of  her  parlor.  Like  grand 


352  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

•old  Titian  at  ninety-nine,  Mrs.  Worthington  would  have  been  content  to  die, 
brush  in  hand. 

THE    FIRST    PRESBYTERIAN. 

Farewell,  larewell,  base  world,  farewell! 

In  touching  tones  exclaimed  a  bell ; 

Life  is  a  boon  to  mortals  given, 

To  fit  the  soul  for  bliss  in  heaven ; 

Do  not  invoke  the  avenging  rod; 

Come  here",  and  learn  the  way  to  God ; 

Say  to  the  world,  farewell,  farewell! 

Pealed  forth  the  Presbyterian  bell.— George  W.  Bungay. 

For  once  the  staid  Calvinists  seem  to  have  got  ahead  of  the  lively  Ar- 
minians,  for  as  Mr.  Fife  relates  in  his  anniversary  sermon,  Aug.  16,  1885, 
although  the  circuit  rider  was  early  on  the  ground  and  occupied  on  alternate 
'Sabbaths  the  courthouse,  the  Presbyterians  were  the  first  to  secure  a  local 
habitation  and  a  name;  The  church  was  organized  with  ten  members  on 
Nov.  4,  1844:  John  and  Maria  Gait,  Eliza  Wilson,  Mary  Wallace.  J.  C. 
Woodburn,  with  Mary  and  Jane,  W.  H.  Cole,  Carlisle  and  Jane  Mason.  It 
was  under  jurisdiction  of  the  presbytery  of  Schuyler.  Rev.  George  Stebbins 
was  elected  pastor  in  1845,  and  remained  until  May,  1856.  At  his  resignation 
there  were  thirty-nine  members.  Mr.  Stebbins  was  much  esteemed.  For  a 
year  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  Rev.  James  L.  Rogers  and  then  Mr.  Randall. 
In  August,  1857,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Erskine,  of  Columbia,  Pa.,  was  called,  and  he 
entered  upon  his  duties  that  fall,  continuing  in  active  service  until  April, 
J865,  when  he  resigned  to  assume  other  responsibilities  in  Chicago.  A  force- 
ful preacher  and  a  genial  man.  During  his  stay,  Dr.  Alfred  Hamilton,  of 
Fagg's  Manor,  Pa.,  a  theologian  of  saintly  bearing,  conducted  a  revival  which 
resulted  in  several  accessions.  During  the  summer  after  Mr.  Erskine's  retire- 
ment Prof.  Charles  Elliott,  of  the  McCormick  Seminary,  filled  the  sacred 
desk,  and  on  Oct.  23,  1865,  Rev.  M.  C.  Williams,  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  ac- 
cepted a  call. 

He  tried  each  art,  reproved  each  dull  delay, 
Allured  to  brighter  worlds,  and  led  the  way. 

The  ministry  of  Rev.  N.  H-.  G.  Fife  began  on  November  1873,  and 
he  had  the  privilege  of  assisting  in  the  erection  of  the  new  church  now  occu- 
pied by  the  congregation.  It  was  completed  in  1885,  and  the  dedication 
took  place  on  Sunday,  Oct.  30. 

The  edifice  stands  on  Fifth  street,  between  Locust  and  Avenue  A.  It 
is  of  brick,  Gothic  front,  with  one  large  main  window  like  York  cathedral, 
and  a  corner  tower,  106  feet  high.  The  floor  inclines,  pews  of  ash  trimmed 
with  cherry,  the  seating  capacity  over  five  hundred.  A  large  .organ  in  the 
northeast  corner.  The  basement  contains  a  main  Sunday  school  room  with 
several  smaller  rooms  and  conveniences  for  social  functions.  Here  are  held 
the  various  festivals  of  the  congregation.  The  total  cost  of  the  structure  with 
furniture  was  $30,000.  The  $1,800  organ  was  secured  by  the  active  efforts 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  353 

of  the  ladies.     The  pulpit,  chairs  and  desk,  $85,  from  the  Merry  Workers, 
The  pulpit  bible  was  presented  by  Mrs.  R.  L.  Wilson. 

The  dedicatory  services  occupied  the  day.  The  morning  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  Dr.  W.  G.  Craig,  of  Chicago,  and  the  evening  by  Rev.  Dr. 
M.  C.  Williams,  then  of  Princeton.  Among  the  other  ministers  present  were 
Mr.  Hilton  of  the  Methodist,  Mr.  Smith  of  Morrison,  and  Rev.  Martin  Post, 
of  Congregational. 

The  old  church  stood  on  Fourth  street  on  the  site  of  the  present  High 
school,  although  the  stone  walls  were  begun  in  1849,  lack  of  means  prevented 
the  completion  of  the  structure  till  1855  and  1853.  The  basement  only  was 
in  use  for  a  time.  When  the  upper  room  was  dedicated  in  1856,  Rev.  W.  W. 
Harsha,  of  Dixon,  delivered  the  sermon.  As  the  building  was  too  small,  a 
brick  front  was  added  in  1865,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000. 

Fifty  years!  Not  long  in  Rome,  but  a  time  of  meaning  for  the  new 
West.  Nov.  4,  1894,  was  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
church,  and  it  was  fitly  observed.  Rev.  William  Carter,  pastor,  in  the  morn- 
ing gave  a  concise  review  of  the  progress  of  the  society,  and  in  the  evening 
there  were  various  papers  read  by  members  of  the  church  and  pastors  of  sister 
denominations.  Reminiscences  by  Mary  Wallace,  Maria  Gait,  Eliza  Wilson, 
all  since  dead,  "Impressions  25  Years  Ago"  by  John  Buyers,  "The  Church  in 
the  Last  Decade,"  by  George  Robinson.  In  short  talks,  Mr.  Denning  and 
Mr.  Flack  spoke  for  the  Methodists,  Rev.  E.  Brown  for  the  Lutherans,  Rev. 
Theo.  Crowe  for  the  Congregational.  Music  was  unusually  elaborate.  Solos 
by  Lulu  Newcomer  and  Horace  Diller — Leah  Sprinkle  at  the  organ. 

John  Gait,  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  before  removal  to  the 
West,  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  society  from  the  start.  It  is  said  that  the 
first  formal  public  service  was  held  in  the  school  house  on  Broadway,  south  of 
the  Worthington  home,  in  November,  1844.  When  Mr.  Stebbins  was  installed 
as  pastor,  he  received  the  munificent  allowance  of  $200  from  the  general 
board  of  the  church  and  an  equal  amount  in  pork,  potatoes,  and  similar  dain- 
ties from  the  people.  Before  his  installation,  union  services  were  held  by  the 
Baptists  and  members  of  other  churches,  each  family  bringing  its  own  candle. 
The  old  announcement  used  to  be,  "Preaching  at  early  candle  light." 

Several  pastors  from  the  resignation  of  Rev.  N.  H.  G.  Fife  kf  the  pres- 
ent: S.  S.  Palmer,  1890-93;  Wm.  Carter,  1894-99;  J.  F.  Horton,  1899-1901; 
W.  E.  Donaldson,  1902-1905.  Charles  Gorman  Richards,  now  in  the  pulcit. 
began  his  services  July,  1906.  The  trustees  are  G.  G.  Keefer,  A.  A.  Wol- 
fersperger,  L.  L.  Wheeler,  Fred  Honens,  H.  C.  Atwood.  The  elders  are  T. 
A.  Gait,  G.  L.  Robinson,  W.  P.  Hallett,  E.  L.  Gait,  H.  L.  Davis,  G. 
Hanson,  H.  Reitzel,  Fred  Honens,  Dr.  Keefer,  M.  Dillon.  About  125  scholars 
in  the  bible  school,  George  Hanson,  superintendent.  The  membership  of  the 
church  is  about  four  hundred.  T.  A.  Gait,  eighty,  is  the  oldest  elder,  and 
has  grown  gray  in  the  office.  The  late  John  Buyers  was  another  revered 
dignitary  in  the  same  honor. 

There  are  the  usual  societies  in  connection  with  the  church.  One  encour- 
aging feature  within  the  last  two  years  has  been  the  awakened  interest  among 


354  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  men  of  the  church,  not  in  a  mere  social  way,  but  in  real  personal  activity 
for  the  spread  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood 
is  a  rising  association  of  much  promise.  The  meetings  are  made  agreeable 
and  instructive.  Refreshments  are  often  served.  At  a  meeting  in  March, 
1908,  C.  L.  Sheldon  and  Judge  H.  C.  Ward  spoke  on  Civic  Righteousness. 

Rev.  Charles  Gorman  Richards,  present  pastor,  is  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  graduate  of  Princeton  in  1897,  and  of  McCormick  Theological  Sem- 
inary in  1901.  His  only  pastorate  was  five  years  at  Columbus,  Indiana, 
before  his  call  to  Sterling. 

MR.    STEBBINS   STARTS   THE   CHOIR. 

One  hot  summer  day,  says  George  Brewer,  when  the  Presbyterians  were 
holding  services  in  the  old  court  house,  Mr.  Stebbins  noticed  the  choir  who 
were  sitting  around  the  table  below  the  judge's  desk,  with  heads  back  and 
eyes  shut.  He  decided  on  heroic  action,  and  laying  aside  his  manuscript, 
he  screamed  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "Awake,  ye  drowsy  souls,  why  sleep  ye 
so  under  the  offers  of  pardoning  grace,  ye  slumberers  of  time  to  eternity, 
awake!"  This  tremendous  blast  so  unusual  in  the  quiet  preacher,  startled 
everybody,  the  choir  as  well,  who  with  their  chorister,  D.  R.  Beck,  straight- 
ened up,  and  cleared  their  throats  for  the  next  hymn. 

TALE  OF   A  CHART. 

There  hangs  in  the  Historical  Society  a  chart  of  the  pews  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  about  1860.  They  are  numbered  and  marked  with  the  names 
of  the  families  who  occupied  them.  Sometimes  two  had  one  pew.  There 
were  about  sixty  pews  and  of  all  the  persons  whose  names  appear,  not  one 
remains  but  T.  A.  Gait  and  Amanda  Crawford.  The  Goes,  Pattersons.  Wil- 
sons, Hutchinsons,  Penningtons,  Manahans,  Robbins,  Crawfords,  Wallaces, 
Windoms,  and  dozens  of  others  of  the  original  people  all  represented  only  by 
their  descendants,  and  in  some  cases  not  a  survivor  of  the  race  is  left. 

At  a  business  meeting  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  April,  it  was  shown 
that  the  congregational  expenses  during  the  year  closing  March  31,  1908, 
including  the  first  payments  of  pledges  on  the  manse  fund,  contributions 
have  amounted  to  six  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-five  dollars;  and  the 
gifts  for  benevolences,  including  the  various  boards  of  the  church  and  mis- 
cellaneous outside  causes,  were  nineteen  hundred  and  twenty-three  dollars, 
making  a  total  of  money  contributed  for  all  purposes  of  eight  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars.  The  following  were  elected  trustees:  George 
G.  Keefer,  C.  H.  Atwood,  W.  W.  Wheeler,  A.  A.  Wolfersperger,  and  John 
G.  Wetzel. 

During  the  year  five  additional  elders  have  been  ordained,  and  thirty- 
one  new  members  added  to  the  communicant,  roll.  Eleven  have  been  dismissed 
by  letter  to  other  churches,  and  four  have  been  lost  by  death.  Ten  adults  and 
eleven  children  have  received  baptism.  A  marked  increase  was  noted  in  the 
attendance  of  adults  in  the  bible  school. 


THIRD  STREET,  STERLING 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

JIXIVEP.8ITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  355 

THE  FIRST    METHODIST. 

To  all  the  truth  we  tell,  we  tell ! 
Shouted  in  ecstasies,  a  bell; 
Come,  all  ye  weary  wanderers,  see, 
Our  Lord  has  made  salvation  free! 
Repent,  believe,  have  faith,  and  then 
Be  saved  and  praise  the  Lord,  Amen. 
Salvation's  free,  we  tell,  we  tell! 
Shouted  the  Methodistic  bell. — Bun  gay. 

Our  Wesleyan  friends  held  services  in  Sterling  township  in  1836,  and  in 
1838  the  church  was  organized  with  Barton  H.  Cartwright  as  minister,  cousin 
of  the  famous  Peter.  Both  Peter  and  Barton  spent  much  of  their  lives  in 
the  saddle  on  extended  circuits,  and  both  lived  till  nearly  ninety.  Barton 
was  chaplain  in  the  army,  and  was  with  Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea. 
He  died  in  Oregon,  Illinois,  1895. 

The  members  of  the  first  class  were  Hezekiah  Brink  and  wife,  Luther 
Bush  and  wife,  Mrs.  Geer  and  Mrs.  Pratt.  The  charge  was  part  of  the 
Buffalo  Grove  circuit.  In  1855,  Rev.  S.  F.  Denning  became  resident  pastor, 
remaining  two  years,  and  promoted  the  erection  of  the  church  in  1856.  It 
cost  $9,000,  and  at  its  completion,  a  large  debt  was  resting  upon  forty  mem- 
bers. In  1882  the  church  was  sued,  and  the  building  sold  to  Henry  Murray 
for  $2,000.  A  dark  day  in  the  history  of  old  Broadway.  Dr.  T.  M.  Eddy 
of  Chicago  was  invited  to  preside  at  a  grand  rally  of  the  congregation,  and  in 
response  to  his  fervent  appeals,  subscriptions  were  received  sufficient  to  pay 
the  debt,  and  the  building  was  deeded  back  to  the  trustees.  In  1863  several 
members  withdrew  because  of  opposition  to  the  pew-renting  system.  In  1867 
thirty  members  withdrew,  and  organized  the  Fourth  Street  church.  In  1868 
under  S.  F.  Denning's  second  pastorate,  the  church  was  for  the  first  time  freed 
from  all  indebtedness.  After  leaving  the  ministry,  Mr.  Denning  continued 
his  residence  in  Sterling,  dying  a  few  years  ago  in  his  own  pleasant  cottage 
on  Second  street.  Mrs.  Denning  was  a  cultured  woman,  faithful  in  every  good 
work. 

The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just, 
Shall  flourish  when  they  sleep  in  dust. 

In  1877,  the  parsonage  was  erected,  and  the  Woman's  Home  and  For- 
eign Missionary  organized.  One  of  the  finest  church  properties  in  the  city. 
Within  a  few  years  the  Auditorium  and  basement  have  been  remodeled  and 
decorated.  The  grounds  are  on  the  corner,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  spa- 
cious area,  stands  the  pretty  white  parsonage.  At  the  dedication  in  1856. 
Dr.  Luke  Hitchcock,  presiding  elder,  preached  the  sermon. 

Rev.  E.  J.  Rose,  Ph.D.,  S.  T.  D.,  the  present  pastor,  prepared  for  the 
duties  of  his  sacred  office,  at  Illinois  We«leyan,  Northwestern  University, 
and  Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  He  has  been  twenty-one  years  in  the  ministry. 
The  present  member-hip  numbers  270.  In  the  Sunday  school  two  hundred 
are  enrolled.  Bert  Thomas  is  superintendent.  The  usual  Ladies'  Aid  and 
Epworth  League.  An  active  Brotherhood  which  holds  annual  meetings  with 


356  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

banquet  and  addresses.  Much  interest  by  the  good  women  in  their  missionary 
society,  and  occasional  addresses  by  devoted  women  from  China  and  other 
countries  in  the  foreign  field.  Beginning  with  Barton  Cartwright,  Mr.  Rose 
is  the  29th  minister  to  proclaim  the  word  from  the  pulpit  of  old  Broadway. 
Paddock,  Denning,  and  most  of  the  earlier  pastors  have  gone  to  their  reward. 

Part  of  the  host  have  crossed  the  flood, 
And  part  axe  crossing  now. 

Charles  Wesley  has  a  line  for  every  occasion. 

ST.    JOHN'S  LUTHERAN   CHURCH. 

Our  older  citizens  remember  the  little  white  frame  church  with  cupalo 
which  stood  among  the  trees  on  the  northern  edge  of  the  city.  Here  the 
congregation  met  year  after  wear  until  it  outgrew  the  narrow  quarters,  and 
a  new  building  was  an  absolute  necessity.  The  requisite  amount  was  sub- 
scribed, the  old  frame  was  sold  and  moved  away,  and  on  June  16,  1891,  the 
corner  stone  of  the  new  structure  was  laid  with  suitable  ceremony.  Rev. 
Grover  Clark,  of  the  Methodist  church,  offered  prayer,  the  scripture  was  read 
by  Rev.  L.  M.  Gates  of  the  Baptist,  and  an  address  was  delivered  by  Rev. 
Martin  Post  of  the  Congregational.  Rev.  E.  Brown,  pastor,  explained  the  pur- 
pose of  the  occasion  in  a  few  touching  remarks.  In  the  corner  stone  was  de- 
posited a  tin  box  containing  the  names  of  the  officers  of  the  church  and  Sun- 
day school,  city  papers,  coins,  school  reports,  and  other  features  of  the 
current  time.  On  Sunday,  April  3,  1892,  the  edifice  was  dedicated,  Rev. 
Samuel  B.  Barnitz,  D.  D.,  preaching  the  sermon.  The  entire  cost  was  $15,000. 

The  society  began  like  other  of  the  Sterling  churches  in  the  old  court 
house,  and  the  eleven  original  members  who  effected  the  organization,  Dec. 
4,  1854,  were  Isaac  and  Mary  Reed,  Catherine  Lefever,  M.  C.  Auld,  Susan 
Auld,  Benjamin  and  Harriet  Reed,  John  and  Elizabeth  Hecker,  Mary  Reedr 
Thomas  Sipe.  While  in  the  court  house,  Jonas  Windom  led  the  singing, 
and  Henry  Landis  played  the  violin.  After  meeting  a  while  in  the  old 
Presbyterian  church,  the  frame  church  was  begun  in  1856,  and  completed 
in  1857.  This  was  the  building  removed  for  the  new  edifice  in  1891.  The 
lot  was  given  by  John  Lefever.  Isaac  Reed  and  John  Hecker  were  elected 
the  first  elders.  In  April,  1857,  there  were  31  communicants,  and  in  March, 
1862,  46.  No  regular  pastor  at  the  beginning,  but  the  pulpit  was  supplied 
by  Rev.  William  Uhl,  of  Dixon,.and  Rev.  C.  B.  Thummel,  of  Gap  Grove. 
Rev.  N.  W.  Lilly  succeeded  in  1857,  and  after  a  stay  of  almost  two  years 
was  followed  by  Rev.  W.  A.  Lipe,  who  ministered  to  the  people  until  1873r 
except  an  interval  of  service  as  chaplain  during  the  war.  Mr.  Lipe  was  a 
vigorous  preacher,  and  the  congregation  gradually  enlarged.  He  held  services- 
in  the  school  house  at  Empire,  and  his  labors  there  resulted  later  in  the  build- 
ing of  a  Lutheran  church.  In  1873,  Rev.  Emanuel  Brown  began  a  faithful 
ministry  which  ended  only  with  his  lamented  death  in  1900.  Just  one  short 
interruption,  when  for  a  few  months  about  1875,  the  pulpit  was  filled  bv 
Rev.  A.  K.  Felton.  September  1,  1900,  Rev.  E.  Lee  Fleck  began  his  minis- 
try, which  still  continues  with  great  acceptance.  He  was  called  from  Dayton, 
Ohio,  without  the  ordeal  of  a  previous  trial  sermon.  Mr.  Fleck  took  his  col- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITES1DE    COUNTY  357 

lege  course  at  Carthage,  in  this  state,  and  his  seminary  preparation  at  Wit- 
tenberg, Springfield,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Fleck  is  also  a  graduate  of  Carthage. 

Few  churches  anywhere  have  shown  more  healthful  progress  in  things, 
spiritual  and  material.  A  spacious  parsonage,  a  splendid  pipe  organ,  a  hand- 
somely decorated  interior,  and  a  basement  nicely  fitted  for  every  social 
function,  are  among  the  substantial  improvements.  The  thirty  communi- 
cants of  1857  have  increased  to  over  five  hundred  in  1908.  A  Sunday  school 
of  405  pupils,  18  teachers,  four  adult  classes.  George  L.  Carolus  is  superin- 
tendent. Numerous  societies  in  connection  with  the  church  hold  regular 
meetings,  the  Ladies'  Aid,  Ladies'  Social  Circle,  Christian  Endeavor,  Wom- 
an's Home  and  Foreign  Missionary.  The  elders  of  the  church  are  Daniel 
Over,  Anson  Thummel,  and  Theodore  Trouth.  A  large  choir  of  young 
ladies  and  gentlemen  led  by  Miss  Muriel  Price. 

Our  Daily  Work  is  a  small  four-page  paper  edited  by  the  pastor  and 
distributed  among  the  members  on  the  first  of  every  month  as  they  leave  the 
church.  It  gives  a  variety  of  items  about  the  societies  and  affairs  of  the  con- 
gregation that  all  ought  to  know. 

Foreign  mission  day  and  other  great  causes  of  the  general  church  are 
punctually  observed  by  the  Sunday  school  with  appropriate  programs  of 
dialogue  and  music  on  Sunday  evening.  The  offerings  for  these  objects  are 
liberal,  and  the  Sunday  night  audiences  are  encouraging  with  full  pews. 

A  kindly  charity  on  Christmas  week,  1907,  was  the  entertainment  of  the 
entire  Nachusa  Orphans'  Home,  sixty-five,  in  the  social  rooms  of  the  church 
at  a  bountiful  holiday  dinner. 

FOURTH  STREET   METHODIST. 

When  I  can  read  my  title  clear 

To  mansions  in  the  skies, 
I'll  bid  farewell  to  every  fear, 

And  wipe  my  weeping  eyas. — Watts. 

This  is  the  last  and  finest  of  our  churches.  In  size,  beauty,  convenience, 
and  massive  construction,  it  is  the  gem  of  our  ecclesiastical  edifices.  The  cor- 
ner stone  was  laid  in  1907,  and  the  dedication  took  place  on  Sunday,  April 
5.  For  the  week  preceding  there  was  a  series  of  jubilee  exercises.  On  Sunday, 
March  29,  Dr.  Elliott,  of  Chicago,  preached,  and  A.  D.  Traveler,  presiding 
elder  of  Rockford  district.  On  Monday  evening  Walter  Keller  of  St.  Vin- 
cent's church,  Chicago,  gave  an  organ  recital.  On  Tuesday,  sermon  by  Dr. 
Brummitt  of  Epworth  Herald,  and  on  Wednesday  by  A.  T.  Horn  of  Oak- 
land church,  Chicago.  On  Thursday  Dr.  Swift  of  Austin  spoke  to  the  Broth- 
erhoods. On  Friday  fraternal  greetings  from  other  churches,  in  which 
Thomas  of  the  Baptist,  Parvin  of  the  Christian,  Rose  of  Broadway  M.  E., 
Davis  of  Lutheran,  Fonken  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Crowl  of  Congregational,  and 
Richards  of  Presbyterian,  took  part.  A  congratulatory  letter  was  read  from 
Rev.  Edwin  Weary.  Episcopal,  who  was  engaged  in  Dixon.  N.  G.  Van 
Sant  presided.  On  Sunday  morning  Dr.  Shepard  of  Englewood  preached, 
and  in  the  afternoon,  C.  S.  Moore,  presiding  elder  of  Dixon  district  made  the 
formal  dedication.  Dr.  Tilroe,  of  Chicago,  spoke  in  the  evening.  All  through 


358  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

these  exercises  the  music,  vocal  and  instrumental,  was  of  high  order,  Prof. 
Russell  A.  Morrison,  director,  and  Miss  Vergie  L.  Bensinger,  organist.  Large 
and  delighted  audiences  at  every  session. 

A  dainty  souvenir  booklet  was  issued  containing  portraits  of  the  various 
pastors,  pictures  of  the  church,  lists  of  the  officers,  a  description  of  the  build- 
ing, and  a  history  of  the  society.  This  has  furnished  much  of  the  material 
given  in  this  sketch. 

The  style  of  the  building  is  Renaissance,  and  from  the  foundation  to  the 
top  of  the  two  towers  the  material  is  concrete.  There  are  two  main  divisions, 
the  chapel  and  Sunday  school  rooms,  and  the  capacious  auditorium  for  the 
regular  service.  The  frescoing  is  neat,  the  windows  are  of  art  glass,  lighting 
by  gas  and  electricity,  the  floors  are  of  hard  wood,  the  woodwork  is  oak,  back 
of  the  pulpit  is  a  two  manual  Pilcher  organ.  All  the  fixtures  are  in  harmony, 
and  when  lighted  at  night  the  effect  is  inspiring  and  impressive.  The  pews 
will  accommodate  750  people,  with  emergency  settings  for  250  more.  H. 
B.  Wheelock  of  Chicago  is  the  architect.  The  splendid  church  is  a  monument 
to  the  Christian  liberality  of  the  men  and  women  of  the  congregation,  and 
to  the  untiring  devotion  of  Rev.  W.  W.  Diehl,  pastor,  who  was  the  soul  of  the 
noble  enterprise  from  its  inception  to  its  triumphant  completion. 

Fourth  Street  church  is  an  offshoot  of  old  Broadway,  now  the  First  M. 
E.  church.  In  1867,  as  many  of  the  congregation  lived  in  the  west  end,  a 
mile  off,  it  was  decided  to  form  a  new  society,  and  39  members  withdrew. 
Wallace  hall  was  rented,  and  Rev.  J.  H.  Ailing  was  sent  as  pastor  by  the  con- 
ference. During  his  pastorate,  the  lots  on  Avenue  A  and  Fourth  street  were 
purchased,  and  the  basement  constructed.  Rev.  W.  H.  Smith  succeeded, 
1889-72,  and  the  church  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  1871,  at  a  cost  of 
$18,000.  A  phenomenal  growth.  From  39  members  there  are  now  nearly 
500.  The  Sunday  school  from  26  scholars  to  389  with  78  on  the  cradle  roll. 
Both  the  old  church  and  the  adjoining  rectory  were  demolished  as  the  entire 
property  was  needed  for  the  new  edifice. 

No  other  society  in  the  city  has  so  much  energy  and  perseverence.  Every 
man,  woman,  and  child  puts  the  shoulder  to  the  wheel.  Already  in  1904, 
$20,000  were  pledged  toward  the  building  fund.  The  Ladies'  Aid  for  three 
years  has  been  raising  $1,000  per  year  for  the  same  purpose.  Of  the  few 
wealthy  members,  one  has  given  $2,000,  another  $1,500.  Even  young  people 
who  have  to  earn  the  money,  have  pledged  various  amounts  from  $50  to 
$100.  The  ladies  have  frequent  festivals,  and  the  congregation  is  kept  in 
a  continual  state  of  pleasing  excitement  that  leads  to  financial  profit.  The 
cost  of  the  complete  structure  is  placed  at  $52.000.  The  chapel  dedicated  in 
1905,  cost  $20,000. 

Rev.  W.  W.  Diehl  is  the  sixteenth  pastor  beginning  with  Rev.  J.  H.  All- 
ing,  and  has  served  the  longest  pastorate,  1901-08.  Of  the  present  board  of 
trustees,  James  Woodburn  is  president.  Three  local  preachers,  H.  K.  Hostet- 
ter,  Albert  Coe,  Mortimer  Coe.  George  Welsh  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school,  assisted  by  seventeen  teachers.  Mrs.  A.  C.  Randall  has  the  primary 
department.  Five  subsidiary  societies,  all  nourishing,  Epworth  league, 
Junior  league,  Ladies'  Aid,  Women's  Foreign  Missionary,  and  Men's  Brother- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  359 

hood.  On  the  building  committee  of  the  new  church  were  Dr.  Hill,  C.  E. 
Bensinger,  J.  P.  Overholser,  N.  G.  Van  Sant,  John  Wagner,  Isaac  Bressler, 
A.  C.  Randall,  George  Beebe,  C.  H.  Woodburn,  and  the  pastor. 

\ 

THE   FIRST   BAPTIST. 

Ye  purifying  waters,  swell! 

In  mellow  tones  rang  out  a  bell ; 

Though  faith  alone  in  Christ  can  save, 

Man  must  be  plunged  beneath  the  wave, 

To  show  the  world  unfaltering  faith 

In  what  the  sacred  Scripture  saith; 

O,  swell,  ye  rising  waters,  swell ! 

Pealed  out  the  clear-toned  Baptist  bell. — Bungay. 

In  common  with  the  other  churches,  the  Baptists  had  their  time  of 
struggle,  beginning  in  June,  1856,  with  eleven  members.  Jesse  Rosenberger, 
George  Nichols,  and  Mrs.  Phebe  Worthington  were  among  the  charter  mem- 
bers. The  latter-still  living  at  nearly  96.  Rev.  H.  H.  Haff  was  in  charge  from 
June  to  September,  1856,  and  in  November,  Rev.  J.  T.  Mason  began  a  noble 
ministry  which  continued  to  1880.  The  first  services  were  held  in  Boynton's 
hall.  In  the  choir  was  C.  B.  Smith  with  his  violin.  He  studied  law,  and  died 
in  Mt.  Carroll.  The  late  A.  A.  Terrell  was  the  polite  usher.  The  First 
church,  a  diminutive  brick  with  two  windows  on  a  side  was  erected  in  1857. 
Mr.  Mason  humorously  called  it  a  kitchen,  hoping  for  a  larger  addition,  which 
came  in  18'65.  As  the  congregation  steadily  increased,  the  present  structure 
with  its  two  towers  was  built  in  1873.  Many  improvements  have  been  made 
since,  the  last  being  a  handsome  organ,  which  rises  back  of  the  pulpit,  and 
gives  a  cathedral  effect  to  the  whole  interior.  Mr.  Mason's  labors  were  abund- 
ant. His  face  was  radiant  on  the  street.  Every  winter  he  held  protracted 
meetings,  and  in  the  spring  soon  as  the  ice  had  moved  out,  classes  of  converts 
were  baptized  at  the  foot  of  some  avenue.  He  had  a  charge  in  Amboy  after 
leaving  here.  His  widow  returned'  after  his  death,  and  worships  in  the  sanc- 
tuary he  did  so  much  to  establish.  Rev.  0.  R.  Thomas  from  Pennsylvania 
is  the  eleventh  pastor  in  the  pulpit.  Among  the  later  ministers  pleasantly 
remembered  are  W.  B.  Morris,  Dr.  A.  L.  Wilkinson,  vigorous  and  intellectual, 
and  James  A.  Pierce,  who  was  seized  with  a  violent  illness  from  which  he 
never  recovered.  He  was  held  in  high  regard  by  all  demominations,  and  a 
fund  was  gathered  for  the  benefit  of  the  family. 

Facing  Central  Park,  the  church  has  the  most  desirable  situation  in  the 
city.  An  earnest  congregation.  The  present  pastor,  O.  R.  Thomas,  is  from 
Pennsylvania.  The  total  membership  is  240,  85  men,  155  women.  In  the 
Sunday  school  165  young  people,  and  all  singers.  W.  S.  Adams  is  clerk  of 
the  church  body,  and  the  deacons  are  G.  P.  Perry,  W.  S.  Adams,  W.  H.  Bar- 
num,  W.  S.  Frey,  I.  M.  Phillips.  Wilbur  Barnum  is  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school.  Miss  May  Adams  is  president  of  B.  Y.  P.  U.  Mrs.  I.  M. 
Phillips  of  the  Missionary  Society.  Mrs.  Jenkins  of  the  Ladies'  Benevolent 
Society.  The  organist  of  the  church  is  Miss  Mabel  Philips. 


360  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

THE    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

In  deeds  of  love,  excel,  excel ! 

Chimed  out  from  ivied  towers  a  bell, 

This  is  the  church  not  built  in  sands; 

Emblem  of  one  not  built  with  hands ; 

Its  forms  and  sacred  rites  revere; 

Come,  worship  here,  come,  worship  here! 

In  ritual  and  faith  excel! 

Chimed  out  the  Episcopalian  bell. — Bungay. 

In  1856  at  the  request  of  a  few  earnest  disciples  of  the  church  of  Bishop 
Heber  and  Jeremy  Taylor,  Bishop  "Whitehouse  appointed  Rev.  Mr.  Down- 
ing, of  Dixon,  to  hold  services  in  Sterling.  Just  a  little  band,  but  they  were 
loyal.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson,  with  their  family,  B.  Fluelling,  Sidney  Osmer, 
Gabriel  Davis,  Mrs.  Wm.  MoCune.  Mr.  Downing  came  every  second  Sunday 
afternoon,  and  the  Lutherans  kindly  offered  the  use  of  their  small  white 
church  on  the  edge  of  town.  He  was  entertained  by  Gabriel  Davis.  In 
time  services  were  held  in  Wallace  hall.  It  was  decided  to  build  a  church, 
subscriptions  were  generously  made,  and  in  the  spring  of  1865,  Dr.  Clarkson, 
of  Chicago,  laid  the  corner  stone  of  Grace  church,  First  avenue  and  Fourth 
street.  The  original  cost  was  $14,000,  but  subsequent  improvements  have  ma- 
terially increased  that  amount.  The  young  society  began  to  grow,  and  the 
seven  original  communicants  were  soon  surrounded  by  a  numerous  congrega- 
tion. Among  the  later  additions  were  Mrs.  Coblentz,  Nelson  Maxson  and 
wife.  John  Price.  D.  F.  Batcheller,  Lorenzo  Hapgood.  For  many  years, 
Gabriel  Davis  and  Lorenzo  Hapgood  were  senior  wardens.  In  the  vestry 
were  W.  A.  Sanborn,  M.  S.  Henry,  and  others.  Rev.  0.  B.  Thayer,  formerly 
a  Methodist,  was  the  first  rector.  Dec.  11,  1864,  at  the  first  confirmation, 
Bishop  Whitehouse  confirmed  thirty  candidates.  A  succession  of  rectors 
after  Mr.  Thayer.  Among  them  Gierlow,  Goodhue,  Lloyd,  Root,  Joss,  Bate. 
Rev.  J.  E.  Goodhue  was  here  twice,  much  beloved,  and  his  memory  is  precious. 
He  was  called  to  a  charge  in  Newark,  N.  Y.,  and  died  there  a  few  years  ago. 
Gierlow  died  in  St.  Louis.  The  visits  of  Bishop  Whitehouse  to  the  parish 
are  fondly  recalled.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hapgood  always  entertained  him  at  their 
brick  cottage  on  Second  avenue,  and  the  next  morning  after  confirmation, 
friends  were  invited  to  call.  It  was  an  informal  reception.  The  bishop  was 
an  accomplished  gentleman,  not  only  theologian,  but  scholar,  traveler,  lin- 
guist, and  so  admirable  a  talker  that  you  had  only  to  ask  a  question,  and 
he  would  pour  forth  a  stream  of  delightful  incident  and  comment.  A  hard 
worker.  All  Illinois  was  then  his  diocese. 

During  the  rectorship  of  Mr.  Bate,  1902,  a  spacious  parish  house  was 
erected  in  rear  of  the  church  by  the  munificence  of  John  S.  Miller,  a  promi- 
nent member.  Within  the  last  few  years,  especially  since  the  coming  of  the 
present  rector,  many  costly  additions  have  been  made  to  the  original  structure. 
Interior  decoration,  new  pews,  a  fine  organ,  the  elevation  of  the  spire,  a 
chime  of  bells,  gift  of  the  Greenoughs,  western  extension  of  the  nave.  In  all 
its  appointments,  Grace  church  is  a  model  of  chaste  ecclesiastical  beauty  and 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  361 

fitness.  On  all  holy  days  and  public  occasions,  the  chimes  ring  out  their 
notes  of  joy  and  solemn  reminder. 

Rev.  Edwin  Weary,  the  present  rector,  under  whom  the  parish  is  enjoy- 
ing a  high  degree  of  prosperity,  celebrated  the  silver  jubilee  of  his  ordination 
to  the  ministry,  Oct.  18,  1882,  in  Grace  church  in  1907  on  the  same  date. 
The  interior  was  charmingly  decorated  with  palms  and  flowers.  Rev.  G. 
S.  Hinkle,  Waterloo,  Iowa,  preached  the  sermon.  The  choir  rendered  a  pro- 
gram of  select  music.  A  reception  after  the  service  to  all  in  attendance,  and  in 
the  evening,  also,  at  the  parish  house,  to  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Weary,  who  is  an  un- 
tiring assistant  in  everything  connected  with  the  social  and  general  work 
of  the  church.  Following  a  congratulatory  address  by  Rev.  Mr.  Whitcomb, 
St.  Luke's,  Dixon,  Frank  J.  Bowman,  esq.,  presented  the  rector  and  wife  a 
gift  of  $50  from  the  congregation,  $25  to  represent  the  past  term  of  activity, 
and  the  other  $25  in  hopeful  anticipation  of  a  similar  term  to  come.  To 
all  the  addresses,  Mr.  Weary  replied  in  his  usual  happy  manner. 

Few  rectors  of  his  age,  and  he  is  only  in  the  prime  of  life,  have  seen 
so  much  strenuous  service.  Soon  after  his  ordination  in  1882,  he  took  charge 
of  missions  on  the  Labrador  coast  among  the  Esquimaux  and  other  missions 
in  Canada.  In  1893  Mr.  Weary  came  to  the  United  States,  and  at  the  close 
of  eight  years  in  East  Liverpool,  Ohio,  a  membership  increased  from  100  to 
375  communicants,  and  a  handsome  stone  church,  were  positive  proofs  that 
his  labors  were  abundantly  prospered. 

The  vestry  consists  of  Frank  Taylor,  senior  warden ;  John  S.  Miller, 
j  unior  warden ;  William  Dougherty,  clerk ;  Harry  Werle,  financial  secretary ; 
Capt.  A.  H.  Hershey,  Frank  Bowman,  J.  A.  Kilgour,  William  Martell,  A. 
M.  Clapp,  N.  Gaulrapp.  There  are  121  communicants,  64  scholars  in  the 
Sunday  school,  of  which  Mr.  Weary  is  superintendent.  Mr.  Weary  came  to 
Grace  church  in  the  spring  of  1905. 

THE   FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL. 

I  love  thy  church,  O  God! 

Her  walls  before  thee  stand. — Timothy  Dwight. 

Dr.  Dwight  has  a  good  many  followers  who  love  the  old  church,  and 
carry  their  preference  to  their  homes  in  the  West.  A  feeble  folk  in  Sterling 
in  1857.  Ten  persons  met  April  17,  at  the  Boynton  House  to  consult:  L. 
B.  Wetherbee,  A.  McMoore,  M.  H.  Hinsdale,  William  McKinney,  Francis 
Macey,  Joel  S.  Wilcox,  David  and  Abel  Holbrook,  Joshua  McKinney,  Nathan 
Williams.  On  June  21,  the  church  was  formally  organized  with  thirty  mem- 
bers. Commercial  Hall  was  used  that  winter,  and  in  May,  1859,  a  room  on 
second  floor  of  Central  block  was  engaged.  Various  supplies  until  Rev.  U. 
W.  Small  was  installed  Sept.  22,  1859.  His  wife  was  Miss  Gillman,  a  teacher 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  her  alma  mater,  Mt.  Holyoke  and  Mary  Lyon.  A 
lot  was  bought  on  Second  avenue,  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets,  and  a 
frame  church  was  erected  in  1864,  which  was  enlarged  in  1870.  But  a  mod- 
ern structure  was  found  to  be  necessary,  and  on  April  24,  1898,  was  dedicated 
the  present  magnificent  temple  with  its  stately  tower.  Organ,  furniture,  glass, 


362  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

all  the  equipments  in  the  highest  style  of  art.  Prof.  Samuel  Ives  Curti-s, 
D.  D.,  preached  the  sermon  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  evening,  Rev.  Martin 
Post,  former  pastor,  spoke  the  message.  The  best  musicians  of  the  city 
rendered  selections  from  the  great  composers  of  sacred  song. 

The  special  exercises  continued  really  four  days,  beginning  with  an 
organ  and  vocal  concert  on  Friday,  and  closing  with  a  social  evening  on  Tues- 
day. At  the  fellowship  service,  addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  Emanuel  Brown, 
Lutheran,  Rev.  William  Carter,  Presbyterian;  Rev.  J.  A.  Matlack,  Methodist; 
Rev.  W.  B.  Morris,  Baptist;  Rev.  Silas  Jones,  Christian,  and  Rev.  B.  R. 
Schultze,  Evangelical. 

The  next  striking  event  was  the  jubilee  from  June  16  to  June  21,  1907, 
to  commemorate  fifty  years  of  development,  1857-1907.  On  Sunday  the  ser- 
mon was  by  Rev.  Martin  Post,  the  scripture  lesson  by  Dr.  Boardman,  and  the 
prayer  by  Rev.  E.  W.  Clarke,  all  former  pastors.  On  Sunday  evening  a 
fellowship  service  with  the  Rock  Falls  church,  and  a  paper  by  C.  A.  Wetherbee 
on  the  history  of  the  church.  On  Friday  afternoon,  there  were  greetings 
by  the  Sterling  pastors,  and  in  the  evening  talks  by  early  ministers  of  the 
society.  Of  the  twelve  members  who  met  in  1857  in  the  Second  ward 
school  to  consider  organization,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Harpham  are  still  in  regu- 
lar attendance.  The  oldest  and  most  prominent  of  the  original  group  was 
Joshua  McKinney,  who  died  in  1907.  Among  the  later  members,  no  one 
has  taken  a  more  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  church,  and,  indeed,  in  every 
good  enterprise,  than  J.  K.  Chester.  Much  of  the  musical  prestige  of  this 
church  is  due  to  the  skill  and  perseverance  of  Miss  Ella  Richards,  who  for  a 
long  time  has  had  the  direction  of  the  choir.  Frequent  recitals  are  a  favorite 
feature,  as  well  as  vesper  services. 

Of  all  the  former  pastors,  Martin  Post  left  the  deepest  impress  upon  the 
congregation  from  his  long  residence  and  earnest  spirit.  In  a  letter  written 
at  Atlantic  City,  January,  1894,  he  says  in  giving  his  resignation:  "Next 
April  will  complete  28  years  since  I  first  saw  Sterling,  Deacon  McKinney  and 
a  few  others,  and  with  the  return  of  June  it  will  be  ten  years  since  I  began 
my  second  pastorate.  Our  relations  have  always  been  delightful.  You  re- 
ceived me  with  all  my  weaknesses  and  deficiencies,  and  I  have  sought  to  give 
you  my  best.  To  me  and  my  family,  your  sympathy  has  been  unfailing, 
and  now,  though  the  pastoral  bond  be  sundered,  the  one  bond,  most  precious 
of  all,  our  common  love  of  the  Savior,  will  never  be  sundered." 

,  Rev.  Theodore  Growl,  D.  D.,  has  ministered  to  the  large  and  intelligent 
congregation  of  five  hundred  members  since  1894.  Both  he  and  his  excel- 
lent family  occupy  a  prominent  place  in  the  social  life  of  the  community. 
J.  K.  Chester  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  320  scholars.  Of  the 
six  deacons,  J.  K.  Chester,  Dr.  Gordon,  W.  W.  Haskell,  Prof.  Axistin,  C.  A. 
Wetherbee.  S.  P.  Giddings  is  the  dean. 

ST.  MARY'S  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

Saints  below  with  heart  and  voice, 
Still  in  songs  of  praise  rejoice. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  3J3 

The  Catholics  in  Sterling  at  an  early  day  were  obliged,  like  the  other 
societies,  to  meet  for  worship  in  the  courthouse.  Sol  Seely  recalls  the  wonder 
with  which  the  natives  gazed  at  the  imposing  ceremonies  of  the  ancient 
church  as  conducted  by  a  visiting  priest.  The  first  services  were  by  a  French 
priest  from  Iowa.  About  1853  organization  was  effected,  and  services  were 
held  regularly  thenceforth.  In  June,  1883,  Rev.  John  Daly  became  first 
resident  pastor,  and  the  first  child  whose  baptism  is  recorded  in  the  register 
was  Dominic  Eagou.  He  was  followed  in  May,  1876,  by  Rev.  M.  J.  Byrne. 
May,  1878,  came  Rev.  C.  J.  O'Callaghan;  February,  1889,  Rev.  Thos.  Quig- 
ley;  March.  1889,  Rev.  P.  McMahon;  May,  1892,  Rev.  R.  H.  McGuire,  and 
in  October,  1893,  Rev.  J.  J.  Bennett,  who  has  remained  ever  since. 

The  congregation  has  had  its  struggles  and  changes.  The  first  church 
was  erected  of  brick  in  18'38  on  the  corner  of  Second  avenue  and  Fifth 
street,  and  was  transferred  in  time  to  the  Christian  church,  which  now  meets 
there  for  regular  worship.  The  old  Presbyterian  church  on  Fourth  street, 
left  vacant  by  the  erection  of  a  new  edifice,  was  purchased  in  1879,  and 
services  held  there  until  the  completion  of  the  stately  new  structure  in  1900. 
The  rectory  on  the  south  was  added  in  1901.  In  some  respects  the  most 
imposing  ecclesiastical  property  in  the  city,  with  the  wide  front  on  B  avenue, 
the  broad  concrete  steps  and  platform  at  the  entrance,  and  the  spire  with 
bells  soaring  heavenward.  The  style  is  Gothic.  This  handsome  church  and 
earnest  people  owe  much  to  the  judgment  and  perseverance  of  Father  Ben- 
nett, who  at  sixty-four  has  given  his  best  years  to  the  parish.  He  began  his 
preliminary  studies  at  St.  Joseph's  college,  Bardstown,  Ky.,  and  received  his 
final  diploma  at  St.  Mary's  College,  Emmittsburg,  Md.  He  was  ordained  at 
Chicago  in  1874  by  Bishop  Foley,  labored  14  years  at  Braidwood,  and  in  1907 
celebrated  the  33d  anniversary  of  his  elevation  to  the  priesthood. 

St.  Mary's  has  about  172  families  and  several  societies.  The  Altar  So- 
ciety for  various  beneficent  needs  of  the  church.  The  Junior  Society,  consist- 
ing 6f  girls  from  quite  young  to  sixteen,  and  the  Senior  Sodality  of  young 
ladies  from  sixteen  upwards.  The  Cadets  are  composed  of  boys  from  six  to 
sixteen,  whose  motto  is  'temperance  and  purity,  with  about  ninety  members. 
The  regular  temperance  society  of  sixty  men,  who  are  ready  to  do  battle  for 
total  abstinence  and  clean  living.  The  altar  ladies  are  a  force,  numbering 
172  members,  abundant  in  good  works.  The  name  of  the  parish  was  changed 
from  St.  Patrick's  to  avoid  confusion,  as  several  St.  Patricks,  are  already  in 
the  vicinity.  , 

CHURCH  OF   THE  SACRED   HEART. 

0  sacred  head,  now  wounded, 
With  grief  and  shame  bowed  down. 

— Bernard  of  Clairvaux. 

On  the  corner  of  First  avenue  and  Seventh  street  this  handsome  church 
of  the  German  Catholics  rears  its  stately  spire,  with  a  melodious  bell  that  peals 
welcome  music  every  Sunday  to  saint  and  sinner.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  in 
1884  by  Archbishop  Feehan  of  Chicago.  The  building  committee  was  Henry 
Flock,  Adam  Hutten,  V.  Schiffmacher,  N.  Gaulrapp,  Henry  Weber.  The 


364  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

church  was  organized  in  1870,  and  at  first  the  Germans  and  Irish  held  services 
together.  The  first  services  were  held  in  Bressler's  hall,  1870,  with  only  thirty 
families.  In  1875  the  frame  church  was  built,  now  used  as  a  schoolhouse. 
Under  Pastor  Beineke,  afterwards,  the  parochial  residence  and  sisters'  house 
were  erected.  The  first  resident  priest  was  Schamoni,  an  Italian.  Rev.  Father 
Henry  M.  Fegers  came  in  February,  1885,  and  the  church  has  enjoyed  a 
steady  growth.  There  are  eighty  families  in  membership,  and  various  associa- 
tions to  assist  in  religious  work,  the  married  ladies'  altar  society,  the  young 
ladies'  and  the  young  men's  societies,  as  well  as  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and 
the  Knights  of  America.  In  the  school  conducted  by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Fran- 
cis, one  hundred  children  are  enrolled. 

Father  Fegers  entered  upon  his  sacred  calling  after  a  long  and  thorough 
study  in  the  seminaries  of  the  church,  and  is  a  gentleman  of  varied  culture. 
A  lover  of  old  books.  Among  his  treasures  are  the  Meditations  of  St.  Ignatius, 
Antwerp,  1620.  Another  and  rarer  is  Coloquia  oder  Tischreden  Doctor  Mart. 
Luther,  Frankfurt  am  Mayne,  1568.  Father  Fegers  celebrated  the  39th  anni- 
versary of  his  ordination  to  the  priesthood  in  1907,  and  is  the  dean  of  the 
clergy  in  both  Rock  Falls  and  Sterling. 

DISCIPLES  OF  CHRIST. 

Onward,  Christian  soldiers, 

Marching  as  to  war, 
With  the  cross  of  Jesus 

Going  on  before!  — Baring  Gould. 

The  first  meeting,  conducted  by  Knowles  Shaw,  was  held  June  18,  1875 
in  a  tent  in  Central  Park.  The  members  living  in  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls 
were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  Brookfield,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Detweiler,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  D.  Nance,  George  Nance,  W.  F.  Eastman,  and  Florence  Burgess.  The 
church  was  organized  June  27,  1875,  and  the  first  trustees  were  W.  F.  East- 
man, R.  B.  Colcord,  and  E.  Brookfield.  The  first  elders,  George  Nance,  R.  B. 
Colcord,  J.  S.  Detweiler.  The  first  deacons,  E.  Brookfield,  J.  D.  Nance,  W.  H. 
Shepperd,  David  Grubb.  The  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  was  W. 
F.  Eastman.  The  pastor  was  J.  N.  Smith.  The  first  meeting  after  that  in  the 
park  was  held  in  Wallace  Hall,  the  next  Sunday  in  Boynton  Hall,  and  in 
Aug.  15,  1875,  in  Colcord  Hall.  The  first  of  the  little  band  to  pass  away  was 
Ephraim  Brookfield,  Jan.  10,  1876.  Rev.  J.  H.  Wright  became  pastor  in 
October,  1876,  and  remained  three  years.  The  first  church  was  dedicated 
Feb.  1,  1880.  It  stands  on  Locust  street,  and  is  now,  after  being  remodeled, 
used  as  the  armory.  T.  W.  Grafton  was  the  next  pastor.  Desiring  a  change 
of  situation  and  better  facilities  for  their  work,  the  society  in  1888  purchased 
the  brick  building  formerly  occupied  by  St.  Patrick's  congregation,  on  Sixth 
street  and  Second  avenue.  Smaller  rooms  were  formed  from  the  main  audi- 
torium, and  various  changes  made  to  adapt  it  to  the  needs  of  the  church. 
Besides  the  pastors  mentioned  have  been  F.  L.  Moffet,  Silas  Jones,  W.  E. 
Spicer.  Silas  Jones  is  now  professor  in  Eureka  College.  Two  promising 
young  members  were  nurtured  in  the  society,  Stephen  Zendt  and  Louis  0. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  365 

Lehman.  A  missionary  in  India,  Miss  Mary  Kingsbury.  The  present  pastor 
is  Ira  L.  Parvin.  The  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  is  W.  J.  Moore, 
the  marble  mason.  The  usual  societies.  There  are  200  members  in  the 
church,  and  110  pupils  in  Sunday  school. 

THE   REFORMED    MENNONITE. 

This  was  formed  in  1868  with  65  members,  and  the  plain  white  frame 
church  stands  on  the  north-western  corner  of  Riverside  cemetery.  Services 
are  held  every  Sunday.  Many  of  the  congregation  live  in  the  country,  and 
sheds  are  provided  for  shelter  of  teams  in  inclement  weather.  Preaching  by 
one  of  their  own  members,  who  serves  without  compensation.  The  present 
pastor  is  William  Miller,  who  lives  on  his  farm  north  of  Sterling.  The  so- 
ciety maintains  the  dress,  customs,  and  doctrines  of  the  founders  in  Ger- 
many, three  hundred  years  ago. 

THE    GERMAN     LUTHERAN. 

This  is  one  of  our  later  societies.  Of  the  three  original  movers,  all  are 
gone,  the  last  being  Charles  Behrens  and  Albert  J.  Alberts.  Their  first 
preacher  was  Rev.  C.  Sewel,  from  Lyons,  Iowa,  for  a  year.  Rev.  F.  Lussky 
came  in  1874,  and  had  in  his  care,  this  charge  and  one  at  Round  Grove, 
since  independent  with  its  own  minister.  In  1904  a  neat  brick  church  was 
built  on  Third  avenue,  Sterling.  Rev.  Louis  Gressens,  pastor  for  thirteen 
years,  was  educated  at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  Springfield,  Illinois.  There  are  48 
members.  The  church  belongs  to  the  Missouri  Synod.  Above  the  door  is 
the  name,  Ev.  Lutherische  Kirche. 

ST.     PAUL'S    GERMAN     LUTHERAN. 

On  First  avenue  is  this  chaste  white  frame  building,  the  Swedish  Luth- 
eran remodeled.  The  membership  of  fifty  families  withdrew  from  the  Rock 
Falls  church  as  they  lived  on  the  Sterling  side  of  the  river,  and  decided  to 
have  their  own  house  of  worship.  A  few  families  live  in  the  country.  A 
small  Sunday  school  of  which  L.  Janssen  is  superintendent.  Rev.  Adolph 
Kurtz,  who  accepted  the  charge  in  1908,  is  a  young  gentleman  of  scholarly 
attainments  and  preaches  very  fluently  in  both  German  and  English.  He 
was  born  in  Berlin,  Germany,  educated  in  this  country,  was  formerly  a  pastor 
of  the  German  Lutheran  church  at  Geneva,  111.,  and  for  the  past  four  years 
has  been  connected  with  the  Lutheran  church  at  Mineola,  Iowa.  There  are 
the  usual  ladies'  aid  and  young  people's  societies. 

THE   EVANGELICAL   CHURCH. 

The  first  services  of  this  society  were  held  in  the  old  courthouse,  then 
in  the  third  story  of  the  hearse  factory,  until  a  small  house  was  bought  and 
moved  to  the  site  of  the  present  church  on  Fifth  street  and  Fifth  avenue, 
about  1870.  In  1873-4  the  new  church  was  erected,  during  the  pastorate 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Keller.  An  extended  list  of  ministers,  none  of  them  remaining 
long,  Dingle,  Eller,  Burkhardt,  Mohr,  Hafele,  Thoren,  Shultz,  Dinen,  Knapp, 
Kadel.  About  1890  a  controversy  arose  between  the  bishops,  which  nat- 


363  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

urally  was  taken  up  by  the  friends  of  the  opposing  wings,  and  there  was  a 
secession,  like  the  Free  Kirk  in  Scotland  in  1843  led  by  Thomas  Chalmers. 
The  society  remaining  in  possession  of  the  original  building  call  themselves 
the  Evangelical  Association,  and  their  local  church,  Zion.  Rev.  I.  H.  Haupt- 
fuehrer,  the  pastor,  was  born  in  Ohio,  studied  at  Naperville,  and  after  due 
theological  course,  entered  the  ministry,  and  before  his  present  charge,  la- 
bored in  Kansas  and  Missouri.  This  is  his  second  year.  There  are  80  mem- 
bers. 68  in  the  Sunday  school,  twenty  in  the  Christian  Endeavor.  There 
is  also  a  mission  band,  ladies'  aid,  and  a  woman's  home  and  foreign  missionary 
society. 

The  seceders  were  organized  into  the  United  Evangelical  church,  and 
in  1891  erected  a  chaste  frame  edifice,  corner  Third  street  and  Fifth  avenue, 
where  they  have  since  maintained  regular  service.  With  its  two  porches, 
Trinity  church  has  a  pleasant  rustic  effect,  no  suggestion  of  the  spire  or 
pointed  arch.  The  pastor,  Rev.  Samuel  Carson,  born  in  Belfast.  Ireland, 
studied  at  Moody  Bible  Institute  and  Northwestern  University,  and  was  pastor 
of  Garden  City  Mission,  Chicago.  His  third  year  here.  In  the  ministry  since 
1898.  There  are  100  members,  a  Sunday  school  of  seventy,  and  Endeavor 
league,  a  mission  band,  and  a  woman's  missionary  society.  According  to  Dr. 
Carroll's  table  of  the  numerical  strength  of  the  various  denominations  for 
1907.  the  Evangelical  Association  in  the  United  States  has  103.525  members. 
The  Catholics  head  the  list  with  eleven  millions,  and  the  Methodists  come 
second  with  over  three  millions. 

In  March,  1908,  Mr.  Carson  of  Trinity  Evangelical  church,  accepted  a 
call  to  South  Haven,  Mich.,  and  a  farewell  reception  was  tendered  to  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  S.  Carson  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  Wise  and  at  the  same 
time  a  reception  was  tendered  to  Rev.  Lindenmyer,  the  new  pastor  of  Trinity 
church.  The  double  reception  was  attended  by  a  very  large  number  of  peo- 
ple and  the  evening  was  delightfully  spent. 

GERMAN    BAPTIST    BRETHREN    CHURCH. 

By  H.  S.  Hoak. 

The  first  successful  mission  work  done  in  Sterling  by  the  German  Baptist 
Brethren  was  in  a  series  of  meetings  held  during  the  winter  of  1888  in  an 
empty  store  room  on  the  south  side  of  Third  street  between  First  and  Sec- 
ond avenue,  by  George  Zollers  of  Mt.  Carroll  and  Daniel  M.  Miller  of  Mil- 
ledgeville,  who  came  here  by  the  request  of  H.  S.  Hoak,  who  was  a  firm 
believer  in  the  faith  of  the  Brethren  church.  His  son,  I.  F.  Hoak,  was  the 
first  convert  during  that  series  of  meetings,  and  the  first  member  of  the  Ster- 
ling Brethren  church  baptized  in  Rock  river  at  the  foot  of  Sixth  avenue  by 
Elder  George  Zollers. 

Meetings  continued  for  about  a  week  and  ended  with  four  convert-. 

H.  S.  Hoak,  with  the  assistance  of  the  elders  of  Franklin  Grove  congre- 
gation kept  up  the  meetings  weekly  in  different  localities  in  the  city  until 
finally  through  the  kindness  of  the  Lutheran  congregation,  a  lease  of  their 
church  was  given,  to  be  used  every  Sunday  afternoon  by  the  brethren. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

March  15,  1890,  H.  S.  Hoak  began  soliciting  funds  for  a  Brethren 
church  in  Sterling  and  it  is  sufficient  to  say  he  met  with  great  success.  On 
April  29,  1890,  he  made  his  report  to  the  mission  board,  who  decided  to 
furnish  all  that  was  lacking  to  build  the  church.  A  lot,  known  as  the  Mana- 
han  lot.  located  on  the  west  side  of  Sixth  avenue  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
streets  was  secured,  and  the  church  built  thereon,  Samuel  Horning  of  Mal- 
vern,  111.,  was  the  contractor  and  builder.  June  29,  1889,  the  church  was 
finished  and  occupied.  July  28,  1891,  Rev.  P.  R.  Keltner  of  Lena,  111.,  was 
secured  to  take  charge  of  the  mission.  July  16,  1892,  a  committee  of  elders, 
appointed  by  the  Mission  Board  of  Northern  Illinois,  met  in  council  at 
church  with  the  members.  Said  committee  was  composed  of  Edmond  For- 
ney, Levi  Trostle,  and  George  D.  Zollers  with  Edmond  Torney  as  moderator 
and'  Levi  Trostle  as  secretary.  As  a  final  result  of  said  council,  the  organiza- 
tion was  completed  with  Elder  Daniel  Dierdorff  of  Franklin  Grove  as  pre- 
siding elder;  Rev.  P.  R.  Keltner  of  Lena,  111.,  as  pastor;  Ira  F.  Hoak,  Ster- 
ling, 111.,  clerk;  and  Delia  Keltner,  treasurer.  The  new  organization  was 
called  the  Sterling  Brethren  church. 

The  congregation  increased  until  it  outgrew  its  quarters.  May  23,  1901, 
it  was  decided  to  move  the  house  to  its  present  location  and  build  an  addition, 
which  was  done.  The  dedicatory  services  were  held  Nov.  10,  1901. 

The  Sterling  church  being  declared  self-supporting.  Elder  P.  R.  Keltner 
resigned  his  eldership  Aug.  25,  1905,  and  took  charge  of  a  mission  in  Rack- 
ford,  111.  Deo.  31,  1908,  Rev.  Ezra  Flory  of  Southern  Ohio  was  chosen  pastor 
of  the  Sterling  church  with  Rev.  John  Heckman  of  Polo  as  presiding  elder. 
Between  March  25,  1907,  and  July  1,  1907,  a  fine  parsonage  was  built  on 
the  church  property.  The  present  value  of  the  Sterling  Brethren  church 
property  is  about  ten  thousand  dollars  and  without  any  incumbrance.  It 
is  on  Sixth  avenue. 

The  enrollment,  which  at  date  of  organization,  was  twenty-eight,  has 
increased  to  about  one  hundred  and  fifty.  Officers  at  present  time  are  as 
follows:  F.  H.  Slater,  John  Baker,  George  Whisler,  trustees;  Rev.  John 
Heckman,  presiding  elder;  Rev.  Ezra  Flory,  pastor;  George  Whisler,  Ira  F. 
Hoak,  Oliver  Shumaker,  F.H.  Slater,  Harvey  Myers,  John  Gerdes,  Samuel 
Myers,  deacons;  George  Whisler,  church  clerk;  F.  H.  Slater,  treasurer. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Sunday  school,  organized  in  1897,  are:  Ira 
F.  Hoak,  superintendent;  Samuel  Myers,  assistant  superintendent;  John 
Baker,  secretary;  Oliver  Shumaker,  treasurer;  Jennie  Hoak,  chorister;  Clara 
Wolf,  assistant  chorister ;  Katie  Shumaker,  Sunday  school  missionary ;  enroll- 
ment about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  Tributary  to  the  Sunday  school 
is  the  Home  Department,  membership  fifty,  with  Mrs.  Geo.  Whisler  as  presi- 
dent and  Katie  Shumaker  as  assistant. 

Jan.  1,  1905,  a  Christian  Workers'  society  was  organized  with  Jennie 
Hoak  as  president;  Bertha  Dutchers,  secretary;  Sadie  Buckley,  treasurer; 
and  Clara  Wolf,  chorister.  Present  officers  are:  Mrs.  Alice  Suter,  president; 
Jennie  Hoak,  secretary;  Clara  Hoak,  treasuer;  Clara  Wolf,  chorister.  Enroll- 
ment at  present  time,  fifty. 


368  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

STERLING   CHURCHES   IN    1875. 

Nothing  shows  so  vividly  the  changes  of  time  as  old  newspapers.  They 
have  history  just  as  it  happened  day  by  day.  A  semi-weekly  Gazette  of  1875 
has  the  following: 

CHURCH  DIRECTORY. 

Baptist  Church. — Market-st.,  north  of  Central  Park.  Rev.  J.  T.  Mason, 
Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  10:30  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Prayer  meeting  at  6:30 
p.  m.  Sunday  school  at  12  m. ;  J.  T.  Mason,  Superintendent.  Young  people's 
prayer  meeting  Monday  at  7  p.  m.  General  prayer  meeting  Thursday  at 
7  p.  m. 

Congregational  Church. — Spruce,  between  Third  and  Fourth-sis.  Rev. 
S.  D.  Belt,  Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  10:30  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Sunday 
school  at  12  m. ;  R.  B.  Witmer,  Superintendent.  Young  people's  prayer  meet- 
ing Sunday  at  6  p.  m.  General  prayer  meeting  Thursday  at  7  p.  m. 

Fourth-st.  M.  E.  Church. — Corner  of  Fourth  and  A-sts.  Rev.  J.  H.  More, 
Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  10 :45  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Sunday  school  at  12  m. ; 
M.  S.  Bowman,  Superintendent.  Prayer  meeting  Thursday  evening  at  7 
o'clock.  Young  people's  meeting  Monday  at  7  p.  m. 

Broadway  M.  E.  Church. — Corner  Broadway  and  Fourth-sts.  Rev.  J. 
Bush,  Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  10 :30  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Sunday  school  at 
12 :20  p.  m. ;  J.  H.  Lamb,  Superintendent.  Prayer  meeting  Thursday  evening 
at  7. 

Presbyterian  Church. — Corner  Fourth  and  Pine-sts.  Rev.  N.  H.  G.  Fife, 
Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  10:45  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Sunday  school  at  9:30 
a.  m. ;  T.  A.  Slaymaker,  Superintendent.  Prayer  meeting  Thursday  at  7  p.  m. 

Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  (German  Catholic). — Corner  Seventh  and 
Mulberry-sts.  Rev.  A.  Urban,  Pastor.  Sendees  Sunday  at  8  and  10:30  a.  m. 
and  7  p.  m.  Sunday  instruction  at  2 :30  p.  m.  Mass  each  day  at  8  a.  m. 

Lutheran  Church. — Seventh-st.,  between  Spruce  and  Market-sts.  Rev. 
E.  Brown,  Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  10:30  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Sunday 
school  at  12  m.  Prayer  meeting  Thursday  evening  at  7  o'clock. 

Evangelical  Association  (German). — Rev.  M.  Eller,  Pastor.  Services 
Sunday  at  10:30  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Sunday  school  at  12  m. ;  C.  Eisele,  Super- 
intendent. Prayer  meeting  Wednesday  at  7  p.  m. 

Grace  Church  (Episcopal). — Corner  Mulberry  and  Fourth-sts.  Rev.  Her- 
bert Root,  Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  10:30  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.  Sunday  school 
at  12  m.,  superintended  by  the  pastor. 

St.  Patrick's  Church  (Irish  Catholic). — Corner  Spruce  and  Sixth-sts.  J. 
Daly,  Pastor.  Services  Sunday  at  8:30  and  10:30  a.  m.  Vespers  at  7  p.  m. 
Mass  every  morning  at  8  o'clock. 

All  of  these  pastors  and  superintendents  are  dead  or  gone,  not  one  left 
in  the  city  but  C.  Eisele. 

CHRISTIAN   SCIENCE. 

This  is  the  newest  of  the  societies  in  the  city,  dating  only  from  June, 
1904.  They  have  no  building,  but  meet  in  a  hall.  Different  from  other 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY    .  369 

societies  in  having  no  pastor.  The  services  consist  of  scripture  reading,  prayer, 
hymns,  and  selections  from  the  accepted  religious  books.  The  principal  figures 
in  the  services  are  the  readers,  a  man  reading  certain  passages  from  the  bible, 
and  a  woman  reading  corresponding  selections  from  Science  and  Health.  A 
quarterly  is  issued  by  the  publishing  house  in  Boston,  containing  the  bible 
passages  and  secular  selections  for  the  general  use  of  the  church,  so  that  all 
the  societies  throughout  the  world  use  the  same  order  on  the  same  Sunday. 
There  is  a  general  subject  about  which  the  scripture  lessons  are  grouped. 
For  instance,  the  subject  for  April  12,  1908,  is  "Are  Sin,  Disease,  and  Death 
Real?"  Under  this  comes  for  responsive  reading  Isaiah  56  and  57,  and  the 
citations  from  the  bible  are  2  Samuel  22,  Isaiah  25,  Psalm  94,  Proverbs  28. 
In  the  manual  before  us  for  April,  May,  June,  1908,  are  given  the  topics  for 
each  Sunday's  consideration  in  the  quarter.  While  some  are  apparently 
simple,  like  "Soul  and  Body,"  others  suggest  a  field  of  profound  inquiry, 
like  "Is  the  Universe,  including  man,  evolved  by  atomic  force?" 

The  hymnal  also  issued  by  the  Boston  publishing  society  contains  193 
hymns  with  music.  Among  them  are  some  of  the  favorites  of  the  universal 
church,  as  "Abide  with  Me,"  "Joy  to  the  World,"  "Nearer,  My  God,  to 
Thee,"  "Onward,  Christian  Soldiers,"  "Watchman,  Tell  Us  of  the  Night," 
"Guide  Me,  0  Thou  Great  Jehovah."  A  solo  is  given  at  every  service. 

The  membership  of  the  society  varies.  Not  so  large  as  usual  just  now 
on  account  of  the  removal  of  several  families  from  the  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Bencus  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  Haskell  are  prominent  members  of 
the  society. 

The  readers  are  chosen  by  the  society  and  cannot  hold  office  longer  than 
three  years.  The  present  persons  in  that  position  are  Walter  Haskell  and 
Mrs.  Nehrhood.  The  two  great  sacraments  of  the  church  are  observed,  but 
not  in  the  usual  manner  of  symbols.  No  water  is  used  in  baptism,  no  bread 
and  wine  in  the  Lord's  supper.  These  are  material,  and  it  is  held  that  these 
ordinances  should  have  a  purely  spiritual  significance.  Members  on  applica- 
tion for  admission  to  the  church  must  answer  suitable  questions,  which,  as 
well  as  other  requirements  are  set  forth  in  a  small  manual  provided  for  the 
use  of  the  society. 

PERRY'S  TRAINING  CLASS. 

Over  twenty  years  George  P.  Perry,  druggist  of  Sterling,  has  conducted 
a  class  for  the  study  of  the  bible  and  the  best  methods  of  teaching.  It  has 
generally  met  in  one  of  the  churches.  The  sessions  are  held  weekly  during 
the  winter  months,  and  at  the  close  written  examinations  are  often  given. 
Once  Prof.  H.  M.  Hamill  was  present  and  made  an  address.  During  the 
winter  of  1907-08  the  class  completed  a  term's  work  in  Brumbaugh's  "The 
.  Making  of  a  Teacher."  Sixteen  members  of  the  cla*s  took  a  written  test, 
the  results  of  which  were  highly  gratifying  to  the  class  leader.  After  the 
examination  ML=S  Mary  Hey,  in  the  name  of  the  class,  presented  Mr.  Perry 
with  four  volumes  of  Rev.  George  Matheson's  books,  to  remind  him  of  the 
appreciation  and  respect  which  the  class  has  for  their  faithful  and  efficient 
instructor.  Mr.  Perry,  in  his  courteous  manner,  thanked  the  givers  for  the 
pleasant  surprise. 


370  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

SCIENCE    RIDGE    MENNONITE    CHURCH. 

Two  or  three  miles  north  of  Sterling  on  a  cross  street  between  the  Free- 
port  and  Hoover  roads  stands  a  white  frame  building  in  which  one  branch  of 
the  followers  of  Simon  Menno  worship.  The  congregation  was  organized  in 
1859.  Jacob  Snavely,  John  Hendricks,  and  Jacob  Heckler  formed  the  first 
board  of  trustees.  The  first  minister  was  Benjamin  Hershey.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  Aaron  C.  Good.  The  membership  is  150.  A  good  Sunday 
school.  Much  interest  in  missions,  assisting  in  the  support  of  the  foreign 
work  in  India,  and  at  home  in  -Chicago,  Kansas  City,  Fort  Wayne,  Philadel- 
phia, and  Toronto.  Charities  are  not  neglected.  An  old  people's  home  in 
Ohio  and  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  an  orphanage  at  West  Liberty,  Ohio,  a  sani- 
tarium at  La  Punta,  California,  and  a  college  at  Goshen,  Indiana.  Besides 
the  regular  church  conference,  a  Sunday  school  and  bible  conference  is  held 
each  year,  and  a  general  conference  convenes  every  two  years.  A  board  of 
missions  and  charities,  and '  a  board  of  education  have  full  control  of  the 
institutions.  Hitherto  the  church  literature  has  been  published  by  private 
parties,  but  now  a  movement  is  on  foot  for  the  church  to  do  its  own  printing. 
The  old  doctrines  are  maintained  that  have  been  peculiar  to  this  denomina- 
tion for  three  hundred  years.  Menno  died  in  1561.  They  believe  in  affirm- 
ing, not  taking  an  oath.  They  are  opposed  to  law  suits,  to  performing  mili- 
tary service,  to  holding  public  office,  to  taking  life  insurance,  to  secret  so- 
cieties. Baptism  only  upon  confession  of  faith.  Foot  washing  is  observed 
as  a  religious  rite,  and  simplicity  in  dress  for  men  and  women.  Of  all 
branches  of  this  faith  this  is  most  progressive  and  in  harmony  with  other 
Protestant  bodies.  As  a  people,  they  love  the  soil,  and  the  most  flourishing 
farming  communities  anywhere  are  controlled  by  the  Mennonites  and  the 
Amish.  These  sects  are  the  backbone  of  the  agricultural  industry  of  Lan- 
caster county  in  Pennsylvania,  and  are  doing  their  part  toward  the  rural 
prosperity  of  Whiteside. 

Adjoining  the  modest  church  is  the  graveyard  where  many  of  the  plain 
people  of  early  days  are  resting.  They  were  the  grandfathers  and  mothers 
of  the  present  generation.  Here  lies  Jacob  and  Barbara  Snavely,  the  Landis 
family,  Hecklers,  Ebersoles,  Rutts,  Kreiders,  Eshlemans,  Kehrs,  Jacob  and 
Mrs  Hendricks,  Millers,  Royers,  Frys,  Myers.  Many  of  these  were  born  in 
Lebanon,  Lancaster,  and  other  counties  of  eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  coming 
here  in  middle  life,  grew  old  in  transforming  the  virgin  prairies  into  homes 
of  comfort  and  happiness. 

THE  FIRST    NATIONAL  BANK. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Sterling,  Illinois,  was  organized  in  1870, 
as  No.  1717,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Formal  articles  of  association,  as 
required  by  law,  were  adopted  September  15,  1870,  being  signed  by  William 
A.  Sanborn,  Decius  0.  Coe,  Lorenzo  Hapgood,  James  M.  Wallace  and  John 
S.  Miller.  On  that  date  the  first  shareholders'  meeting  was  held,  electing  as 
first  board  of  directors  the  five  persons  above  named.  The  certificate  of  final 
organization  bears  date  October  8,  1870,  and  was  signed  by  John  Jay  Knox, 
Acting  Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  the  capital  stock  having  been  previously 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  371 

paid  in  full.  The  bank's  first  charter  expired  September  15,  1890,  and  was 
extended  for  a  further  period  of  twenty  years,  by  a  certificate  of  succession, 
dated  August  20,  1890,  signed  by  E.  S.  Lacey,  Comptroller  of  the  Currency. 

From  the  beginning  The  First  National  Bank  of  Sterling  met  with  a 
favorable  reception  by  the  people.  The  community  had  outgrown  its  bank- 
ing facilities ;  and  there  was  urgent  need  of  a  strong  bank  with  ample  capital. 

The  bank  began  business  in  the  small  building,  previously  occupied  by 
Mr.  Sanborn  as  a  private  bank,  located  on  the  west  half  of  the  lot  where  the 
bank  now  stands.  Shortly  after,  at  a  meeting  of  the  directors  held  December 
3,  1870,  the  building,  lot  and  bank  furniture,  were  purchased  of  Mr.  Sanborn. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  more  room  was  needed  to  accommodate 
the  rapidly  increasing  business.  Accordingly  more  ground  was  purchased 
on  the  east,  adjoining  the  lot  bought  of  Mr.  Sanborn.  And  in  the  fall  of 
1874  work  was  begun  on  a  new  bank  building.  While  the  new  bank  build- 
ing was  in  process  of  construction,  the  business  of  the  bank  was  carried  on 
in  the  Harvey  building,  at  No.  112  East  Third  Street.  In  the  latter  part 
of  January,  1875,  the  bank  moved  into  its  new  quarters,  occupying  the  west 
half  of  the  new  building — the  east  half  having  been  rented  to  Hagey  &  Son 
for  a  jewelry  store.  Later,  in  December,  1900,  the  room  occupied  as  a 
jewelry  store  was  remodeled,  and  a  new  safety  deposit  vault  added,  thus 
doubling  the  space  previously  occupied  by  the  bank. 

Again  in  1906,  feeling  the  need  of  a  more  modern  building,  and  bet- 
ter equipped  banking  rooms,  it  was  decided  to  remodel  and  rebuild  the  old 
building,  which  had  done  good  service  for  over  thirty-one  years.  Accord- 
ingly, on  September  4,  1906,  the  work  of  remodeling  and  rebuilding  began. 
The  undertaking  was  accomplished  without  seriously  interfering  with  the 
business  of  the  bank.  The  new  building  is  an  attractive  structure  architectur- 
ally, with  fine  interior  finishings,  and  thoroughly  modern  equipments.  Am- 
ple provision  was  made  for  enlargement  of  the  business  of  the  bank.  The 
vaults  are  also  protected  by  an  electric  burglar  alarm. 

Since  its  organization,  the  bank  has  had  but  two  presidents,  and  three 
cashiers.  John  S.  Miller,  Sr.,  was  its  first  president,  serving  in  that  capacity 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  February  27,  1874.  Soon  after  his  death, 
his  son,  John  S.  Miller,  was  elected  president,  and  has  continued  to  hold 
that  office  up  to  the  present  time. 

Of  the  three  cashiers,  William  A.  Sanborn  held  the  office  from  the 
organization  of  the  bank  in  1870,  until  his  death,  Otcober  24,  1901.  On 
October  29,  1901,  Henry  Green  was  elected  cashier,  holding  the  office  for 
about  a  year,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  succeeded  by  Thomas  S.  McKin- 
ney,  who  died  July  1,  1905.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  McKinney,  Mr.  Green 
was  again  elected  cashier,  and  still  holds  that  office. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Sterling  ranks  among  the  strongest  and 
most  substantial  banking  institutions  of  the  state;  and  every  effort  is  made 
by  its  officers  and  directors  to  keep  its  standard  up  to  the  highest.  With 
its  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  it  has  accumulated  a  surplus  of  $100,000  and 
undivided  profits  of  nearly  $50,000. 

While  the  policy  of  the  bank  has  always  been  one  of  conservatism,  yet 


372  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

it  has  never  failed  to  recognize  it.s  duty  to  the  community  at  large,  by  a 
just  and  liberal  accommodation  of  its  patrons,  and  an  ever-courteous  desire 
to  deal  fairly  with  all.  The  fact  that  it  has  served  the  public  well,  is  shown 
by  its  rapidly  increasing  business.  Ten  years  ago  its  deposits  rarely  exceeded 
$400,000,  while,  during  the  past  five  years  they  frequently  have  exceeded 
$1,000,000.  And  it  is  but  fair  to  predict,  from  past  prosperity,  that  the 
bank's  greatest  success  and  influence  in  the  community,  is  yet  to  be  realized. 

THE    STERLING    NATIONAL    BANK. 

March  25,  1882,  application  was  made  to  the  Comptroller  of  the  Cur- 
rency for  the  authority  to  organize  a  national  bank.  The  application  was 
signed  by  J.  H.  Lawrence,  B.  C.  Church  and  Charles  A.  Reed.  James  R. 
Bell,  Charles  N.  Russell,  Abijah  Powers  and  E.  F.  Lawrence  were  mentioned 
as  associate  stockholders  with  the  applicants. 

This  bank  was  to  be  located  in  Sterling  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.00 
with  the  privilege  of  increasing  same  to  $300,000.00. 

April  22,  1882.  articles  of  association  were  adopted  and  the  name  of 
the  association  was  called  the  Sterling  National  Bank. 

The  following  persons  were  the  stockholders  at  the  time  of  organiza- 
tion :  James  R.  Bell,  James  Dinsmoor,  Aaron  A.  Wolfersperger,  Edgar  G. 
Baum,  Charles  N.  Russell,  John  Wolfersperger,  Edwin  F.  Lawrence,  Adam 
Smith,  Charles  A.  Reed,  Bradford  C.  Church  and  John  H.  Lawrence. 

A  board  of  seven  directors  was  chosen  by  the  stockholders,  which  con- 
sisted of  James  Dinsmoor,  Charles  A.  Reed,  James  R.  Bell,  C.  N.  Russell, 
B.  C.  Church,  A.  A.  Wolfersperger  and  J.  H.  Lawrence. 

This  board  of  directors  organized  by  the  election  of  B.  C.  Church  as 
president  and  Charles  A.  Reed  as  cashier.  The  capital  was  paid  in  on  May 
15,  1882,  and  the  bank  began  business. 

As  soon  as  possible  the  site  of  the  present  place  of  business  was  secured 
:and  a  bank  building  erected. 

January  1,  1883,  the  capital  stock  of  the  bank  was  increased  to,  $75,- 
000.00. 

In  September,  1883,  Bradford  C.  Church,  President,  died  and  his  son, 
E.  G.  Chvirch,  was  elected  to  fill  vacancy  in  the  board  of  directors,  and  James 
R.  Bell  was  elected  president. 

In  January,  1885,  Adam  Smith  was  elected  a  director  succeeding  James 
Dinsmoor. 

On  October  5,  1886,  Chas.  A.  Reed's  resignation  as  cashier  was  tendered 
and  accepted  and  John  H.  Lawrence  was  elected  to  fill  vacancy. 

At  the  stockholders'  meeting  in  January,  1889,  the  names  of  Abijah 
Powers  and  E.  F.  Lawrence  were  added  to  the  directory,  taking  the  places 
on  the  board  formerly  occupied  by  E.  G.  Church  and  Chas.  A.  Reed. 

In  January,  1891,  Fred  Simonson  was  elected  a  director  and  continued 
ft  member  of  the  board  for  six  years.  W.  J.  Bell  was  elected  a  director  in 
January,  1894,  to  fill  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Adam  Smith. 

In  1902  John  H.  Lawrence,  who  had  been  cashier  for  over  fifteen  years, 
tendered  his  resignation  in  order  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  already  large 
and  rapidly  increasing  manufacturing  business  of  Lawrence  Brothers. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  373 

C.  H.  Tuttle  who  had  been  employed  as  teller  in  the  bank  for  several 
years  was  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Lawrence  and  at  once  assumed  the  duties  of 
the  office. 

During  the  summer  of  1903  the  capital  of  the  bank  was  increased  from 
$75,000.00  to  $100,000.00  and  the  beginning  of  the  year  1904  found  them 
with  capital  $100.000.00,  surplus  fund  $50,000.00,  undivided  profits  $53,- 
122.49  and  deposits  of  $583,451.84. 

Cashier  Tuttle  tendered  his  resignation  Oct.  24,  1904,  to  take  effect 
Jan.  1,  1905,  and  same  being  duly  accepted  he  retired  from  the  business  at 
the  last  mentioned  date. 

Samuel  G.  Crawford  succeeded  Mr.  Tuttle  as  cashier  and  his  name  with 
that  of  Paul  T.  Gait  was  added  to  the  list  of  directors  about  the  same  time. 

In  June,  1905,  James  R.  Bell  who  had  been  president  of  the  bank 
since  1883  died  and  John  H.  Lawrence  wras  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 
Since  the  election  of  Mr.  Lawrence  to  the  presidency  there  have  been  no 
changes  of  officers  or  directors. 

At  this  time  the  bank  has  a  capital  of  $100,000,  a  surplus  of  $100,000, 
and  undivided  profits  of  $25,000  and  $600,000  of  deposits.  Besides  accumu- 
lating the  present  surplus  and  undivided  profits  the  bank  'has  paid  semi- 
annual dividends  satisfactory  to  the  stockholders. 

At  this  time,  in  addition  to  the  cashier,  the  bank  employs  an  obliging 
and  competent  force  consisting  of  Harry  R.  Trudo,  Teller;  John  Royer, 
Assistant  Teller;  Walter  Reed,  Bookkeeper;  and  Arthur  J.  Becker,  Collector. 

THE    STATE    BANK    OF    STEELING. 

The  youngest  of  our  financial  institutions  has  its  quarters  in  the  former 
postoffice,  corner  Locust  street  and  Fourth.  Capital,  $50,000.  Organization 
was  effected  Oct.  16,  1905,  by  F.  Heflebower,  C.  E.  Windom,  John  M.  Kohl, 
J.  Frank  Wahl,  J.  H.  Gray  and  August  Frank.  Charter  was  granted  in  1906, 
and  business  began  Jan.  24  of  that  year.  Accounts  of  Gait's  savings  bank 
were  assumed  Jan.  1,  1908.  Money  is  loaned  on  real  estate,  and  a  general 
banking  business  is  carried  on.  The  directors  consist  of  N.  G.  Van  Sant,  C. 
E.  Windom,  F.  A.  Grimes,  Fernandus  Jacobs,  John  M.  Kohl,  J.  Frank  Wahl, 
J.  H.  Gray,  of  Morrison,  the  others  belong  to  Sterling.  Van  Sant  is  president, 
C.  E.  Windom  vice  president,  F.  Heflebower  is  cashier.  He  is  an  Ogle  county 
man.  Fred  B.  Frerichs  is  teller  and  bookkeeper.  The  rooms  of  the  old  post- 
office  were  completely  remodeled,  hard  wood  partitions  and  furniture  installed, 
and  the  place  presents  a  light  and  attractive  appearance.  The  directors  are 
among  our  conservative  and  substantial  citizens,  and  a  good  business  is  al- 
ready secured. 

THE   STREET   RAILWAY. 

Everything  comes  to  him  who  waits,  and  there  was  general  rejoicing 
when  the  first  car  rolled  through  third  street  011  the  afternoon  of  May  5, 
1904.  Franchises  had  been  secured  once  or  twice  before,  surveys  made,  and 
even  rails  laid,  but  the  projects  were  given  up.  But  it  was  reserved  for  Ed- 
ward Higgins  to  carry  the  enterprise  to  a  successful  completion.  The  railway 


374  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

runs  from  Main  street  in  Dixon  to  the  end  of  Fourth  street  in  Sterling,  pass- 
ing through  Prairieville  and  Gap  Grove  in  Lee  county,  and  following  for  the 
most  part  the  common  highway  between  Dixon  and  Sterling.  Sign  boards 
advertise  regular  stations  through  the  country  where  passengers  are  received. 
The  interurban  cars  leave  Dixon  and  Sterling  every  hour,  the  smaller  cars 
run  in  each  city  every  twenty  minutes.  In  Dixon  a  spur  leads  from  the  main 
line  to  the  Assembly  grounds.  The  fare  is  25  cents  from  Sterling  to  Dixon, 
five  cents  in  Sterling.  The  ride  in  summer  between  the  two  cities  presents 
views  of  a  charming  landscape  with  fertile  fields,  verdant  valleys,  attractive 
homes,  and  all  the  tokens  of  a  rich  agricultural  district.  The  full  name  is 
Sterling,  Dixon  and  Eastern  Electric  Railway. 

A  brick  power  house  with  dynamos  installed  was  erected  in  the  first 
ward  near  the  river,  but  was  soon  discontinued,  as  it  was  found  that  the  mo- 
tive power  could  be  secured  cheaper  at  Dixon  by  using  electricity  developed 
by  water  power  at  the  dam. 

STERLING  GAS  AND  ELECTRIC   LIGHT   COMPANY. 

The  city  has  two  kinds  of  illumination,  the  gas  works,  constructed  in 
1870,  and  the  electric  plant,  in  1890.  The  Chicago  office  at  184  La  Salle  St., 
the  Sterling  office  on  East  Fourth.  Elmer  Crawford  is  resident  manager.  In 
1;he  city  are  19  arc  lights,  and  245  incandescent,  for  which  the  monthly  bill 
is  $439.78.  The  city  hall  in  addition  is  $19.20.  Most  private  houses  use  the 
gas  for  cooking,  and  in  the  new  residences  electricity  is  installed  for  lighting, 
as  well  as  in  the  stores  and  churches.  The  price  of  gas  is  $1.35  per  thousand 
with  a  discount  for  cash  of  20  per  cent.  In  electric  light,  kilo  watts  at  16 
cents. 

GALT-BROOKFIELD    HOSPITAL. 

In  November,  1907,  Mrs.  Helen  M.  Brookfield  tendered  the  Thomas  A. 
Gait  homestead  on  West  Third  street  to  the  people  of  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls 
provided  they  raised  an  endowment  fund  of  $10,000.  The  property  U  con 
sidered  ideal  for  the  purpose.  The  house  was  built  in  1871  by  Thomas  A. 
Gait  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $25,000,.  and  could  not  be  duplicated  today  for  less 
than  $40,000.  The  elegant  residence  with  the  adjoining  grounds  is  valued  at 
$50,000,  and  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  desirable  locations  for  a  hospital  in 
either  city. 

The  house  is  large  and  roomy,  and  has  a  sloping  terraced  lawn.  There 
are  two  rooms  which  could  be  made  into  wards  without  any  remodeling 
whatever.  One  of  these  rooms  is  40x30  feet  and  the  other  30x30,  and  twelve 
beds  could  be  installed  in  these  wards.  There  are  several  other  rooms  in  the 
residence  which  could  be  fitted  up  very  easily  for  wards.  The  library  would 
make  a  splendid  office. 

The  house  is  a  four-story  structure,  and  has  a  fine  south  frontage  which 
has  all  the  requirements  of  a  hospital,  such  as  sunlight  and  air.  The  kitchen 
and  large  laundry  are  located  in  the  basement.  One  of  the  physicians  of  the 
city  stated  that  should  the  people  of  the  city  build  a  new  building  they  could 
not  plan  it  better  for  a  hospital  than  the  residence  given  by  Mrs.  Brookfield. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  375 

The  interior  is  finished  in  the  most  expensive  solid  walnut  which  is  highly 
polished.  The  house  has  recently  been  repaired  and  remodeled  at  a  cost  of 
several  thousand  dollars.  The  cost  of  additional  remodeling  to  put  the  house 
in  condition  for  a  hospital  would  be  very  light. 

Preliminary  steps  have  already  been  taken  to  start  the  charity  on  its 
beneficent  mission.  A  board  of  directors  was  elected  whose  officers  are  A.  A. 
Wolfereperger,  president;  W.  J.  Doherty,  vice  president;  R.  L.  Halsted,  sec- 
etary,  and  John  Royer,  treasurer.  The  board  of  physicians  is  composed  of 
Doctors  A.  C.  Smith,  S.  S.  Kehr  and  S.  A.  Allen. 

Liberal  offers  of  assistance  have  been  made.  Manager  M.  C.  Ward  of  the 
Academy  of  Music  has  offered  the  use  of  the  Academy  one  night  in  each  year 
for  the  benefit  for  a  hospital  fund;  Mrs.  Electa  E.  Smith  of  Washington,  D. 
C.,  whose  home  for  many  years  was  in  Sterling  and  who  always  has  taken 
great  interest  in  the  old  soldiers,  has  offered  to  furnish  a  room  to  be  known 
as  the  old  soldiers'  room  for  the  use  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  U.  S.  W.  V.  and  their 
families. 

Substantial  citizens  stand  ready  to  contribute  liberally.  The  ladies  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  held  a  Dutch  Market,  whose  characteristic  booths 
and  wares  attracted  large  crowds,  and  realized  $300  for  the  hospital  fund. 
Subscriptions  are  under  way,  and  the  endowment  of  $10,000  will  be  easily 
secured. 

THE    CITY    HALL. 

Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells! 
In  the  startled  ear  of  night, 
How  they  scream  out  their  affright! — Poe. 

On  the  corner  of  Fourth  street  and  First  avenue  stands  the  municipal 
building  of  Milwaukee  brick  with  its  square  tower.  On  the  third  floor  is 
the  council  chamber  and  the  hall  of  the  Grand  Army;  on  the  second,  the 
police  headquarters,  the  public  assembly  room,  the  firemen's  chambers,  and 
the  Historical  Society ;  in  the  basement  the  station  of  the  fire  department  and 
the  lockup.  The  main  equipment  of  the  department  consists  of  a  hook  and 
ladder  wagon,  a  hose  wagon,  and  several  thousand  feet  of  hose.  Two  heavy 
Norman  horses,  about  1,300  pounds,  are  ready  to  gallop,  night  or  day,  to  the 
scene  of  destruction.  John  Gleason  is  janitor  of  the  building  and  driver  of 
the  grays.  There  are  twenty  firemen  connected  with  the  city  hall,  and  ten 
in  the  first  ward  with  a  small  hose  carriage  in  the  upper  barn.  S.  A.  Stull  is 
chief,  and  the  alacrity  with  which  the  boys  respond  to  an  emergency  call  de- 
serves a  much  higher  compensation  than  the  city  allows,  $60  per  year.  Fires, 
of  course,  are  rare,  but  the  position  is  no  sinecure,  for  it  means  work  and  expo- 
sure when  the  call  comes. 

Be  wakeful,   be  vigilant, 

Danger  may  be 
At  an  hour  when  all  seemeth 

Securest  to  thee. 

The  hall  was  erected  in  1889,  and  in  1892,  the  corner  tower  was  elevated 


376  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

a  full  story  for  the  bell  of  fire  alarm.    The  building  has  cost  complete  about 
$29,000. 

AMONG   THE   FACTORIES. 

Perseverance,  dear  my  lord, 
Keeps  honor  bright;  to  have  done  is  to  hang 
Quite  out  of  fashion,  like  a  rusty  nail. — Shakespeare. 

Near  the  bridge  are  the  new  shops  of  the  National  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, who  make  hardware  specialties  of  standard  sorts.  It  was  founded  by 
W.  P.  Benson  and  Louis  Bittorf,  both  former  employes  of  the  Messrs.  Law- 
rence. Six  years  ago  they  began  business  in  a  little  three-story  building,  fifty 
by  seventy  feet  and  in  1907  they  completed  a  new  shop  four  stories  high  and 
have  a  floor  space  of  45,000  feet.  They  employ  nearly  a  hundred  men  and 
their  trade  has  extended  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  The  capitalization  is 
$200,000. 

The  Novelty  Company  on  Wallace  street  turn  out  an  elaborate  assort- 
ment of  iron  hitching  posts,  lawn  and  cemetery  vases,  plumbers'  supplies, 
stove  repairs,  and  porcelain  lined  cylinders  for  iron  and  wooden  pumps.  A 
pay  roll  of  fifty  men,  and  a  yearly  product  of  $80,000. 

Few  persons  know  that  Sterling  is  the  home  of  the  first  gasoline  engine, 
and  the  Charter  Gas  Engine  Company  gets  its  name  from  John  Charter,  who 
twenty-five  years  ago,  solved  the  problem  of  operating  an  engine  by  vaporized 
gasoline.  From  the  standard  type  from  two  and  a  half  horse  power  to  forty, 
the  company  make  several  other  types  such  as  marine  engines,  traction  en- 
gines, wood  sawing  outfits,  electric  generators,  both  of  direct  and  belt  types, 
hoisters,  and  several  styles  of  pumping  engines  and  make  many  for  special 
purposes.  These  engines  are  in  use  for  at  least  250  different  purposes  where 
power  is  required,  from  making  baggage  checks  to  milking  cows.  In  the 
early  nineties  the  firm  sold  the  first  engine  ever  put  to  the  latter  use  and  now 
have  several  operating  in  large  dairies  where  they  take  the  place  of  the  old 
time  milk  maid  and  the  hired  man  on  the  three  legged  stool.  These  engines 
are  pushing  yachts,  making  cob  pipes,  weaving  wool  and  cotton,  making  fish- 
ing rods,  pens,  pop  and  lace. 

The  company  employs  about  fifty  men  on  the  average,  though  at  times 
the  force  in  the  shops  has  approached  a  hundred.  The  engines  are  sent  to 
Mexico  and  South  America. 

On  Wallace  street  is  the  only  concern  of  the  kind  in  the  city,  the  Sterling 
Pattern  Works,  whose  specialty  is  metal  and  wood  patterns  of  all  sizes  and 
shapes.  It  makes  patterns  for  local  factories  and  inventor.-:,  and  has 
a  large  trade  outside.  It  has  just  completed  the  making  of  a  new  gaso- 
line marine  engine  of  two,  four  and  six  horse  power.  The  engine  is  single, 
double  and  triple  cylinder  variety,  designed  for  pleasure  boats.  The  engines 
were  placed  on  the  market  and  local  owners  state  that  they  are  as  near  per- 
fection as  possible,  as  they  are  light  and  durable  and  very  powerful. 

The  Harrison  Manufacturing  company,  the  only  company  in  the  two 
cities  making  a  specialty  of  all  kinds  of  inside  finishing  for  houses,  churches, 
stores,  etc.,  is  located  at  the  foot  of  Locust  street  on  Mill  street.  It  occupies 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  377 

two  buildings,  each  60x160  feet  and  it  derives  its  power  from  a  turbine  wheel. 

The  company  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  store  fixtures, 
bank  fixtures,  drug  store  cases,  display  racks,  interior  fixtures  for  residences, 
in  fact,  make  a  specialty  of  making  anything  from  wood. 

The  company  has  been  in  existence  in  this  city  for  many  years.  During 
the  busy  seasons  of  the  year  is  employs  thirty  men  and  during  the  dull  sea- 
son not  less  than  eight  men.  It  has  an  average  pay  roll  of  eighteen  men.  The 
men  are  skilled  mechanics  and  their  wages  are.  seldom  less  than  $2.50  per  day. 

The  annual  output  of  this  establishment  is  about  $60,000. 

The  most  imposing  establishment  in  the  city  is  that  of  the  Dillon-Gris- 
wold  Wire  Mill.  The  buildings,  three  stories  high,  cover  three  and  one-half 
acres,  and  the  floor  space  ten  and  one-half  acres.  The  lofty  smoke  stacks  are 
striking  and  ornamental.  A  large  variety  of  wares  like  wire  fence,  poultry 
and  garden,  wire  nails,  barbed  wire,  bale  ties,  straight  and  cut  wire,  telephone 
wire,  gates,  are  produced. 

Over  2,555  tons  of  stove  polish  is  made  in  Sterling  every  year.  The  two 
stove  polish  factories,  the  Black  Silk  company  and  the  Sterling  Stove  Polish 
company,  between  them  turn  out  over  seven  tons  of  polish  each  day  of  the 
365  days  of  the  calendar  year.  This  amount  of  polish,  when  canned,  makes 
a  total  of  over  1,250,000  cans  of  the  finished  product. 

The  works  of  the  two  companies  are  large  and  commodious.  The  fac- 
tory of  the  Black  Silk  Company  is  60x124,  two  stories  in  height,  with  offices 
15x30.  The  manufacturing  rooms  are  40x30  and  the  labeling  rooms  five  feet 
longer.  The  shipping  room  and  stock  rooms  are  124  feet  in  length  by  thirty 
in  width.  The  upstairs  is  devoted  to  laboratory  and  storage.  The  works  of 
the  Sterling  Stove  Polish  Company  are  40x100  feet,  two  stories  high,  the  en- 
tire building  being  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  the  polish. 

The  third  largest  plant  of  its  kind  in  the  world  is  the  Rock  Falls  Manu- 
facturing Company,  whose  chief  product  is  caskets  and  hearses,  ambulances 
and  undertakers'  carriages. 

The  casket  factory  is  on  the  east  side  of  Third  avenue  and  has  a  floor 
space  of  27,000  feet.  It  is  a  three-story  brick  structure,  150  feet  long  and 
60  feet  wide.  The  engine  and  power  house  is  attached  to  this  building. 

The  hearse  and  carriage  plant  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  avenue 
and  it  occupies  27,430  square  feet  of  floor  space.  Eighty-five  men  are  steadily 
employed,  and  the  goods  have  a  high  reputation  and  are  in  ready  demand. 
The  building  occupied  by  the  casket  factory  is  the  old  Keystone  Block,  where 
Patterson  and  Witmer  in  the  sixties  did  an  enormous  business  in  general 
merchandise.  The  factory  was  founded  by  Ed  Brookfield,  a  young  man  of 
remarkable  sagacity,  who  took  a  sickly  venture  and  developed  it  into  an  im- 
mense success  in  a  few  years,  but  did  not  live  to  enjoy  its  prosperity. 

Over  a  half  century  ago  John  Harpham  began  the  harness  business  in 
a  small  shop,  which  gradually  grew  into  a  manufacturing  and  jobbing  trade. 
In  time  his  son,  John  L.  Harpham,  acquired  an  interest,  the  senior  Harpham 
withdrew  from  active  participation,  and  in  1903  the  Harpham  Saddlery  Com- 
pany was  formed.  A  three-story  brick  was  erected  on  Wallace  street,  with 
21,600  feet  of  floor  space  all  occupied.  The  factory  is  of  modern  construe- 


378  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

tion,  being  equipped  with  an  electric  elevator  and  electric  motors  to  operate 
their  various  machines  necessary  in  the  business.  They  have  three  motors 
with  a  total  capacity  of  twenty-five  horse  power  which  operate  the  stitchers 
and  die  machines  and  other  appliances.  There  are  between  forty  and  fifty 
men  employed  steadily  in  the  shops  and  there  are  five  salesmen  on  the  road 
with  territory  in  Illinois,  Iowa,  Indiana  and  Wisconsin.  The  product  of  the 
factory  for  the  past  year  has  been  equivalent  to  10,000  sets  of  harness. 

Within  a  year  or  two,  one  of  the  largest  bakeries  in  the  state,  has  been 
added  to  the  city  industries.  When  all  the  machinery  is  in  motion,  sixty 
barrels  of  flour  will  be  turned  daily  into  attractive  food.  The  bread  depart- 
ment has  a  capacity  of  7,000  loaves  per  day.  Much  of  the  product  is  sold 
outside  of  the  city  in  other  towns  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  Iowa.  The  fac- 
tory has  floor  space  of  10,400  feet  and  the  present  number  of  employes  is 
about  thirty.  It  is  expected  this  number  will  be  increased  in  the  near  future 
to  fifty  or  perhaps  sixty,  just  as  soon  as  the  cracker  department  gets  well  under 
way.  In  the  cracker  factory  there  are  forty  barrels  of  flour  consumed  and  a 
full  line  of  crackers  and  cookies  are  being  made,  which,  if  packed  in  the  ordi- 
nary sized  cracker  boxes  would  fill  no  less  than  400  of  them  every  working 
day.  A  part  of  this  product,  however,  is  packed  in  paper  cartons  and  in  tin 
biscuit  boxes. 

The  plant  is  operated  by  a  thirty  horsepower  steam  engine  with  an  elec- 
tric auxiliary  plant. 

There  are  three  ovens,  two  in  the  bakery  department  of  one  type  and  the 
third  in  the  cracker  factory. 

A  feature  of  the  baking  department  which  has  just  been  inaugurated  is 
a  domestic  oven  where  skilled  women  bakers  are  in  charge  and  are  equipped 
to  execute  orders  for  fine  cakes  and  pastry.  All  of  the  work  in  this  depart- 
ment is  on  order  and  the  phone  keeps  them  busy. 

The  factory  generates  its  own  electric  current  for  lights  and  this  species 
of  power  is  also  used  in  operating  some  of  the  smaller  machines. 

The  officers  of  the  Sterling  Steam  Baking  Company  are  F.  B.  Hubbard, 
president ;  W.  T.  Egan,  vice  president  and  general  manager,  and  B.  P.  Werntz, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  Geo.  W.  Hill,  late  superintendent  of  the  Western 
Baking  Company  at  Portland  Ore.,  is  in  charge  as  superintendent. 

Without  a  tall  factory  or  a  big  display  in  advertisements,  the  leather 
souvenir  business  of  Scott  Williams  in  five  years  has  developed  into  a  lively 
industry  employing  in  the  busy  season  forty  people.  He  buys  his  tanned 
sheepskins'  by  the  carload,  and  after  they  are  cut  into  cards,  his  assistants  ex- 
ercise their  taste  in  burning  the  pictures  and  making  the  letters.  His  trade 
covers  the  country,  as  he  sells  cards  from  Dakota  to  the  Gulf,  from  New  York 
to  San  Francisco.  Amid  the  mass  of  these  goods  made  everywhere,  the  stock 
of  Mr.  Williams  stands  number  one.  He  has  recently  shipped  orders  to 
Cuba,  but  has  been  compelled  to  refuse  further  expansion  of  his  business  be- 
cause he  has  found  it  impractical  to  expand  with  economy. 

The  sled  works  of  0.  A.  Hoak,  Rock  Falls,  last  year  did  business  to  the 
amount  of  $50,000. 

To  meet  the  call  for  soothing  refreshment  in  the  sultry  summer,  two 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  379 

ice  cream  factories  come  to  the  rescue.  The  demand  has  steadily  increased. 
"When  Mr.  Jackson  began  his  business  in  Sterling  in  1901  the  local  trade  con- 
sumed 700  gallons  a  year,  and  every  year  this  has  increased  until  last  summer 
he  sold  ten  thousand  gallons  from  his  wagons  direct  to  the  people.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  has  been  turning  400,000  pounds  of  milk  into  the  frozen  dainty 
every  year.  This  approximates  40,000  gallons  of  ice  cream  for  the  year  and 
of  this  10.000  gallons  is  consumed  here.  The  remaining  seventy-five  per  cent 
is  disposed  of  in  the  territory  north  of  Kewanee  in  Illinois  outside  of  Chicago 
and  west  into  Iowa  as  far  as  Mt.  Yernon. 

The  smaller  factory,  the  Peerless  Company,  has  made  rapid  strides  in  two 
years,  selling  thousands  of  gallons  at  retail  from  the  wagons.  The  total 
amount  of  ice  cream  made  in  factories  in  Sterling  is  close  to  sixty  thousand 
gallons  per  annum  and  the  winter  demand  is  growing  rapidly  so  that  it  is 
expected  that  there  will  soon  be  ample  business  to  keep  a  factory  in  opera- 
tion throughout  the  year. 

Among  the  smaller  industries  that  minister  to  the  luxury  of  the  stronger 
sex,  is  the  cigar  production.  There  are  six  factories  in  Sterling  and  Rock 
Falls,  and  the  records  of  J.  E.  Harmon,  secretary  of  the  Cigar  Makers'  Union, 
show  that  in  1907  he  issued  21,340  labels,  each  label  meaning  a  box. 

There  are  two  grades  of  cigars  made  here — the  five  and  ten  cent  grades. 
The  cigars  find  a  ready  sale  in  most  of  the  cases  in  the  city,  and  each  of  the 
six  factories  also  has  in  connection  a  retail  store. 

During  the  year  1907  there  was  a  total  of  1,092,000  cigars  made  in  this 
city.  It  is  estimated  that  the  retail  value  of  the  cigars  was  $30,930. 

The  cigar  manufacturers  here  give  employment  to  twenty-eight  men, 
the  majority  of  whom  are  married  and  have  families.  The  wages  paid  to 
cigar  makers  are  high. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  factories  in  the  two  cities:  Frank 
Cochran,  Huber  Brothers,  E.  Limond,  J.  E.  Harmon,  Williams  &  Elsasser 
and  Alfred  Pucklewartz. 

The  Sterling  Broom  Works  turn  out  a  daily  output  of  twenty-four  dozen 
brooms,  making  an  annual  output  of  7,324  dozens  or  94,088  brooms,  having 
a  retail  value  of  $23,622. 

At  the  foot  of  Locust  street  is  the  largest  repairing  establishment  in  the 
two  cities,  E.  Bander,  proprietor.  He  occupies  his  own  building,  which  is 
thirty-five  feet  wide  and  150  feet  deep,  built  of  stone  and  brick.  The  build- 
ing is  equipped  with  special  machinery  for  doing  iron  and  steel  repairs  and 
work  of  all  kinds.  Within  the  walls  of  the  building  there  is  housed  the  largest 
steel  lathe  between  Chicago  and  Omaha. 

Mr.  Bander  makes  a  specialty  of  building  machines  from  patterns,  also 
doing  pattern  work.  During  the  past  few  years  he  has  constructed  the  steel 
dredges  for  the  Austin  company  of  Chicago,  making  a  number  of  the  big 
machines. 

He  is  now  engaged  in  making'  a  new  type  of  marine  gasoline  engines. 

Three  dealers  in  marble  and  granite  are  prepared  to  furnish  monuments. 
Fred  Johnson  and  Henry  Krohn  confine  their  attention  to  local  business,  but 
Walter  J.  Moore  fills  orders  far  and  wide,  carrying  the  largest  stock  west  of 


380  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Chicago.  He  has  made  shipments  to  Mexico  and  Brazil.  His  yearly  sales 
amount  to  $25,000. 

He  occupies  a  building  133  feet  long  and  twenty-five  feet  wide,  using  the 
basement  and  the  first  floor.  The  maximum  number  of  stone  and  marble 
cutters  employed  is  seven,  and  the  work  is  done  by  compressed  air  machinery. 

The  twenty-second  annual  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Whiteside 
Building  and  Loan  association  showed  a  flourishing  condition.  Series  Nos. 
39,  40  and  41  which  have  matured  since  January  1,  1907,  representing  a 
total  of  one  hundred  forty-two  shares  and  amounting  to  $14,200,  has  been 
paid  in  addition  to  several  nice  loans  being  made  on  buildings  in  Sterling 
and  Rock  Falls,  and  all  the  buildings  which  were  held  at  the  first  of  the 
year  have  been  sold  with  the  exception  of  one.  W.  S.  McCloy,  Dr.  G.  B. 
Dillon  and  A.  J.  Frank  were  elected  as  three  new  directors,  and  the  following 
officers  were  chosen:  President,  Dr.  J.  F.  Keefer;  vice  president,  P.  T.  Van- 
Home;  treasurer,  A.  J.  Platt;  attorney,  H.  C.  Ward;  secretary,  J.  G.  Wetzel. 

John  G.  Haglock's  new  skating  rink,  The  Rollaway,  located  in  First 
avenue,  is  the  most  modern  skating  rink  in  this  section  of  the  state,  being 
built  especially  for  that  purpose.  The  rink  proper  is  forty-six  feet  wide  and 
ninety-five  feet  deep.  The  walls  are  of  concrete  blocks  and  the  roof  built 
on  truss  work.  The  floor,  which  is  of  hard  maple,  is  laid  on  a  concrete  foun- 
dation. The  ceiling  and  top  of  the  walls  are  painted  white,  and  in  the  rear 
of  the  building  is  a  music  box,  rendering  band  music. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  improvements  in  the  Twin  Cities  of  Sterling 
and  Rock  Falls  for  the  year  1907 : 

INDUSTRIAL. 

Hydraulic   Co.,   power  plant $250,000 

U.  S.  Government,  dam 100,000      ( 

C.  &  N.  W.  Ry.,  fill   100,000 

Avenue  G  Bridge    50,000 

Gail-Borden   Co 100,000 

National  Manufacturing  Company    40,000 

Eureka   Co 20,000 

Bassett  Sled  Works    8,000 

Sterling   Cracker  Co 10,000 

Paper  Mill 10,000 

Novelty   Co 7,000 

Black  Silk  Co 5,000 

Sterling  Brewery    3,000 

Swartley  Green  House 1,000 

Sterling  Floral  Co 1,500 

WALLACE    SCHOOL. 

Alas!  regardless  of  their  doom, 

The  little  victims  play. — Gray. 

There  is  Greater  New  York,  and  there  is  newer  Sterling.     In  every  ward 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  381 

the  old  school  houses  that  the  last  generation  knew  are  down  and  out.  In 
the  west  end,  District  Eight,  as  organized,  stood  for  twenty  years  that  brown, 
dingy  frame  one-story  structure  that  looked  like  a  temporary  railroad  station. 
It  was  erected  in  1856.  There  were  two  main  rooms,  an  entry,  and  battens 
similar  to  those  on  a  shed,  ran  up  and  down.  As  the  school  increased,  frame 
buildings,  two  stories  high,  were  added. 

In  1865  an  election  was  held  to  vote  a  tax  for  the  purchase  of  more 
ground,  and  this  addition  gave  the  district  the  entire  block  where  the  school 
now  stands.  Another  election  in  1874  for  a  new  'building,  cost  not  to  exceed 
$25,000,  and  the  edifice  was  completed  that  summer.  The  building  commit- 
tee were  W.  A.  Sanborn,  B.  C.  Church,  and  James  A.  Wallace.  In  1889 
additional  bonds  were  voted,  and  the  primary  building  of  four  rooms  erected 
in  the  rear  of  the  main  structure.  In  1884  Wallace  school  was  adopted  as  the 
name  as  a  fit  tribute  to  the  memories  of  Hugh  and  James  Wallace,  father 
and  son,  who  had  been  so  long  associated  with  the  growth  of  the  town  and  the 
development  of  the  district. 

Some  excellent  men  and  women  appear  in  the  catalog  of  Wallace  school 
principals.  The  first  in  the  newly  organized  school  of  1856  were  R.  J.  Ross 
and  his  sister,  Rachel.  Grove  Wright  was  very  popular  with  pupils  and  pat- 
rons, and  his  yearly  entertainments  of  music  and  dialogue  were  enthusiastic 
events  at  Wallace  Hall.  John  Phinney  drilled  the  boys  in  mental  arithmetic 
and  in  the  diagrams  of  Clark's  grammar.  Then  followed  Buell,  Thorp, 
Davis,  Harlan,  Coe,  Piper,  Hursh,  Hollister.  The  last  two  have  gone  higher. 
Hursh  is  professor  at  Macomb  Normal,  and  Hollister  is  state  visitor  for 
Illinois  University.  Helen  Hosmer,  one  of  the  early  primary  teachers,  knew 
how  to  gain  the  affection  of  the  children.  The  primary  instructor,  longest 
in  service,  was  Miss  Saide  Patterson,  who  for  twenty-five  years  drilled  the 
youngsters  in  marching  and  singing  like  so  many  miniature  soldiers.  By  a 
poetic  fitness  on  returning  to  Pennsylvania,  she  passed  her  declining  days  in 
Mereersburg,  the  home  of  her  girlhood. 

Classes  were  regularly  graduated  in  the  high  school  department,  an 
Alumni  association  formed,  the  last  meeting  of  which  was  held  in  1899.  Mi.^s 
Hannah  Mooney  was  then  president,  and  Miss  Minnie  Palmer  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  first  graduating  class  was  in  1877,  with  A.  N.  Melvin  and 
Elizabeth  Crawford  the  sole  star  actors.  The  last  class  in  1898,  consisting  of 
twelve  young  people,  John  Ward,  Esq.,  being  one  of  them,  closed  the  educa- 
tional docket. 

For  a  while  as  a  sort  of  a  manual  or  practical  mechanical  training  a  small 
paper  was  issued,  "Wallace  Life,"  the  cuts,  editorial  matter,  type  setting  and 
printing,  all  done  by  the  pupils. 

The  board  consists  of  six  members:  Henry  Green,  C.  C.  Johnson,  H. 
C.  Ward,  Paul  T.  Gait,  V.  S.  Ferguson;  W.  j'  Bell,  president,  and  A.  J. 
Frank,  secretary. 

The  roll  of  teachers  comprises  the  following:  Miss  A.  L.  Hill,  principal; 
Anna  Mooney,  8th  grade  and  supervisor  of  drawing;  Emma  Simonds,  7th 
grade;  Mary  Whitmore,  6th  grade,  and  supervisor  of  music;  Belle  Duffie. 
5th;  Josephine  Elliott.  4th;  Anna  Conboy,  3d;  Jessie  Buyers,  2d;  Maud 


382  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Edwards,  2d;  Christina  Dunbar,  1st;  Mary  Kannally,  1st.  Miss  Mooney 
taught  several  years  in  Chicago,  and  is  proficient  in  her  department.  Jessie 
Buyers  has  held  her  position  for  many  terms.  Since  the  township  high  school 
course  was  established,  227  pupils  have  finished  the  grammar  school  course. 
At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  board  in  June,  1907,  a  ten  twenty-day  month 
school  year  was  established.  Miss  Hill  is  the  first  lady  principal  of  Wallace, 
and  her  re-election  year  after  year,  is  prima  facie  proof  of  the  efficiency  of  her 
administration. 

Among  the  early  directors  of  the  school,  the  names  of  Joshua  McKinney, 
James  L.  Crawford,'  and  Gabriel  Davis  must  always  be  mentioned  with 
gratitude. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Wallace  school  board  held  March  9,  1908,  "Home 
Gardening"  was  discussed  and  Tuesday,  April  7,  1908,  the  pupils  sent  off 
an  order  for  1,500  packages  of  seeds  and  125  bulbs  at  the  rate  of  one  cent  each. 
These  include  eighteen  varieties  of  flowers  and  eight  of  vegetables.  Each 
pupil  pays  for  his  own  seeds. 

One  morning  the  school  received  a  case  of  stuffed  birds  of  N.  O.  Lawson, 
taxidermist  of  Geneva,  111.  The  birds  prepared  by  Mr.  Lawson  are  those 
selected  from  the  many  killed  during  severe  storms.  The  birds  will  be 
kept  in  a  glass  case  with  revolving  shelves,  presented  by  Mrs.  L.  K.  and  Mrs. 
Lottie  Wynn. 

The  birds  whose  homes,  habits,  and  economic  value  will  be  studied,  will 
furnish  material  to  aid  in  the  development  of  powers  of  observation,  compari- 
son, and  judgment.  Problems  in  arithmetic  based  upon  quantity  and  kinds 
of  food  eaten  by  the  different  birds,  show  the  advisability  of  protecting  our 
feathered  neighbor.-;. 

Many  of  the  boys  and  girls  are  building  bird  houses  and  drinking  trough?, 
and  otherwise  showing  an  intense  interest  in  the  bird  life  of  Sterling. 

Prizes  will  be  given  for  successful  tree-planting,  best  collection  of  vege- 
ables,  best  collection  of  flowers,  best  window  boxes,  and  best  collection  of 
seeds. 

THE  CENTRAL  SCHOOL. 

By  H.  L.  Chaplin,  Principal. 

'Tis  education  forms  the  common  mind, 

Just  as  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree's  inclined. — Pope. 

My  acquaintance  with  Sterling  school  began  in  the  fall  of  1894.  On  the 
school  square  stood  a  three-story  brick  structure  erected  in  1867.  and  a  two- 
story  brick  veneer  building,  erected  in  1886.  On  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
square  a  small  frame  house  used  as  the  janitor's  residence.  The  larger  build- 
ing was  devoted  to  the  grades,  the  smaller,  to  the  High  school.  All  the  room 
in  these  buildings,  excepting  the  "Old  Chapel,"  was  fully  occupied  prior 
to  the  fall  of  1894.  The  year  1894-5  opened  with  an  increased  enrollment, 
and  the  task  of  providing  additional  room  was  met  by  running  a  partition 
through  the  old  chapel,  on  the  third  floor  of  the  larger  building,  forming 
therefrom  two  rooms,  one  of  which  was  immediately  occupied.  The  absorp- 
tion of  the  Sterling  High  school  by  the  Sterling-Coloma  Township  High 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  383 

school  in  1898,  left  the  smaller  building  available  for  the  use  of  the  grades, 
and  when  the  school  opened  in  the  fall  of  that  year  the  third  floor  of  the 
larger  building  was  abandoned  and  the  sixth,  seventh  and  eighth  grades  were 
housed  in  the  smaller  building. 

With  its  twenty-sixth  commencement,  May  27,  1898,  the  Sterling  High 
school  finished  its  work,  and  in  the  following  September  its  students  be- 
came members  of  the  Sterling-Coloma  Township  High  school.  In  the 
twenty-nine  years  of  its  existence,  two  hundred  ninety-nine  students  had  been 
graduated  from  its  courses.  It  turned  over  to  the  Township  High  school 
one  hundred  twenty-five  pupils,  twenty-one  of  whom  were  in  the  senior 
class.  This  High  school  had  done  a  good  work.  It  had  provided  a  four- 
years'  course  of  instruction  and  was  on  the  accredited  list  of  the  state  univer- 
sity and  a  number  of  colleges.  At  the  completion  of  its  work,  Miss  Anna 
Parmelee,  the  principal,  had  been  with  the  school  eleven  years;  Miss  Kate 
Stoddard,  nine  years;  Miss  Bertha  Forbes,  seven  years;  and  Miss  Mabel 
Waldo,  five  years.  The  character  of  their  work  is  indicated  by  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  written  to  the  superintendent  in  1897,  by  Dr.  Arnold 
Tompkins,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  accredited  schools  for  the  State 
University:  "Your  High  school  is  considered  here  one  of  the  best  in  the 
state,  and  as  accredited,  admits  to  all  the  colleges  of  the  University." 

The  advent  of  the  Township  High  school  brought  other  changes.  In 
the  spring  of  1898  Lincoln,  Sterling,  and  Wallace  districts  voted  on  a  propo- 
sition to  unite  into  one  district.  It  carried  in  Lincoln  and  Sterling  districts, 
but  was  defeated  in  Wallace  district.  Lincoln  and  Sterling  districts  at  once 
took  steps  to  unite,  and  at  a  special  election  by  very  large  majorities  voted  to 
become  one  district.  The  consolidated  districts  took  the  official  name  of  Dis- 
trict Number  Three.  The  writer,  however,  gave  to  the  united  schools  the 
name  Union  Schools,  the  one  by  which  they  are  generally  known. 

In  order  to  avoid  confusion  of  names  with  the  new  Sterling-Coloma 
Township  High  School,  the  Sterling  School  was,  in  the  fall  of  1898,  named 
by  the  Board  of  Education  "Central  School." 

In  organizing  the  new  district  "the  old  school  boards  went  out  of  office 
and  a  new  board  was  elected.  In  this  connection  it  is  fitting  to  make  special 
mention  of  three  men  who  were  prominent  in  working  for  the  advancement 
of  their  respective  schools.  Mr.  George  W.  Brewer,  of  the  Lincoln  School 
Board,  went  out  of  office  after  a  service  of  thirty-three  and  o:ie-half  years. 
His  last  service  to  the  school  was  to  lead  in  the  movement  for  consolidation. 
Rev.  E.  Brown,  of  the  Sterling  School  Board,  retired  after  a  like  service  of 
thirteen  years,  ten  of  which  were  passed  as  President  of  the  Board.  Captain 
Jphn  W.  Niles,  who  had  served  on  the  same  Board  for  twenty  years,  became  a 
member  of  the  new  Board. 

It  became  apparent  in  1901-02  that  Lincoln  School  building  would  soon 
be  filled  to  its  capacity.  In  1902-03  temporary  quarters  for  the  overflow 
from  this  school  were  secured  in  the  building  in  Lincoln  Park.  In  the  spring 
of  1906  bonds  for  ten  thousand  dollars  were  voted  to  build  an  addition  to 
Lincoln  School  building.  A  four-room  annex  was  added  during  the  fall  of 


384  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

that  year,  and  in  January,   1907,  the  temporary  quarters  were  abandoned 
and  two  rooms  of  the  annex  were  occupied. 

The  course  of  study  of  the  Union  Schools  comprises  the  usual  eight 
years'  preparatory  work  for  entrance  to  the  high  school.  In  addition,  the 
schools  provide  special  instruction  in  music,  drawing,  penmanship,  and 
manual  training.  The  first  of  these  special  departments  to  be  established 
was  that  of  music.  In  1882  a  special  teacher  was  employed  for  this  branch. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  1889  that  regular  instruction  in  music  became  a 
feature  of  the  school.  In  1895  Miss  Ella  G.  Richards  was  elected  supervisor 
of  music,  which  position  she  resigned  in  1905.  During  this  period  the  work 
became  very  efficient.  Miss  Ruth  Caughey  succeeded  Miss  Richards  and  is 
in  charge  of  this  department  at  the  present  time. 

Special  instruction  in  drawing  was  first  given  in  1891.  It  became  .a 
regular  feature  of  the  school  in  1893.  In  1896  Prof.  C.  A.  Wetzell  was 
elected  supervisor  of  drawing  and  of  penmanship,  which  position  he  still 
holds. 

Manual  training  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Education  in  September, 
1900.  At  first  the  work  was  in  sloyd  only,  all  the  pupils  of  the  seventh  and 
eighth  grades,  both  boys  and  girls,  participating.  But  in  December,  1900, 
the  Board  of  Education  approved  an  outline  for  a  course  in  sewing,  and  or- 
dered it  put  into  immediate  operation.  Since  January,  1901,  sewing  has  been 
a  regular  branch  of  the  work.  In  1903  the  manual-training  room  was 
equipped  with  twelve  two-pupil  benches  and  twenty-four  sets  of  tools.  As 
now  conducted,  four  classes  each  of  boys  and  girls  receive  regular  instruction 
one  hour  per  week.  The  boys  are  instructed  in  the  manipulation  and  care  of 
tools  and  the  principles  of  wood-working;  the  girls  in  the  art  of  sewing  and 
the  structure  of  textiles.  Mr.  C.  A.  Wetzell  is  the  instructor  in  manual  train- 
ing, and  Miss  Ivy  Phelps  directs  the  work  in  sewing.  For  several  years  man- 
ual training  was  supported  by  money  received  from  public  programs,  but  of 
late  the  expense  has  been  paid  out  of  the  regular  funds.  This  is  a  small' 
item,  however,  as  the  pupils  pay  for  the  material  which  they  use  and  take 
home  the  products  of  their  skill. 

Much  activity  has  characterized  the  work  of  the  Board  of  Education  since 
1894.  It  has  refurnished  Central  School  with  modern  desks;  installed  a 
system  of  thermostatic  regulation  of  heat;  substituted  cement  floors  in  the 
basement  for  the  decaying  wooden  floors;  reconstructed  the  sewer  system,  it 
having  been  discovered  that  the  original  sewer  had  been  laid  inside  the  build- 
ing with  common  sewer-pipe;  substituted  L.  W.  Wolff  individual  bowls, 
syphon  range,  toilet  fixtures  for  the  crude  device  previously  in  use;  installed 
toilet  rooms  on  the  third  floor,  thereby  removing  the  necessity  of  sending 
pupils  down  three  flights  of  stairs ;  erected  a  substantial  fire  escape,  the  same 
being  so  connected  with  the  several  rooms  that  pupils  leave  the  building 
without  entering  the  corridors;  installed  a  fire-alarm  system,  by  means  of 
which  a  general  alarm  can  be  turned  in  from  any  part  of  the  building;  dis- 
placed the  low-pressure  steel  boilers  (the  safe  kind  which  sometimes  explodes) 
with  cast  boilers;  equipped  the  building  with  stand-pipe  fire  protection,  the 
same  having  a  reel  of  three-inch  hose  for  each  floor;  placed  inside  and  outside 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  385 

drinking  fountains  and  discontinued  the  use  of  the  old  school  well;  tinted  the 
walls  of  the  rooms  and  corridors  with  cheering  colors, 'done  in  lead  and  oil; 
removed  the  old-time  teachers'  platforms;  lighted  the  building  throughout 
with  gas;  constructed  vestibules  at  each  of  the  three  entrances;  built  lava- 
tories; remodeled  the  smaller  building;  laid  inside  walks  and  curbed  the 
school  square;  besides  many  minor  changes  looking  to  the  safety,  sanitation 
and  comfort  of  the  school.  At  Lincoln  School  it  has  built  a  four-room  an- 
nex ;  removed  the  old  brick  building  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  square ; 
graded  down  the  knoll  on  that  corner;  laid  a  large  amount  of  permanent 
walks;  displaced  the  hot-air  system  with  steam;  substituted  slate  blackboards 
for  the  composition  boards ;  redecorated  the  school  rooms ;  installed  drinking 
fountains;  besides  a  number  of  minor  improvements.  Many  of  the  changes 
mentioned  above  were  expensive,  the  main  question  having  been,  How  well, 
not  how  cheaply,  can  this  work  be  done? 

Of  the  present  members  of  the  Board  of  Education,  Mr.  C.  Burkholder, 
President,  has  served  the  District  sixteen  years ;  Mr.  W.  N.  Haskell,  Secretary, 
twelve  years;  Mr.  W.  W.  Davis,  fourteen  years;  Mr.  R.  S.  Philips,  ten  years; 
Mr.  L.  C.  Thorne,  eight  years;  Mr.  A.  J.  Platt,  six  years;  Mr.  Frank  Thomas, 
five  years. 

Some  of  the  special  features  of  the  Union  Schools,  besides  the  depart- 
ments of  special  instruction  heretofore  mentioned,  are:  A  graded  library, 
established  in  1894,  now  containing  seven  hundred  books;  semi-annual  pro- 
motions to  the  high  school,  in  effect  since  1903 ;  an  annual  report,  containing, 
among  other  things,  a  financial  report  of  the  Board  of  Education,  the  school 
calendar,  rules  and  regulations,  list  of  authorized  text-books,  a  report  of  the 
Superintendent  on  the  general  and  special  activities  of  the  schools,  including 
a  classification  of  pupils,  statistical  reports,  library  summary,  etc. ;  a  salaried 
truant  officer  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  the  amended  statutes  to  compel  the 
regular  attendance  of  those  who  would  otherwise  be  delinquent  pupils.  The 
latest  activity  of  the  schools  is  school  gardening,  undertaken  for  the  first 
time  in  the  spring  of  1908.  By  this  we  hope  to  make,  not  alone  a  city  beau- 
tiful and  homes  beautiful,  but  lives  and  characters  more  beautiful  than  they 
otherwise  would  be. 

Both  the  original  buildings  in  the  present  Union  district  are  gone,  the 
brick  in  the  first  ward  erected  in  1860  and  the  two-story  frame  in  the  second 
ward  erected  in  1857.  In  their  place  are  the  present  substantial  and  hand- 
some brick  structures.  In  the  long  roll  of  principals  in  each  are  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Flagg,  Thomas  Diller,  J.  D.  Parker,  Buell,  French,  Alfred  Bayliss,  the 
latter  being  longer  in  service  than  any  of  his  predecessors.  Central  School  is 
the  largest  in  the  county. 

In  the  spring  of  1908  the  scholars  of  Central  School  received  packages 
of  flower  .seeds  to  plant  at  their  homes  during  spring  vacation  time. 

The  seeds  include  six  varieties — namely,  sweet  peas,  nasturtiums,  mari- 
golds, sweet  alyssum,  snap  dragon  and  asters,  which  they  will  cultivate  dur- 
ing the  spring,  and  some  time  during  the  fall  months  a  floral  show  at  the  two 

schools  will  be  the  result. 


386  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

It  is  expected  that  the  pupils  of  the  two  schools  will  plant  about  4,200 
packages  of  flower  seeds. 

The  steel  fire  escape  connected  with  the  two  main  buildings,  erected  a 
few  years  ago  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $3,000,  is  considered  the  finest  in  the  United 
States,  and  since  the  horrible  calamity  in  the  school  near  Cleveland  has  been 
advertised  in  cuts  by  papers  and  magazines  from  New  York  to  California 
for  the  example  of  boards  of  education  to  follow. 

The  enrollment  of  Central  School  for  the  present  year  is  648.  Its  corps 
of  teachers,  beginning  with  the  first  primary,  is  Mae  Wilcox,  Grace  G.  Goebel, 
Laura  M.  Wilson,  Irene  Bassett,  Lora  Taylor,  Daisy  Seymour,  Pansy 
Treasher,  Ivy  Phelps,  Bertha  Fay,  Estella  Daveler,  Mignon  Haskell,  Bertha 
Senneff,  Hattie  E.  Turner,  Bertha  M.  Williams. 

The  enrollment  of  Lincoln  School  is  206.  The  corps  of  teachers,  begin- 
ning with  the  first  primary,  is  Helene  Lendman,  May  Adams,  Mary  Dutcher, 
Clara  M.  Pitt rr an,  Jennie  Hoak,  Mabel  Whitney. 

The  special  teachers  are  Mr.  C.  A.  Wetzell,  writing,  drawing,  and  manual 
training;  Miss  Ivy  Phelps,  sewing;  Miss  Ida  G.  Rundlett,  primary  assistant 
and  general  substitute. 

[Editorial  Note. — This  large  school  .was  never  so  flourishing.  Prof. 
Chaplin  is  untiring  in  his  efforts  to  increase  its  efficiency  in  every  depart- 
ment, and  to  show  their  appreciation  of  his  services  the  Board  lately  elected 
him  Superintendent  for  the  fifteenth  year  of  his  usefulness.] 

THE    STERLING    TOWNSHIP    HIGH   SCHOOL. 

By  Prof.  E.  T.  Austin,  Principal. 

The  need  of  a  better  high  school  in  this  community  became  so  impera- 
tive that  after  due  notice  an  election  was  held  April  11,  1896.  It  resulted 
in  a  vote  in  favor  of  establishing  a  township  high  school.  The  following 
men  were  chosen  as  the  Board  of  Education :  C.  A.  Wetherbee,  Rev.  E. 
Brown,  James  Platt,  F.  W.  Wheeler,  and  W.  A.  Sanborn. 

These  men  did  their  duty  admirably.  Their  first  task,  the  choosing  of 
a  site,  they  did  by  a  special  election  August  1,  1896.  It  resulted  in  the 
selection  of  the  grounds  of  the  old  Catholic  church  at  the  corner  of  Fifth 
avenue  and  Fourth  street.  Their  next  work  was  to  secure  fund-.  This  they 
also  did  by  election,  May  11,  1897,  which  resulted  in  favor  of  issuing  $40,000 
worth  of  bonds.  In  selecting  the -plans  for  a  building  they  gave  the  prefer- 
ence to  those  drafted  by  Reeves  &  Bailey,  of  Peoria.  These  plans  were  a 
modification  or  adaptation  of  an  early  Elizabethan  type  of  architecture. 

School  opened  in  the  fall  of  1898  with  nearly  two  hundred  pupils,  and 
the  following  corps  of  teachers:  Principal,  0.  L.  Miller,  of  Michigan;  Anna 
E.  Parmelee,  Kate  M.  Stoddard,  Bertha  M.  Forbes.  Mabel  G.  Waldo,  Frances 
G.  Hershey,  Charles  Herrmann,  Ida  E.  Marron.  C.  A.  Wetzell  and  Ella  G. 
Richards.  Henry  Werle  was  appointed  janitor,  and  ha?  ever  since  kept  the 
building  and  grounds  a  model  of  neatness.  Of  this  first  corps  of  teachers 
Miss  Parmelee  wa«  called  to  the  State  Normal  School  at  De  Kalb,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Alfred  K.  Jenkins:  Mr.  Herrmann  was  also  called  away;  Miss 
Frances  Hershey  and  Miss  Ida  Marron  were  married;  and  Miss  Waldo  was 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  387 

summoned  by  death.  Since  1902  E.  T.  Austin,  of  Michigan,  has  been  prin- 
cipal. The  new  members  of  the  teaching  corps  are  Stella  Coney,  Helen 
Hopkins,  Ella  M.  Ellsworth,  Marie  Hershey,  G.  A.  Schmidt,  Marjorie  L. 
Fitch,  and  Sarah  Lindsay.  The  present  Board  of  Education  are  Rev.  Theo- 
dore Crowl,  D.  L.  Miller,  F.  W.  Wheeler,  A.  H.  Hershey,  and  W.  W.  Davis. 
They  have  been  in  office  now  for  many  years,  and  are  closely  identified  with 
the  development  of  the  school  and  its  present  prosperous  condition. 

The  equipment  of  the  school  is  very  complete,  and  is  being  systemat- 
ically added  to  each  year.  The  physical,  chemical,  and  biological  labora- 
tories are  well  supplied.  The  library  is  'discreetly  chosen,  and  contains  the 
latest  and  best  cyclopedias,  histories,  and  scientific  works.  The  pictures  and 
statues  that  ornament  the  walls  and  halls  are  tastefully  chosen  and  artisti- 
cally disposed. 

Our  high  school  is  fully  accredited  by  the  following  universities  and 
colleges:  Amherst,  Vassar,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Chicago,  North- 
western and  Beloit;  and  probably  most  colleges  will  receive  students  who 
have  done  the  work  preparatory  to  entering  these  universities. 

For  several  years  an  annual  has  been  issued,  containing  original  sketches, 
with  local  hits,  illustrated,  neatly  printed  and  bound,  and  edited  by  pupils 
chosen  from  the  higher  classes. 

Few  rich  men  remember  churches  or  schools  in  their  wills.  The  whole 
property  is  left  to  relatives,  and  sometimes  soon  scattered  to  the  winds.  Dr. 
L.  S.  Pennington,  pioneer  of  Jordan,  who  died  in  Sterling,  1906,  was  not  of 
this  type.  The  Sterling  Gazette  of  April  13,  1908,  has  this  paragraph :  "The 
sum  of  $8,067,  the  residuary  legacy  from  the  estate  of  the  late  Dr.  L.  S.  Pen- 
nington, has  been  formally  turned  over  to  the  trustees  of  the  Township  High 
School,  and  the  trustees  have  loaned  $8,000  on  real  estate  security,  and  the 
same  is  drawing  an  interest  of  six  per  cent,  making  an  annual  income  of 
$480.  This  amount,  according  to  the  will  of  the  late  Dr.  Pennington,  will 
be  used  in  assisting  to  maintain  a  manual  training  school  at  the  Township 
High  School.  The  sum  received  from  the  estate  of  Dr.  Pennington  is  the 
first  material  assistance  that  the  public  schools  of  this  city  have  received.  It 
i<  hoped  that  his  bequest  will  serve  as  an  attractive  nucleus  and  that  other 
wealthy  men  may  have  their  attention  attracted  to  the  value  of  manual 
training  and  aid  with  their  wealth  in  establishing  an  institution  here  on 
an  adequat.e  footing." 

It  may  be  added  there  are  numerous  examples  to  encourage  this  educa- 
tional generosity.  Leland  Stanford  University  in  California  and  .Johns  Hop- 
kins in  Baltimore  are  not  only  beneficent  institutions  of  learning,  but  lasting 
monuments  to  the  memory  of  their  founders. 

STERLING   BUSINESS    COLLEGE. 

By  Prof.  A.  T.  Scovill. 

The  Sterling  Business  College  was  organized  in  the  summer  of  1877  by 
Mr.  Harry  A.  Aument,  who  conducted  the  school  with  marked  succass  for 
fifteen  years.  Mr.  Aument  was  an  energetic,  progressive  school  man  and  at 
that  early  date  introduced  the  study  of  shorthand  in  the  Sterling  school,  thus 


388  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

making  the  Sterling  Business  College  the  first  business  college  in  the  world 
to  include  shorthand  a,*  a  part  of  its  curriculum.  The  same  year  he  pur- 
chased one  of  the  old  style  Remington  typewriters  for  school  use,  thus  giving 
the  school  the  name  of  being  the  first  school  in  the  West,  if  not  in  the  world, 
to  install  a  typewriter  as  a  part  of  its  equipment.  This  early  progressiveness 
instituted  by  its  first  owner  has  characterized  the  school  throughout  the  thirty- 
one  years  of  its  existence,  and  today  it  stands  the  best  equipped  business  and 
shorthand  school  in  the  Middle  West. 

In  1892  Mr.  Aument  sold  the  school  to  Wallace  Bros.,  who  conducted 
the  school  with  varied  success  for  about  three  years,  when  it  was  purchased 
by  Mr.  William  Lueders  in  1895.  At  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Lueders'  owner- 
ship he  secured  the  services  of  Miss  Lula  L.  Ely  as  Superintendent  of  the 
Shorthand  Department,  and  it  is  largely  through  her  careful,  conscientious 
work  that  the  Sterling  Business  College  received  and  maintained  its  excellent 
name. 

Soon  after  the  purchase  of  the  school  by  Mr.  Lueders  he  realized  the 
desirability  of  having  a  permanent  home  for  the  school  and  set  about  secur- 
ing a  building  designed  especially  for  business  college  work.  He  finally 
accomplished  his  desire  and  in  the  -summer  of  1899  the  school  was  moved 
from  rooms  in  the  down-town  district,  where  it  had  been  conducted  for  the 
last  twenty  years,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Second  street  and  Fourth  avenue. 
Here  the  school  was  successfully  operated  by  Mr.  Lueders  until  its  sale  to 
Mr.  G.  W.  Brown,  president  of  the  Brown's  Business  College  Co.,  in  May, 
1906. 

On  July  1,  1908,  the  school  was  formally  turned  over  to  Brown's  Busi- 
ness College  Co.,  Mr.  A.  T.  Scovill  being  chosen  by  President  G.  W.  Brown 
to  be  the  local  manager  and  principal.  During  the  months  of  July  and 
August  the  building  was  altered  and  repaired,  the  course  of  study  revised 
to  meet  the  demand  of  the  business  world,  the  standard  of  scholarship  raised, 
and  the  school  equipped  with  the  latest  writing  machines  and  office  appli- 
ances. Principal  A.  T.  Scovill  took  charge  of  the  commercial  department, 
assisted  by  Miss  Lena  A.  Kemp,  an  experienced  teacher,  transferred  from  the 
commercial  department  of  Brown's  Peoria  Business  College.  Miss  Lula  L. 
Ely  continued  as  superintendent  of  the  shorthand  department,  assisted  by 
Miss  Delia  V.  Smith. 

During  the  year  several  new  features  were  instituted,  among  them  the 
students'  annual  banquet,  held  during  the  mid-winter  sea-on,  and  the  alumni 
banquet,  held  in  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  each  year.  The  students'  annual 
banquet  is  given  by  the  present  students  of  the  school  to  their  friends  and 
relative?.  The  evening's  entertainment  consists  of  a  literary  programme 
given  at  the  Armory  or  Academy.  After  the  literary  programme  the  guests 
retire  to  one  of  the  banquet  halls  of  the  city,  where  a  five-course  dinner  is 
served,  after  which  after-dinner  talks  are  given.  In  the  two  years  the  stu- 
dents' banquet  has  become  one  of  the  mid-winter  social  functions  of  Sterling. 
This  entertainment  and  banquet  brings  the  parents  and  friends  of  the  school 
in  closer  touch  with  the  work  of  the  student.  The  alumni  banquet,  held  in 


HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  389 

Chicago  each  year,  reminds  the  ex-students  of  the  school  that  they  have  some 
interest  in  their  Alma  Mater  at  Sterling. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  ownership,  by  the  Brown's  Business  College 
Co.  the  attendance  was  increased  nearly  one  hundred  per  cent.  One  hundred 
and  thirty-two  calls  for  office  help  were  received  direct  by  the  school  and  in 
the  second  year  another  marked  increase  in  attendance  and  a  greater  demand 
for  help  was  made,  the  school  at  this  time  having  an  annual  enrollment  of 
more  than  three  hundred. 

THE   STERLING  CLUB. 

Sport,  that  wrinkled  care  derides, 
And  laughter,  holding  both  his  sides. 
Come,  and  trip  it  as  you  go, 
On  the  light  fantastic  toe. — Milton. 

Club  life  finds  congenial  soil  in  Sterling.  Almost  every  name  is  repre- 
sented now,  and  a  few  more  will  make  the  list  complete.  A  Hamilton  club 
will  make  the  city  equal  to  Chicago,  and  an  Army  and  Navy  club  put  us 
into  formidable  rivalry  with  London.  The  Sterling  Club  is  not  specific  in 
its  application,  as  it  stands  for  rest,  retirement,  good  fellowship,  conviviality, 
recreation  in  a  quiet  way.  Every  appliance  for  bodily  and  mental  relief. 
For  indoor  atheletics,  billiard  tables,  and  for  mental  enjoyment  a  reading 
room,  whose  table  is  supplied  with  the  dailies  and  best  current  magazines. 
A  blazing  fire  on  the  hearth  gives  a  touch  of  home  to  the  stranger.  Open 
day  and  night,  so  that  members  and  friends  may  drop  in  at  any  hour  to 
ertjoy  its  comforts.  Regular  social  functions  are  given  every  year  with  ban- 
quet and  dancing.  The  rooms  are  handsomely  furnished  and  occupy  the 
second  floor  of  the  Masonic  building  on  Third  street.  George  Clark  keeps 
the  establishment  in  perfect  order.  The  lately  elected  officers  are: 

President — L.  L.  Wheeler. 
Vice  President— J.  R.  Bell, 
Secretary — J.  J.  Ludens. 
Treasurer— F.  W.  Murphy. 

The  club  was  incorporated  Jan.  12,  1893,  and  the  first  officers  were: 
A.  A.  "VVolfersperger,  president;  F.  M.  Tracy,  vice  president;  B.  C.  Cook, 
secretary;  John  Sanborn,  treasurer.  The  directors  included  the  above  officers 
and  John  S.  Miller,  D.  L.  Miller,  and  A.  H.  Hershey.  By  the  by-laws  a 
candidate  for  membership  had  to  file  a  written  application,  endorsed  by  two 
members,  and  if  no  more  than  four  black  balls  were  cast  against  him,  he  was 
declared  elected.  The  membership  fee  is  ten  dollars.  All  entertainments  are 
to  be  held  on  Friday  nights.  The  resident  membership  is  limited  to  110. 
The  rooms  are  open  daily  from  8  a.  m.  to  11  p.  m.  No  games  on  Sunday,  or 
games  for  money.  No  ales,  wines,  or  other  liquors  permitted  in  the  rooms. 
The  first  roll  of  1893  showed  a  list  of  103  members. 

THE   SEARCHLIGHT   CLUB. 

The  light  that  never  was,  on  sea  or  land, 

The  consecration,   and  the  poet's  dream.— Wordsworth. 


390  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

While  most  of  our  societies  are  either  social  or  beneficiary,  this  is  purely 
intellectual.  It  has  for  its  object  the  discussion  of  the  profound  and  practical 
problems  of  civic  and  national  life.  Men  at  home  or  abroad  who  have  made 
a  study  of  favorite  questions  are  invited  to  present  their  views  to  the  club. 
The  meetings  are  held  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building,  and  the  address  is  given 
after  a  Platonic  banquet.  Among  the  speakers  have  been  Walter  Stager,  H. 
C.  Ward,  W.  W.  Davis,  Prof.  James,  Bardwell,  of  Dixon,  on  Public  Opinion. 

It  was  voted  to  make  the"  Searchlight  Club  a  permanent  organization, 
with  annual  dues.  J.  J.  Ludens  was  elected  president  and  P.  A.  Kidder 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

THE  BOAT  CLUB. 

A  life  on  the  ocean  wave, 

A  home  on  the  rolling  deep. — Epes  Sargent. 

In  October,  1907,  owners  of  launches  in  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  held 
an  enthusiastic  meeting  at  Bressler's  bicycle  shop  and'  formed  a  permanent 
organization  with  J.  W.  McDonald  as  president;  vice  president,  Capt.  Ben 
Eick ;  secretary,  Roy  Baer ;  and  treasurer,  Col.  Lawrie.  A  board  of  seven 
directors.  There  are  about  fifty  members  and  steady  accessions.  A  pennant 
has  been  adopted  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  18  by  30,  with  blue  ground  and 
white  letters,  which  will  float  in  the  breeze  during  the  season. 

TWIN   CITY   FISHING   CLUB. 

Three  fishers  went  sailing  away  to  the  west, 

Away  to  the  west  as  the  sun  went  down. — Kingsley. 

At  the  close  of  1907  this  was  organized  in  W.  F.  Mangan's  harness  shop, 
with  S.  S.  Pauley,  president;  John  Stager,  vice  president;  and  Gus  Breiding, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  The  object  is  the  stocking  of  our  noble  river  with 
fish  and  their  protection  afterwards.  Requests  have  'been  made  for  young  fish 
of  the  best  varieties  and  favorable  replies  received.  The  state  promises  wall- 
eyed pike  and  the  United  States  black  bass  when  the  season  permits  the  ship- 
ping of  young  fry.  There  are  400  nominal  member?,  about  30  who  have 
paid  dues,  and  are  active.  Ladies  are  eligible,  and  ten  of  the  gentler  sex  are 
enrolled. 

THE  WOMAN'S  CLUB. 

But  the  brethren  only  seemed  to  speak, 
Modest  the  sisters  walked,  and  meek, 
And  if  ever  one  of  them  chanced  to  -say 
What  troubles  she  met  with  on  the  way, 
A  voice  arose  from  the  brethren  then, 
Let  no  one  speak  but  the  holy  men, 
For  have  you  not  heard  the  words  of  Paul, 
Oh,  let  the  women  keep  silence  all ! 

Time  has  worked  wonders.  Since  the  days  of  Paul,  when  women  were 
forced  to  keep  quiet,  and  of  our  grandfathers,  when  they  were  bunched  on 
one  side  of  the  church,  the}'  have  stepped  boldly  to  the  front.  Woman  has  a 


HISTORY    OF    WH1TESIDE    COUNTY  391 

mind,  why  not  improve  it?  a  tongue,  why  not  use  it?  an  influence,  why  not 
exert  it?  When  Elizabeth  Fry  spoke  to  the  wretched  women  in  Newgate,  or 
Lucre-tia  Mott  took  her  stand  with  Garrison  in  denouncing  slavery,  or  Frances 
Willard  raised  her  voice  in  behalf  of  purity  and  temperance,  they  were  not 
stepping  outside  their  sphere.  Mrs.  Livermore  was  the  Daniel  Webster  of 
the  platform,  but  she  was  also  a  good  mother,  and  so  was  Elizabeth  Cady 
Stanton.  Women  have  always  been  in  politics  in  England.  Wicked  men, 
political  trimmers,  are  always  ready  to  ridicule  woman's  appearance  in  public, 
for  they  dread  her  crusade  against  their  villainy.  Woman  always  stands  for 
the  true,  the  good,  the  beautiful. 

So  in  these  later  days,  we  have  woman's  clubs.  Men  have  a  hundred, 
why  not  let  the  wives  and  daughters  have  at  least  one? 

The  Woman's  Club  of  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  was  organized  in  1898. 
Mrs.  Lizzie  E.  Kehr,  here  on  a  visit  from  Denver,  was  active  in  the  movement. 
The  first  president  was  Mrs.  Caroline  E.  Foster;  Mrs.  Anna  Mentzer,  first  vice 
president ;  Miss  Permelia  Anthony,  second  vice  president ;  Mrs.  Kate  Emmons, 
recording  secretary;  Mrs.  Grace  Hamm,  corresponding  secretary;  and  Miss 
Emily  C.  Gait,  treasurer.  A  constitution  and  by-la.ws,  which  have  since  un- 
dergone some  modifications.  Roberts'  Rules  of  Order  were  adopted  as  au- 
thority. 

As  is  not  generally  known,  the  scheme  of  activity  is  very  comprehensive. 
The  club  is  not  a  debating  school  or  a  social  function,  but  a  factor  of  personal 
instruction,  an  agent  of  civic  improvement.  To  facilitate  the  work  there  are 
Various  committees:  reception,  program,  educational,  music,  printing,  philan- 
thropic, house,  refreshment,  nominating,  press.  Music  is  a  prominent  feature. 
The  club  chorus  at  present  has  eleven  members  with  Hattie  M.  Ebersole, 
leader,  and  Sophie  C.  Cruse,  accompanist.  The  departed  members  are  not 
forgotten  in  the  year  books  as  they  are  regularly  issued.  In  that  for  1907-8 
n  whole  page  appears  as  follows: 

In  Memoriam. 

To  live  in  hearts  we  leave  behind  is  not  to  die. 
Sadie  E.  Johnson, 

July  23,  1900. 
Anna  Whipple  Dillon, 

April  23,  1903. 
Frances  L.  Roberts, 

Aug.  9,  1905. 
Verne  Irwin  Wilson, 

Nov.  13,  1907. 
Frances  M.  Haney, 

July  10,  1907. 

The  topics  for  every  meeting  of  the  year  are  printed  in  the  booklets, 
Avith  the  leaders  to  prepare  papers,  so  that  ample  time  is  given  for  prepara- 
tion. The  topics  embrace  the  whole  field  of  art,  literature,  the  home,  the 
city,  health,  biography,  science,  history,  travel.  It  is  encyclopedic.  January  , 


392  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

6  had  "Phases  of  American  Life  Illustrated  in  Fiction,"  with  Mary  E.  Wil- 
kins,  presented  by  Sadie  Murphy;  Joel  Chandler  Harris,  by  Marie  Coe;  Ham- 
lin  Garland,  by  Emma  Lawrence;  George  R.  Cable,  by  Kathryn  Leitch. 
Again,  St.  Patrick's  day,  on  March  17,  had  naturally  a  symposium  of  Irish 
melodies  by  Ross  Hull  on  the  violin,  an  address  by  Fannie  Worthington,  a 
whistling  solo  by  Robert  Clark. 

Home  talent  does  not  furnish  all  the  enjoyment.  Mrs.  Bayliss  has 
talked  on  the  Cliff  Dwellers,  John  Quincy  Adams  on  Art  and  the  Day's 
Work,  John  Whitman  on  Prison  Life,  Mrs.  Pelham  on  The  Stage  Behind 
the  Footlights,  The  Educational  Value  of  Play  by  Miss  Nina  Lamkin,  Judge 
Richard  S.  Tuthill  on  The  Work  of  Saving  Children  from  Becoming  Crim- 
inals, Mrs.  Marsh  on  Life  in  China. 

The  travel  class  is  a  fascinating  field.  For  October,  1907,  Holland,  with 
its  quaint  towns  and  customs,  and  for  1908,  such  historic  American  cities  as 
St.  Augustine,  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  New  Orleans,  and  Wash- 
ington. 

The  regular  meetings  are  held  on  the  first  and  third  Saturdays  of  the 
month.  There  are  now  about  175  members.  A  candidate  for  membership 
must  be  proposed  by  one  member  and  endorsed  by  two  other  members,  all 
of  whom  are  personally  acquainted  with  her.  The  annual  dues  are  two  dol- 
lars. Luella  Hill  Mack  is  president;  recording  secretary,  Belle  Woodworth; 
treasurer,  Edna  H.  Loux.  The  club  was  represented  at  the  General  Feder- 
ation, St.  Louis,  1904,  by  Anna  May  Bowman;  at  the  State  Federation, 
Rockford,  1900,  by  Lizzie  E.  Kehr  and  Sadie  Murphy;  and  at  the  District 
Federation,  Savanna,  by  Anna  May  Bowman. 

THE   W.   C.  T.   U. 

Ask  God  for  temperance;  that's  the  appliance  only 
Which  your  disease  requires. — Shakespeare. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  of  our  organizations,  quiet  in  its  movements,  and 
yet  so  far-reaching  in  its  influence.  The  regular  meetings  occur  on  the  second 
Thursday  of  the  month  in  the  Congregational  church,  the  parlor  meetings 
on  the  fourth  Thursday.  A  small  booklet  is  issued,  giving  the  topics  and 
order  for  every  meeting  during  the  year,  with  the  speaker  who  is  to  lead  the 
discussion.  All  are  practical,  many  are  beautiful  and  inspiring.  for  exam- 
ple, for  June  27,  1907,  was  the  "Mission  of  Flowers" ;  for  July  25,  "Peace  and 
Arbitration";  for  Dec.  26,  "Temperance  and  Labor."  About  fifty  of  the 
prominent  ladies  of  town  and  country  meet  in  these  delightful  deliberations. 
To  systematize  their  scheme  of  activity,  there  are  several  departments:  Mrs. 
Vaughn  in  1907  had  Sunday  School  Work;  Mrs.  Daley.  Scientific  Instruc- 
tion ;  Mrs.  Edmunds,  Social  Purity ;  Miss  Stevens,  Flower  Mission :  Miss 
Bush,  Fair  Work;  Mrs.  Taylor,  Temperance  Literature;  Mrs.  Foster,  Fran- 
chise; Miss  Clara  McCune,  Music. 

STERLING    INDUSTRIAL    ASSOCIATION. 

This  was  organized  in  1907,  is  composed  of  most  of  our  prominent  busi- 
ness men,  and  has  already  been  the  means  of  securing  some  substantial 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  393 

industries  to  the  city.  At  the  last  meeting  John  B.  Lewis  was  re-elected 
president,  John  M.  Stager  re-elected  secretary,  John  H.  Lawrence  treasurer, 
and  0.  E.  Maxson,  of  Rock  Falls,  vice  president.  There  are  nine  directors, 
serving  for  one,  two,  and  three  years.  L.  K.  Wynn  is  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  home  and  foreign  industries,  D.  L.  Martin  of  finance,  E.  F.  Law- 
rence of  railroads,  Henry  Bencus  of  advertising,  H.  M.  Henderson  of  mem- 
bership. 

An  important  branch  of  the  work  of  the  association  is  advertising.  Nine 
thousand  circulars  and  3,000  booklets  with  the  Inter-Ocean  write-up  and  the 
special  canal  edition  of  the  Gazette  have  given  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  pub- 
licity and  attention  which  they  never  enjoyed  before. 

The  most  important  thing  accomplished  during  1907  was  the  locating 
of  the  Borden  Condensed  Milk  factory.  This  is  of  such  proportions  as  to  be 
capable  of  caring  for  the  milk  from  5,000  cows. 

Through  the  combined  efforts  of  the  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  Industrial 
Association,  the  Reed  Manufacturing  Co.  was  induced  to  move  here  from 
Oregon. 

Through  the  association  the  Sterling,  Dixon  &  Rock  Falls  Packet  Co. 
was  organized  to  give  the  Tri-Cities  the  benefit  of  the  new  waterway.  The 
company  has  already  increased  its  capacity  for  operation  and  the  possibilities 
in  this  new  project  are  limitless. 

The  celebration  held  Oct.  24,  at  the  time  of  the  completion  and  formal 
opening  of  the  Hennepin  canal  was  the  proudest  day  in  our  history.  The 
committee  of  which  Mr.  E.  LeRoy  Gait  was  chairman,  spared  no  pains,  and 
by  bringing  the  great  number  of  celebrated  and  influential  men  that  it  did 
took  the  first  step  towards  securing  a  lock  in  the  government  dam.  The  asso- 
ciation has  now  about  150  members,  and  the  number  is  gradually  increasing. 

THE   PACKET   COMPAKY. 

Who  would  have  dreamed  ten  years  ago  that  Sterling  would  be  a  center 
of  water  transportation?  But  when  we  read  of  the  Sterling,  Dixon,  and  Rock 
Falls  Packet  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  organized  for  active  oper- 
ations in  the  carrying  of  coal,  lumber,  and  grain,  we  must  accept  the  reality 
of  the  situation.  The  freight  will  be  carried  on  barges,  grain  taken  down,  and 
coal  brought  up.  The  company  built  a  barge  at  Rock  Falls,  launched  in  the 
spring  of  1908,  100  feet  long  by  24  feet  wide,  with  a  capacity  of  200  tons  of 
grain.  Others  were  added  during  the  season.  Small  steamboats  form  part  of 
the  equipment. 

All  of  these  new  barges  have  been  planned  to  carry  a  deck  load  of  coal 
from  the  mines  along  the  Illinois  river,  thus  assuring  the  boats  profitable 
cargos  both  ways  on  the  trip.  The  coal  carried  up  the  canal  during  the 
summer  will  be  held  in  the  yards  of  the  company  at  the  various  elevators  and 
what  is  needed  will  be  brought  to  Sterling,  where  it  is  expected  much  will  be 
handled  by  the  local  dealers.  Sites  have  been  selected  for  twenty-two  elevators 
along  the  canal,  feeder  and  the  river. 

A  late  purchase  is  the  steamboat  Beder  and  a  barge.  The  Beder  is  a  good 
strong  canal  craft,  measuring  14  by  76  feet.  The  barge  is  14  by  60  feet  and 


394  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

is  good  for  carrying  eighty  tons  of  coal.  Floating  elevators  are  to  be  con- 
structed for  the  disposal  of  grain,  so  that  when  the  crops  are  ready  in  the  fall, 
all  produce  offered  can  be  promptly  managed.  The  board  of  directors  are 
N.  E.  Shontz,  John  N.  Harpham,  John  M.  Stager,  B.  Frank  Downing,  0.  E. 
Maxson. 

On  April  19,  1908,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  Rock  River,  a  steam- 
boat built  strictly  for  commercial  transportation  and  capable  of  handling  a 
large  barge  carrying  five  hundred  tons  or  more,  made  the  trip  from  Sterling 
to  Dixon.  It  was  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  determining  what  the  con- 
ditions are  in  the  stream  from  the  view  point  of  the  commercial  transportation. 
The  Beder  never  touched  bottom  at  the  shallowest  places  in  the  river  between 
this  city  and  a  point  a  block  below  the  wagon  bridge  at  I>ixon.  Captain  Shontz 
who  was  aboard  of  the  Beder  is  well  pleased  with  the  results  of  the  trip  and 
says  that  there  will  be  little  difficulty  experienced  by  the  engineers  in  estab- 
lishing a  channel  suitable  for  use  by  boats  that  will  ply  on  the  canal. 

COMPANY  E  OF  STERLING. 

Before  the  Rebellion  New  York  had  her  pet  Seventh  Regiment  for  dress 
occasions;  since  that  struggle  Sterling  has  fostered  her  Company  E  for  every- 
day application.  It  was  organized  March  24,  1888  by  Capt.  John  W.  Niles, 
with  38  excellent  young  men.  Dr.  Frank  Anthony  was  finally  made  com- 
mander with  L.  F.  Eisele  as  first  lieutenant,  and  W.  F.  Lawrie  as  second 
lieutenant.  The  present  commander,  Capt.  John  Cushman,  was  elected  Feb. 
10,  1902,  and  has  served  since  that  time.  The  rolls  show  that  590  men  have 
been  members  of  the  company.  Three  original  members  are  still  in  the  ranks, 
Col.  W.  F.  Lawrie,  Capt.  Cushman,  and  private  William  Angel. 

Company  E  saw  its  first  active  service  in  1894  when  it  was  ordered  to 
Chicago  on  the  Pullman  strike.  Captain  Lawrie  commanded  and  the  com- 
pany saw  several  weeks  of  hard  service.  The  second  call  for  service  came  dur- 
ing the  Spanish-American  war,  when,  under  command  of  Capt.  Lawrie,  Com- 
pany E  served  under  General  Nelson  A.  Miles  in  the  Porto  Rican  campaign. 
The  record  set  by  Company  E  at  that  time  was  the  best  in  the  regiment.  The 
worst  privations  were  suffered,  but  the  company  came  through  in  excellent 
condition. 

In  military  circles  Sterling  ranks  at  the  head  of  all  cities  in  northern 
Illinois.  Lieutenant  Colonel  William  F.  Lawrie  resides  in  this  city  and  sooner 
or  later  will  bring  to  Sterling  the  headquarters  of  the  Sixth  regiment.  Com- 
pany E.  with  fifty  members  and  three  commissioned  officers,  is  located  here. 
Here  also  is  located  the  Sixth  regiment  band,  the  inspector  of  rifle  practice  for 
the  regiment,  the  regimental  ordnance  sergeant,  and  the  regimental  color 
sergeant.  ; 

The  roster  of  Company  E  is  as  follows : 

Captain — John  Cushman. 

First  Lieutenant — D.  B.  Doyoc. 

Second  Lieutenant — Harold  E.  Ward. 

Sergeants — Arthur  H.  Cullin,  first  sergeant;  William  H.  Heathcote,  quar- 
termaster sergeant;  Arthur  Jackson,  Ernest  McDaniels,  Colon  Eatinger. 


HISTORY    OF    WH1TESIDE    COUNTY  395 

Corporals — Henry  Six,  Harry  Bailey,  Elmer  Barley,  H.  Ferrington,  C. 
Portner. 

Trumpeter — Roy  Kyger.  » 

Company  E  possesses  an  excellent  range,  an  indoor  range  and  one  of  the 
largest  armories  in  the  state  outside  of  Chicago.  The  band  is  also  well 
equipped  in  respect  to  armory  and  equipment.  Both  organizations  are  fully 
up  to  the  requirements  of  the  new  Dick  military  law  and  the  state  require- 
ments. At  present  there  are  in  the  company  34  privates. 

By  recent  supplies  from  headquarters,  Company  E  is  now  prepared  for 
operations  in  the  field.  They  are  now  ready  to  enter  a  campaign  in  two  hours' 
notice  with  65  men  armed  and  equipped  to  the  smallest  detail.  The  equip- 
ment includes  shelter  tent  halves,  ponchoes,  blankets,  pick  mattocks,  entrench- 
ing tools,  aluminum  knives  and  forks,  etc.,  which  with  the  haversacks,  can- 
teens, meat  pans,  cups,  etc.,  makes  the  equipment  practically  complete.  With 
the  next  shipment  will  come  the  new  olive  drab  overcoats  and  the  new  Spring- 
field rifles  which  are  to  supersede  the  present  Krags. 

With  the  equipment  are  first  aid  to  the  wounded  packets.  These  packets 
are  in  air  tight  boxes  and  consist  of  antiseptic  bandages,  plasters,  etc.,  for  use 
until  the  arrival  of  a  surgeon.  A  four  hundred  pound  folding  steel  range 
with  boilers,  meat  pans,  etc.,  enough  to  do  the  cooking  for  128  men,  is  also 
added  to  the  list.  A  noticeable  feature  of  the  shelter  tents  is  the  fact  that  they 
are  now  large  enough  to  actually  furnish  shelter  for  two  men.  The  equip- 
ment is  complete  in  every  detail. 

SIXTH    REGIMENT    BAND. 

Several  years  ago  the  Sixth  Regiment  band,  at  that  time  the  Keystone 
band,  was  appointed  regimental  band  by  Colonel  D.  Jack  Foster.  Three  years 
ago  Bandmaster  Prestin  and  his  musicians  withdrew  from  the  regiment  and 
took  the  name  of  the  Sterling  Military  band.  Late  this  spring  Colonel  Edward 
Kittelsen  again  appointed  the  band  the  official  organization  of  the  regiment  and 
as  such  it  remains  under  Colonel  Channon,  commanding  the  regiment  at  the 
present  time. 

The  roster  of  the  band  is  as  follows : 

Chief  Musician — John  Prestin. 

Drum  Major — Thomas  Flynn. 

Principal  Musician — Jacob  Hitzelberger. 

Sergeants — Andrew  Huber,  August  Karl,  Fred  Buck,  Harry  Haug. 

Corporals — .-John  Decker,  Fred  Fraser,  John  Hutton,  William  Halverson, 
Joseph  Karl,  Ludolp  Holz,  Alex  Lyle,  J.  J.  McKee. 

Privates — Maurice  Almy",  Charles  Buck.  John  Elsasser,  Fred  Hubbard, 
Frank  Howe,  Frank  O'Connell,  William  Palmer,  John  Wink,  James  Williams, 
B.  P.  Werntz.  William  Oppold,  Milton  Cruse. 

FROM   THE  FIRING  LINE. 

Come  one,  come  all.  this  rock  shall  fly 
From  its  firm  base  as  soon  as  I. — Scott. 


396  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Few  of  our  veterans  passed  through  such  a  continued  and  exhausting 
siege  of  suffering  as  Isaac  Bressler,  who  enlisted  in  the  88th  Illinois  at  Chi- 
cago, Col.  Sherman,  1862,  fought  at  Murfreesboro  and  Chickamauga,  where  he 
was  captured  with  3,000  men,  and  taken  to  Richmond.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  series  of  imprisonments  and  rebel  torture.  They  were  kept  in  Pem- 
berton  prison,  opposite  Libby,  for  two  months.  Part  of  the  time  he  was  in 
the  hospital,  receiving  no  care.  When  forbidden  to  spit  on  the  floor,  and  ask- 
ing for  a  cuspidor,  he  was  advised  to  spit  in  his  hat.  Then  they  were  forwarded 
to  Danville,  where  there  were  five  prisons,  mostly  tobacco  warehouses.  The 
poor  fellows  were  not  only  starved  but  almost  frozen  for  want  of  clothing  and 
blankets.  It  was  in  November,  windows  knocked  out,  and  no  fire.  Here  Ed 
Mills  did  much  for  his  relief,  being  a  former  friend  in  Sterling.  Bressler  be- 
came so  desperate  that  he  offered  a  fellow  who  had  a  blanket  his  claim  on  160 
acres  of  land  in  Whiteside  if  he  would  share  that  woolen  luxury  and  keep 
him  from  shivering  all  night.  This  princely  offer  was  refused,  but  the  fel- 
low relented  enough  to  take  a  secesh  dollar  which  Bressler  had  in  his  pocket. 

Andersonville,  that  synonym  for  captive  horror,  was  the  next  stage  for 
Isaac.  It  was  an  open  pen  with  stockade  around,  a  small  tent  at  night.  The 
water  was  good,  because  not  yet  polluted  by  thousands  of  prisoners,  who  fol- 
lowed. But  the  food  was  vile,  not  fit  for  respectable  hogs.  Either  raw  corn 
meal  was  furnished,  which  they  were  left  to  cook  as  they  could,  or  pails  of 
mush  and  beans  delivered  in  wagons.  Finally,  after  six  months  of  this  sur- 
vival of  the  fittest,  according  to  Darwin,  a  detachment  of  prisoners  was  sent 
to  another  point,  and  while  at  Macon,  Georgia,  Bressler  and  a  few  others  man- 
aged to  escape,  and  after  wandering  through  the  woods,  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing Atlanta,  after  it  was  taken  by  Sherman,  and  there  rejoined  the  regiment. 

G.  Waldron  Smith,  American  Express  agent  at  Sterling,  enlisted  at  Romu- 
lus, Seneca  Co.,  N.  Y.,  1862,  in  126th  infantry,  was  wounded  at  Gettysburg, 
and  mustered  out  for  gunshot  wounds,  after  a  service  of  two  years  and  seven 
months.  Mr.  Smith  was  thrice  a  prisoner,  and  wounded  seven  times. 

George  D.  John  enlisted  in  47th  Pennsylvania,  Gen.  Emery,  and  was 
wounded  in  the  side  at  Cedar  Creek,  1864,  and  has  positive  proof  of  the  bodily 
damage  in  the  ball  which  he  preserves  as  a  reward  of  merit,  or  medal  of 
honor.  George  is  a  retired  farmer  in  Sterling. 

Phil  Kereven,  Sixth  Vermont,  saw  much  fearful  fighting  as  he  was  all 
through  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  and  after  wounds  at  Cold  Harbor  was 
in  the  hospital  at  Alexandria,  Phila,,  and  Montpelier.  Phil  also  faced  rebel 
fire  at  Antietam  and  Gettysburg,  where  a  spent  bullet  lodged  on  top  of  his 
cranium,  the  scar  being  still  visible.  He  was  with  Sheridan  at  Winchester. 

He  is  snuffing  the  smoke  of  the  roaring  fray, 
With  Sheridan  only  five  miles  away. 

In  at  the  death  of  the  Confederacy,  being  at  the  surrender  at  Petersburg.  Mr. 
Kereven  is  now  in  charge  of  Central  Park,  whose  tall  soldiers'  monument 
crowned  by  a  soldier  with  rifle  is  a  perpetual  reminder  of  sterner  scenes. 

John  W.  Sheaffer,  75th  Illinois,  was  at  the  slaughter  at  Perryville,  and 
took  part  in  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  Stone  River, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  397 

Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain,  Atlanta  and  Nashville,  1864.  He  is  a  ready 
writer,  and  sent  the  first  letter  to  Sterling  from  Sherman's  army  when  he 
flanked  Hood's  army  from  Atlanta. 

Dr.  Crandall,  13th  Vermont,  enlisted  at  Burlington,  and  was  in  charge 
of  the  Field  Hospital  at  Gettysburg.  Phil  Kereven  says  the  doctor's  record 
is  all  right  and  speaks  highly  of  his  skill  and  care  as  a  surgeon.  He  continues 
his  professional  activity  in  Sterling. 

Of  all  our  county  veterans,  John  Mehaffey  is  the  chief,  bearing  the  double 
distinction  of  serving  in  both  the  Mexican  war  and  the  Rebellion.  Both  times, 
singular  to  say,  he  enlisted  at  Chambersburg,  Pa.  In  the  Mexican  war  he  was 
in  the  Eleventh  Pennsylvania  infantry,  following  Winfield  Scott  in  his  tri- 
umphal march  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  1847.  A  narrow  escape 
in  the  land  of  Montezuma.  He  had  yellow  fever  and  was  about  to  be  buried 
alive,  when  he  summoned  strength  to  say  with  Webster,  "I  still  live."  In  the 
civil  war  Mehaffey  was  in  the  21st  Pennsylvania  cavalry,  riding  with  Custer 
and  Sheridan.  His  last  engagement  was  at  Petersburg. 

Doubtless  the  best  known  of  all  the  Grand  Army  men  in  Sterling  is  Capt. 
J.  W.  Niles,  of  the  Ninth  Iowa  Infantry.  -He  has  resided  in  the  city  many 
years,  and  being  a  bachelor,  has  given  the  community  the  benefit  of  his  sym- 
pathies. He  was  long  secretary  of  the  school  board,  is  chief  factotum  in  the 
Masonic  order,  alive  to  the  interests  of  the  veterans  or  their  families,  ready  for 
every  good  word  or  work.  In  short,  he  is  the  city  philanthropist  at  large. 

SOLDIER'S  DIARY  IN  REBEL  PRISONS. 

Isaac  Bressler,  75th  Illinois,  captured  at  Chickamauga,  Sept.  20,  1883, 
kept  a  diary  during  his  confinement.  Some  was  written  with  lead  pencil,  and 
some  is  gone,  but  he  has  kindly  permitted  us  to  make  extracts  from  the  frag- 
ments. The  prisoners  were  taken  through  Atlanta,  Columbia,  Raleigh,  Weldon 
to  Richmond. 

Richmond,  Oct.  1 — Drew  ten  small  crackers  and  half  pound  pork  for 
day's  rations. 

Oct.  6 — I  am  in  prison. 

Oct.  9 — Our  work  consists  in  hunting  lice.  This  is  a  hard  place  to  kill 
time. 

Nov.  9 — Got  eight  loaves  of  bread  for  my  old  s*hoes.  Making  moccasins 
to  wear. 

Dee.  4 — In  hospital.  Have  only  half  a  blanket,  no  other  clothing  except 
what  is  on  my  back. 

Deo.  11 — Took  cars  for  Danville. 

Dec.  15 — Smallpox  getting  bad.  Drew  graham  bread  and  raw  sweet 
potatoes. 

Dec.  25 — For  Christmas  present,  we  got  six  government  hard  tack  extra. 

Dec.  29 — Vaccinated  six  soldiers. 

April  5 — Soldiers  busy,  splitting  wood,  making  rugs,  arguing  politics, 
playing  cards. 

April  18 — At  Andersonville. 

April  21 — Went  with  guard  to  get  wood  and  pine  tops  for  bedding.    Our 


398  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

rations  2Va  pints  corn  and  V&  lb.  pork  for  two  of  us.  The  first  day  two  spoon- 
fuls of  rice  for  two.  There  are  eight  acres  in  the  bull-pen  which  is  becoming 
crowded. 

April  22 — I  and  my  partner  building  a  hut. 

April  24 — Sights  indescribable,  where  the  dead  and  dying  are  lying 
around. 

May  6 — Rebels  have  a  double  guard  on  tonight  because  prisoners  are  bur- 
rowing to  escape.  Reading  Benjamin  Franklin. 

May  16 — Sentinel  shot  one  of  our  men  for  crossing  dead  line. 

May  21 — Sun  hot.  Several  thousand  more  prisoners  brought  in,  some 
captured  near  Richmond,  some  from  Danville. 

May  23 — More  prisoners.  Some  from  western  army.  The  inside  of  the 
stockade  getting  pretty  well  crowded. 

May  27 — Boys  still  digging  tunnels.  Two  escaped  last  night.  Guards 
are  firing  on  our  men. 

June  8 — Beans  for  supper. 

June  10 — Gave  $25  greenback  for  new  boots.  Gave  $90  for  two  bushels 
beans  and  a  box  tobacco. 

June  12 — Some  fellow  stole  my  $25  boots. 

June  13 — Cold  and  wet.  Horrible  to  see  the  poor  prisoners  lie  in  the 
rain  and  exposed  to  the  weather. 

June  19 — Patching  up  my  trousers.     Drew  corn  meal  for  rations. 

June  22 — Prisoners  suffering  for  want  of  shelter.  Guard  shot  one  of  our 
men,  said  he  was  over  the  dead  line.  Got  two  shirts  washed  for  forty  cents. 

July  11 — Six  union  raiders  hung  on  scaffold.  One  fell  and  ran,  but  was 
brought  back.  Some  plead  for  mercy,  and  asked  our  prayers.  The  Dutch 
captain  made  a  speech,  saying  that  our  men  gave  them  a  fair  trial,  and  we 
could  do  with  them  as  we  thought  best.  May  the  Lord  protect  them  and  bless 
you  and  went  away.  The  priest  read  to  them  till  they  were  hung. 

July  20 — Saw  some  prisoners  make  their  escape.  They  ran  for  all  that 
was  out. 

July  24 — I  got  a  piece  of  pie  for  25  cents. 

July  27 — Sent  for  potatoes,  and  got  three  the  size  of  a  walnut  for  a  green- 
back dollar.  Sliced  them  with  a  piece  of  onion  and  made  soup  with  a  little 
flour.  Beans  for  supper.  • 

July  28 — Bought  a  small  apple  for  25  cents.  Slaves  worked  all  day  at 
fortifications  outside  the  bull  pen. 

Aug.  2 — Two  ears  of  corn  for  supper.  Bought  a  box  of  tobacco  for  $25 
and  two  bushels  beans  for  $25. 

LETTER   FROM    GEORGE   NEWTON,    CO.   D,   75TH   ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEERS. 

FIELD  HOSPITAL  GA.,  VINING'S  STATION,  Aug.  12,  1864. 
You  want  to  know  how  I  passed  the  Fourth.  To  tell  the  truth.  I  did  not 
enjoy  it  at  all,  for  I  was  in  a  dangerous  place.  Our  company  was  detailed  for 
picket  duty,  and  we  were  marched  out.  and  deployed  in  a  skirmish  line  behind 
the  one  in  front.  Then  we  were  ordered  to  lie  down,  and  pile  our  blankets. 
In  five  minutes  we  were  ordered  forward  double  quick,  and  could  see  the  rebs 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  399 

across  the  cornfield  in  their  rifle  pits  on  the  hill.  As  soon  as  we  jumped  up, 
the  rebs  poured  a  volley  of  minie  balls.  After  we  had  gone  ten  rods,  we  were 
ordered  to  halt  and  lie  down,  for  the  bullets  were  coming  like  hail.  Very  soon 
a  bullet  struck  my  shoulder  and  glanced  off.  It  felt  like  a  big  stone.  The 
ball  tore  a  hole  through  my  jacket  and  shirt,  and  made  a  hole  in  my  shoulder 
into  which  you  could  put  the  end  of  your  little  finger.  It  will  make  a  scar, 
I  guess,  to  remind  me  of  July  4,  1864.  Our  regiment  is  within  three  miles  of 
Atlanta,  but  I  am  eight  miles  off.  We  can  see  the  smoke  and  hear  the  booming 
of  the  cannon.  I  have  a  good  place  in  the  hospital,  not  much  to  do,  plenty  of 
good  stuff  to  eat,  a  good  bed  to  sleep,  and  that  is  all  a  soldier  wants. 

GEORGE  NEWTON. 
ISAAC  NEWTON  DAVIS,  Sterling. 

West  of  Carnegie  Library  on  Fourth  street  is  the  home  of  Christ  Eisele, 
a  veteran  of  seventy.  He  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  came  to  this  country 
in  1851,  and  in  August,  1861  enlisted  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  in  a  company 
that  became  part  of  Col.  August  Willich's  famous  32nd  Indiana,  one  of  the 
hundred  fighting  regiments  of  the  war.  It  saw  the  fiercest  of  battles :  Mum- 
fordsville,  Shiloh,  Stone  River,  Chattanooga,  Resaca,  Atlanta.  Most  of  the 
time  under  Thomas  in  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The  regiment  lost  171  men 
in  the  service.  Mr.  Eisele  has  a  chart  published  in  1864  soon  after  their  dis- 
charge, of  which  he  is  very  proud,  showing  the  names  of  the  company  and 
casualties  to  each,  the  battles,  and  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  brigade,  and 
division.  His  brother,  Jacob,  also  of  Sterling,  was  in  the  same  regiment  of 
Col.  Willich.  Christ  gave  the  writer  a  vivid  account  of  the  charge  on  Mission 
Ridge.  Grant  issued  the  order  to  take  the  rebel  rifle  pits,  and  then  halt,  while 
Hooker  on  the  right,  and  Sherman  on  the  left,  were  to  close  up,  and  surround 
Bragg  on  the  heights.  But  when  the  boys  drove  the  rebs  from  the  rifle  pits, 
a  halt  would  have  exposed  them  to  a  tremendous  fire  from  the  batteries  above, 
so,  disregarding  instructions,  our  troops  ran  the  rebs  up  the  hill,  and  started  a 
stampede  in  the  whole  rebel  line,  so  that  Bragg  and  his  army  had  to  make  a 
desperate  run  to  save  their  bacon.  Christ's  eyes  sparkled  as  he  described 
the  charge. 

Among  the  veterans  who  have  died  within  a  year  or  two  are  John  Buyers, 
of  the  13th  Illinois,  who  fell  unconscious  while  taking  his  cow  to  pasture, 
Reuben  Rich,  six  years  in  the  navy,  who  passed  away  after  a  gradual  decline, 
E.  C.  Whitman,  five  years  on  the  battlefield,  Charles  Mack,  printer,  of  the 
famous  13th  Illinois.  Of  the  heroes  still  living,  most  move  daily  on  the  street 
or  about  their  work,  like  Capt.  Niles,  Capt.  Hershey,  Will  Stocking,  Andy 
ITaberer,  Capt.  Morgan,  H.  L.  John  Bursk,  Gordon  Pierce,  John  Aument, 
James  and  Richard  Arey.  John  Davis.  And  they  all  continue  to  agree  with 
John  A.  Dix,  "If  any  one  attempts  to  haul  down  the  American  flag,  shoot 
him  on  the  spot." 

THE    CARNEGIE    LIBRARY. 

The  burning  soul,  the  burdened  mind, 

In  books  alone  companions  find. — Mrs.  Hale. 


400  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  library  stands  on  the  corner  of  avenue  A  and  west  Fourth  street.  It 
owes  its  existence  to  the  enterprise  of  R.  S.  Phillips,  who  made  application  to 
Andrew  Carnegie  in  Dec.,  1902,  and  in  March,  1903,  received  a  favorable  an- 
swer, agreeing  to  give  $15,000,  providing  the  city  would  purchase  a  lot,  and 
appropriate  annually  ten  per  cent  of  the  investment  to  maintain  current  ex- 
penses. In  April,  1903,  the  offer  was  accepted  by  the  city  council.  Emory 
Stanford  Hall,  architect  of  Chicago,  was  authorized  to  draw  plans.  It  was  soon 
found  that  $15,000  were  not  sufficient,  and  Mr.  Carnegie  agreed  to  give  $2,500 
more,  provided  the  city  would  add  $3,000.  Bids  were  advertised  for,  and  in 
March,  1904,  the  contract  was  let  to  T.  P.  Ruth,  of  Polo,  for  $19,500.  By 
early  autumn,  the  building  was  completed  with  the  exception  of  plumbing, 
heating,  electrical  work,  and  some  fixtures.  The  structure  is  practically  fire- 
proof. The  first  floor  and  the  attic  floor  are  of  metal  reinforced  concrete,  sup- 
ported on  brick  walls,  or  on  steel  columns  incased  in  concrete.  The  entire 
finish  of  cement,  and  the  stairways  of  iron.  A  brick  wall  rises  from  the  base- 
ment to  the  roof  between  the  stack  room,  containing  the  books,  and  the  rest 
of  the  building,  permitting  no  danger  of  fire.  Brick  walls  surround  the  boiler 
and  fuel  apartments,  and  the  doors  are  all  steel.  All  partitions  on  main  flojr 
are  of  cement  on  steel  studding  and  metal  lath. 

The  building  is  constructed  of  brown  paving  brick  and  gray  Bedford 
stone,  copper  architrave  and  cornice,  and  green  slate  roof.  The  style  is  Ameri- 
can Colonial.  Two  circular  cement  walks  from  each  corner  of  the  lawn  lead 
over  the  high  terrace  to  the  ten  stone  steps  in  front  of  the  main  entrance. 

Passing  the  vestibule  with  its  monolith  and  mosaic  border,  you  enter  the 
general  delivery  rotunda  covered. with  a  beautiful  stained  glass  ceiling,  sup- 
ported by  eight  Greek  Corinthian  columns.  In  front  is  the  delivery  desk, 
on  the  right  the  general  reading  room,  on  the  left  the  children's  and  reference 
room,  and,  further  back,  the  librarian's  room,  and  accommodations  for  cata- 
logue cases  and  wardrobes. 

Back  of  the  delivery  desk  is  a  doorway  leading  to  the  book  stack  room, 
designed  for  three  stories  of  stacks,  affording  shelf  space  for  over  30,000  vol- 
umes. The  stacks  are  steel,  and  the  floors  rough  plate  glass.  The  cost  of  the 
stacks,  with  various  appurtenances,  desks,  chairs,  tables,  doors,  was  about 
$'6,000.  This  includes  the  steel  wall  cases  in  reference,  children's  and  reading 
room,  with  sufficient  shelving  for  2,000  volumes.  There  is  sufficient  space  in 
the  basement  for  committee  and  small  lecture  rooms,  and  the  attic  approached 
by  an  iron  stairway,  would  make  an  ideal  home  for  a  museum  of  science,  a 
gallery  of  art,  or  a  historical  collection,  all  demanding  security  from  ravages 
of  the  flames. 

The  decorations  of  the  interior  are  in  green,  ivory  and  gold.  The  cement 
floors  are  covered  with  a  cork  carpet.  The  stained  glass  ceiling  over  the  ro- 
tunda has  a  pleasing  effect  by  night  and  by  day.  By  the  way,  this  was  the 
gift  of  two  generous  citizens.  The  ventilation  is  by  admitting  fresh  air  from 
the  outside  through  direct-indirect  radiators  in  the  reading  rooms,  and  by  the 
exhaustion  of  foul  air  through  ventilating  ducts.  Careful  drainage  prevents  all 
dampness  in  the  walls. 

The  total  cost  of  the  library  building  was  over  $32,000:     Andrew  Car- 


CARNEGIE   LIBRARY,   STERLING 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

DIVERSITY  OF  ILLiMC!" 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  401 

negie,  $17,500 ;  city  of  Sterling,  $13,700 ;  generous  citizens,  $1,050.  The  city 
bought  the  lot,  $4,700.  This  was  enlarged  on  the  west  by  the  purchase  of  a 
strip  ten  feet  wide,  by  a  private  donor  for  $550. 

At  the  erection  of  the  library,  the  board  consisted  of  C.  C.  Johnson,  presi- 
dent; H.  C.  Ward,  secretary;  Henry  Green,  Thomas  Diller,  M.  C.  Ward,  George 
E.  Ely,  W.  W.  Davis,  E.  LeRoy  Gait,  and  A.  A.  Wolfersperger.  At  the  invi- 
tation of  the  board,  Henry  Green  assumed  charge  of  the  finishing  details,  and 
much  of  the  elegance  of  the  completed  structure  is  due  to  his  good  taste. 

Under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Haviland,  assisted  by  Miss  Murphy,  the  entire 
library  was  overhauled  four  years  ago,  the  books  carefully  classified,  and  a 
modern  card  catalogue  system  installed.  This  gives  ready  access  to  any  book 
on  the  shelves,  and  permits  also  convenient  additions  to  the  list. 

HISTORICAL    SKETCH. 

By  Miss  Sadie  F.  Murphy,  Librarian. 

The  Sterling  Public  Library  was  formed  under  the  revised  statute  of  1874. 
The  city  council  of  the  city  of  Sterling  passed  an  ordinance  authorizing  the 
establishment  of  a  free  public  library,  and  appointed  a  board  of  trustees  of 
the  following  members:  James  E.  McPherran,  Alfred  Bayliss,  Thos.  A.  Gait, 
Geo.  W.  Brewer,  R.  B.  Witmer,  Bradford  C.  Church,  Wm.  H.  Bennett,  Mar- 
tin H.  Kreider,  and  R.  B.  Colcord. 

On  the  27th  day  of  April,  1878,  the  board  organized  and  elected  J.  E.  Mc- 
Pherran president,  who  held  that  office  for  twenty-five  years,  or  until  his  death 
in  1903,  and  Alfred  Bayliss  secretary.  The  library  was  installed  in  a  room  in 
the  Academy  of  Music  block,  which  was  given  by  Messrs.  Gait  and  Tracy,  rent 
free,  for  ten  years. 

The  board  received  by  donation  a  collection  of  valuable  books  from  the 
Sterling  Library  Society,  which  had  been  absorbed  by  the  Christion  Associa- 
tion, to  the  number  of  nine  hundred  and  forty-three  volumes,  and  fifty-two 
volumes  by  individual  gift.  These  books  formed  a  nucleus  for  a  library  which 
was  increased  by  one  hundred  thirty-two  (132)  books  purchased,  making  a 
total  of  eleven  hundred  twenty-seven  (1,127)  volumes,  and  on  the  9th  day  of 
September,  1878,  the  library  was  formally  opened  to  the  public  with  Miss 
Caroline  E.  Bowman  installed  as  librarian,  who  held  the  position  for  five  years. 
The  vacancy  left  by  her  resignation  in  1883  -was  acceptably  filled  by  Miss  Belle 
Hubbard. 

For  five  or  six  years  the  members  of  the  board  formed  an  association  which 
gave  lectures,  musical  and  other  entertainments  from  which  were  derived 
several  hundred  dollars  annually,  which  was  added  to  the  annual  appropria- 
tion from  the  city,  toward  the  maintenance  of  the  library. 

The  library  was  removed  from  the  Academy  of  Music  to  rooms  in  the  new 
city  building  in  the  winter  of  1889. 

The  resignation  of  Miss  Hubbard,  as  librarian,  soon  followed  and  Miss 
Sadie  F.  Murphy,  the  present  librarian,  was  appointed. 

Several  gifts  of  books,  not  very  considerable,  and  small  sums  of  money, 
less  than  four  hundred  dollars,  have  been  given  to  the  library  by  generous 
citizens. 


402  HISTORY    OF    WH1TESIDE    COUNTY 

In  the  last  five  or  six  years  many  changes  have  been  made.  The  most 
effective  change  to  increase  its  usefulness  was  the  reorganization  of  the  library, 
begun  in  May,  1903,  by  a  trained  cataloguer,  with  the  assistance  of  the  libra- 
rian, whose  competency  to  continue  the  work  thus  systematized  has  been  shown 
by  the  fact  that  our  library  is  on  a  par  with  the  best  libraries  of  the  same  size 
in  the  state. 

For  several  years  it  was  evident  that  we  were  outgrowing  our  quarters  in 
the  city  hall  with  no  prospects  of  improving  conditions,  until,  through  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  A.  S.  Phillips,  one  of  Sterling's  well-known  business  men,  the 
situation  was  so  successfully  presented  to  the  Hon.  Andrew  Carnegie  that  on 
the  22nd  day  of  November,  1905,  our  beautiful  new  building  was  opened  for 
operation. 

LITERARY  AND  MUSICAL. 

How  charming  is  divine  philosophy! 

Not  harsh  and  crabbed,  as  dull  fools  suppose, 

But  musical  as  is  Apollo's  lute. — Milton. 

During  the  last  sixty  years,  Sterling  has  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  a 
large  number  of  men  and  'women,  eminent  in  every  department  of  activity — 
soldiers,  statesmen,  musicians,  orators,  preachers,  reformers,  politicians. 

We  have  had  Grant  and  Logan,  Banks  and  Kilpatrick,  Oglesby,  Howard, 
and  Palmer,  among  soldiers;  President  McKinley,  Roosevelt  before  his  elec- 
tion, Douglas  in  1855  at  the  railroad  opening,  and  Lincoln  the  year  before. 

A  long  list  of  ministers,  Bishops  Bowman  and  Fitzgerald,  in  the  Fourth 
street  Methodist  church ;  Dr.  T.  M.  Eddy,  at  Broadway :  Dr.  Lorimer,  in  the 
Baptist;  Bishop  Whitehouse,  in  the  Episcopal;  Father  Chiniquy,  in  the  Pres- 
byterian ;  Dr.  Swing,  in  the  academy ;  Dr.  Thomas,  at  the  Congregational. 

No  end  of  political  speakers :  Tom  Reed,  Foraker,  U.  F.  Linder,  Leffing- 
well,  Farnsworth,  Washburne,  John  P.  Hale.  Henry  Wilson,  Richard  Yates, 
Emery  Storrs,  Schurz,  Cnllom.  Fourth  of  July  orations  by  Gunsaulus,  Mc- 
Intyre  and  Hillis.  Frances  Willard  on  purity  and  Francis  Murphy  in  a 
course  of  temperance  speeches  at  Wallace  hall.  Morrison  has  had  such  well 
known  men  a-?  Senator  Trumbull,  Teller,  and  R.  G.  Horr. 

Various  lecture  courses  season  after  season  brought  famous  speakers  to 
our  platform.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  on  "The  Ministry  of  Wealth;"  Wendell 
Phillips  on  "Street  Life  in  Europe;"  James  T.  Field?  on  "Cheerfulness;" 
Theodore  Tilton  on  "Problem  of  Life;"  Mrs.  Livermore  on  "Our  Daugh- 
ters;" Fred  Douglass,  Anna  Dickinson,  Mrs.  Stanton  and  Susan  B.  Anthony 
on  politics  and  reform;  John  S.  C.  Abbott  on  "France;"  John  G.  Saxe  and 
Josh  Billings  on  humor;  George  Francis  Train  in  a  characteristic  talk  about 
everything:  and  Ingalls,  of  Kansas,  in  a  racy  address  at  the  academy.  J;>seph 
Cook's  "Ultimate  America"  at  Presbyterian  church  was  a  grand  effort.  Bryan 
at  Chautauqua.  Bayard  Taylor  on  Egypt. 

While  the  city  is  not  large  enough  to  afford  any  of  the  reigning  stars  in 
opera  or  soloists  on  instrument,  Theodore  Thomas'  orchestra  and  Sousa's  band, 
Camilla  Urso  and  Wilhemj,  on  the  violin,  have  appeared.  Many  excellent 
concerts,  time  after  time.  An  encouraging  feature  in  this  field  is  the  increased 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  403 

attention  given  to  music  by  the  various  churches.  The  choirs  seek  the  best 
singers,  and  under  drill  of  skilled  leaders,  render  classical  compositions.  In 
the  published  programs  for  Sunday  services  may  be  seen  selections  by  Men- 
delssohn, Handel,  Tannhauser,  Gounod,  Dykes.  At  vespers,  which  have  be- 
come a  happy  feature  of  Sunday  observance,  the  anthems  are  choice  and  de- 
lightfully given. 

University  extension  lectures  were  once  popular,  and  for  many  seasons, 
a  course  was  regularly  given  in  Sterling  by  professors  from  the  University  of 
Chicago.  Zeublin  spoke  on  English  Fiction  and  Social  Reform;  Sparks  and 
Harry  Pratt  Judson,  on  American  history;  Nathaniel  Butler,  on  American 
literature;  Jerome  Raymond,  on  European  Capitals;  R.  G.  Moulton.  on 
Shakespeare.  There  was  a  fee  for  the  course,  but  the  lecturers  brought  a  bax 
of  text  books  which  were  free  to  the  members  who  wished  to  read  on  the  sub- 
ject between  the  dissertations.  To  realize  the  full  benefit  of  such  a  scheme, 
intermediate  study  is  necessary. 

The  academy  orchestra  frequently  ministers  to  the  music  lovers  of  the 
city.  It  is  composed  of  W.  P.  Cochran,  first  violin ;  Ross  Hull,  second  violin ; 
Charles  Morris,  viola ;  Charles  Hewitt,  bass;  James  Jarvis,  clarinet;  Lester 
Hendricks,  first  cornet;  Joe  Kanaple,  second  cornet;  Arthur  Hubbard,  trom- 
bone; L.  D.  Halsey,  traps;  E.  E.  Holdridge,  piano.  James  Jarvis  is  conductor 
and  Earl  Holdridge,  general  manager.  These  are  not  mere  amateurs,  who 
have  picked  up  a  little  superficial  practice  on  their  instruments,  but  earnest 
and  ambitious  players  who  have  had  the  benefit  of  skilled  training  in  schools 
of  scientific  instruction. 

The  Banda  Verde  is  the  newest  organization,  dating  from  1904.  There 
are  22  pieces.  It  is  not  the  common  brass  cohort  that  makes  the  welkin  ring 
or  the  crowd  howl  at  a  political  caucus,  but  more  of  the  concert  order,  the 
philharmonic  type  for  university  convocations.  James  Jarvis,  W.  P.  Coch- 
ran, and  E.  E.  Holdridge  are  among  the  leading  members.  They  are  young 
men,  who  have  grown  up  in  Sterling,  and  who  are  determined  by  careful  ap- 
plication to  give  their  troupe  a  creditable  position  in  the  harmonious  direc- 
tory. 

Yea,  music  is  the  Prophet's  art; 
Among  the  gifts  that  God  hath  sent, 
One  of  the  most  magnificent. 

"What  is  now  known  as  the  Sixth  Regiment  Band  was  organized  as  the 
Rock  Falls  Band.  In  1874  Sam  Moore  took  the  baton,  and  in  1881  John 
Kadel.  At  this  time  the  name  was  changed  to  Keystone  Band.  In  1897  Prof. 
Nixon  became  the  leader,  and  a  year  later  Director  Prestin  took  charge.  The 
band  became  the  regimental  band  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  I.  N.  G.  in  189'j, 
and  continued  in  that  capacity  to  1905.  It  served  through  the  campaign  of 
Porto  Rico  in  the  Spanish-American  war.  In  1907  it  again  became  the  regi- 
mental band  of  the  Sixth  Regiment.  The  boys  are  in  demand  on  all  patriotic 
occasions  at  home  and  elsewhere,  and  always  excite  admiration  by  their  in- 
ring  music  and  gallant  bearing. 


404  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

WHITESIDE    COUNTY   HISTORICAL    SOCIETY. 

This  was  founded  in  Feb.,  1903,  by  W.  W.  Davis,  and  its  collection  of 
curios  has  grown  steadily  by  contributions  from  all  parts  of  the  county.  The 
articles  are  arranged  as  far  as  possible  in  sections,  and  placed  in  show  cases. 
The  scope  of  the  society  is  wide,  embracing  everything  of  general  as  well  as 
local  interest.  A  variety  of  early  papers :  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  1754 ;  Lan- 
caster Journal,  1801;  Lancaster  Examiner,  1831;  Columbian  Sentinel,  Bos- 
ton, 1805;  the  first  Chicago  papers  after  the  fire,  Oct.  10,  1871;  a  Gazette  of 
1858  with  report  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas  debate;  dailies  with  death  of  Grant 
and  of  Logan ;  Frank  Leslie,  of  1861. 

Specimens  of  campaign  tickets:  Lincoln  and  Hamlin,  Lincoln  and  John- 
son, Cleveland  and  Hendricks,  Greeley  and  Brown,  Harrison  and  Morton.  A 
Harrison  Badge  of  1840.  A  fine  case  of  Indian  arrows,  axes,  spears,  and  the 
skull  of  a  chief.  Numerous  pictures.  A  combined  group  of  400  old  settlers. 
Portraits  and  woodcuts  of  dead  and  living  citizens.  A  case  of  autographs  of 
Sumner,  Thad  Stevens,  Dr.  Chalmers,  Douglas,  Washburne,  Joseph  Henry. 
Documents  with  the  signatures  of  Calhoun,  Monroe,  Pierce,  and  Grant.  A 
commission  signed  by  Gov.  John  Reynolds,  1834,  when  the  capital  was  at 
Vandalia.  An  assortment  of  postals  with  pictures  from  places  at  home  and 
abroad. 

Among  the  treasures  of  the  library  are  several  books  that  are  out  of  print, 
and  will  yearly  grow  in  value.  The  Pioneer  History  of  Illinois  from  its  dis- 
covery in  1673  to  1818,  when  the  state  government  was  organized.  By  John 
Reynolds,  Belleville,  1852. 

A  History  of  Illinois  from  its  commencement  as  a  state  in  1818  to  1847. 
By  the  late  Gov.  Thomas  Ford.  Chicago,  S.  C.  Griggs  &  Co.,  1854. 

Letters  from  Illinois,  by  Morris  Birkbeck,  Philadelphia,  printed  for  the 
author.  Dublin,  reprinted  for  Thomas  Larkin,  1818. 

Illinois  as  it  is:  its  history,  laws,  plants,  animals,  land,  railroads,  etc. 
By  Fred  Gerhard.  Chicago,  Keen  &  Lee,  1857. 

Journal  of  the  Voyages  and  Travels  of  a  corps  of  discovery,  under  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Lewis  and  Capt.  Clarke,  during  the  years  1804,  1805,  1806. 
By  Patrick  Gass.  Printed  for  Matthew  Carey,  Phila.,  1812. 

Discourses  on  Intemperance,  preached  in  Brattle  Square  church,  Bos- 
ton, April  5,  1827,  and  April  8,  the  Lord's  day  following.  By  John  G.  Pal- 
frey. A.  M.,  pastor.  Nathan  Halej  1827. 

Life  of  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  with  an  appendix  comprising  a  memoir  of 
the  late  Capt.  James  Lawrence,  also  a  biography  of  Gen.  Pike,  and  leading 
events  in  the  lives  of  Commodores  Decatur,  Porter  and  Gen.  Harrison.  By 
John  M.  Niles,  Esq.  Hartford,  1821. 

Bound  volume  of  an  early  magazine  containing  a  speech  of  John  Ran- 
dolph in  House  of  Representatives,  1806.  against  right  of  England  to  impress 
our  citizens.  A  political  article  by  William  Cobbett,  1800.  A  letter  of  Joel 
Barlow  to  his  Fellow  Citizens,  on  certain  political  measures,  1799. 

Then  three  regimental  histories:  The  Seventy-Fifth  Illinois  Infantry,  by 
William  Sumner  Dodge,  Chicago,  1866.  The  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  prepared  by  a  committee  of  the  regiment,  1892.  The  Thirty-Fourth 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  405 

Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  by  Edwin  W.  Payne,  Sergeant  Co. 
A,  regimental  historian. .   These  were  all  kindly  contributed. 

All  sorts  of  relics:  A  grain  cradle,  a  wooden  fork,  candle  molds,  bread 
basket,  spinning  wheels,  saddlebags,  tongs,  bellows.  A  rebel  rifle  from  a 
southern  battlefield.  A  temperance  sign  that  hung  before  Como  tavern,  1840. 
On  the  shelves  a  miscellaneous  array  of  books,  old  readers,  travels,  histories, 
geographies,  religion,  poetry,  law.  Some  valuable  Smithsonian  publications 
on  ethnology  and  scientific  research.  A  large  quantity  of  minerals  which 
need  proper  classification.  More  spacious  quarters  are  badly  needed  for  orderly 
arrangement  of  the  material  which  is  constantly  increasing.  The  present 
room  is  the  alcove  in  the  city  hall  formerly  occupied  by  the  public  library. 

THE  COUNTY'S  GREATEST  FACTORY. 
By  G.  H.  Fonken,  General  Secretary. 

Most  of  the  factories  in  our  county  are  running  full.  Several  of  them 
are  doing  night  work.  There  is  a  factory  on  the  corner  of  First  avenue  and 
Fourth  street,  Sterling,  111.,  that  starts  up  at  8 :00  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
runs  until  ten  every  night.  It  runs  Sundays  also.  This  factory  is  called  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  its  products  are  character  and  effi- 
ciency ;  the  main  by-product  is  wholesome  enjoyment. 

The  association  -was  organized  in  1889.  Charles  Bradley  was  the  first 
general  secretary.  Previous  to  that  time  E.  L.  Gait  acted  as  corresponding 
member  of  the  state  association  and  member  of  the  state  executive  committee. 
Through  his  influence  the  district  convention  was  held  in  the  basement  of  the 
Fourth  street  Methodist  church.  At  that  time  the  association  was  organized. 
Mr.  Bradley  took  charge  of  the  first  rooms  which  were  located  over  the  Hend- 
ricks  drug  store  in  the  Academy  block.  Later,  these  rooms  became  too  small 
and  the  association  moved  to  the  Lawrence  block,  where  it  remained  until  the 
present  buildng  was  erected.  The  first  president  was  E.  L.  Gait.  He  and  the 
presiding  president,  J.  K.  Chester,  are  the  only  members  of  the  board  of 
directors  who  were  members  of  the  first  board. 

The  membership  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  open  at  all 
times  to  any  man  or  boy  over  12  years  of  age,  of  good  moral  character,  with- 
out regard  to  creed.,  and  will  upon  payment  of  the  required  fees  be  entitled 
to  the  following  privileges:  Reading  rooms,  game  rooms,  parlors,  gymna- 
sium, natatorium,  bowling  alleys,  baths  (tub  and  shower),  camera  room,  prac- 
tical talks,  educational  classes,  etc. 

The  religious  work  of  the  association  is  sane,  sound  and  practical,  and  is 
of  the  wholesome,  virile  type.  The  association  is  something  more  than  a  so- 
cial or  athletic  club;  it  is  a  body  of  men  and  boys  banded  together  for  their 
own  highest  development,  mentally,  physically  and  spiritually,  and  the  ren- 
dering of  the  helpful  service  to  all  other  men  outside  the  organization.  The 
main  features  are :  Meeting  for  men  and  boys  Sunday  afternoons ;  meeting  at 
the  noon  hour  at  the  different  shops ;  and  Bible  classes  during  the  week.  The 
foreign  work  of  the  association  is  especially  interested  in  helping  to  support 
Mr.  Robert  E.  Lewis,  at  Shanghai,  China. 


406  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  evening  school  is  for  men  and  boys  employed  during  the  day  who  are 
ambitious  for  better  mental  equipment.  The  subjects  taught  are,  bookkeep- 
ing, penmanship,  electricity,  commercial  law,  mechanical  drawing  and  chem- 
istry. A  debating  club  is  also  conducted,  and  a  Searchlight  Club  for  the 
business  men.  A  lecture  and  entertainment  course  given. 

A  special  boy's  secretary  is  employed  to  work  with  the  boys  between  the 
ages  of  twelve  and  eighteen. 

Physical  training  in  our  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  conducted 
on  a  thoroughly  scientific  basis  under  a  director  with  expert  class  leaders,  and 
with  the  most  helpful  surroundings  for  all  who  desire  to  keep  in  good  health, 
secure  a  most  perfect  physique,  develop  more  endurance  and  vitality.  Physi- 
cal examinations  are  given.- 

There  are  twenty-one  dormitories  on  the  third  floor,  which  are  used  for 
young  men  living  in  the  city  away  from  home. 

Another  notable  feature  is  the  Ladies'  Auxiliary,  which  was  organized 
shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  work,  with  Miss  Permelia  Anthony  as 
president.  This  organization  has  been  of  great  assistance  to  the  association; 
not  only  in  a  financial  way,  but  in  a  social  way  by  furnishing  the  rooms,  mak- 
ing them  homelike  and  attractive.  Mrs.  Chas.  Aument  is  now  the  presiding 
officer. 

As  a  religious  center  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  becoming 
recognized  as  a  meeting  place  for  nearly  all  of  the  denominational  bodies,  and 
is  even  doing  an  excellent  work  among  them  in  bringing  the  members  to- 
gether, extending  acquaintance,  and  thus  unifying  the  effort  of  the  best  ele- 
ment of  the  whole  community  in  improving  the  moral  tone  of  the  twin  cities. 

J.  K.  Chester  is  president  of  the  association,  C.  E.  Bensinger,  treasurer, 
G.  H.  Fonken,  general  secretary,  R.  A.  Allen,  physical  director.  Clyde  Lis- 
senden  is  assistant  secretary. 

An  appreciation  from  the  Sterling  Gazette: 

"George  H.  Fonken  is  the  general  secretary  of  the  association.  Mr.  Fon- 
ken is  a  hard  worker,  is  always  at  his  post  of  duty  and  is  never  too  busy  to 
assist  men  who  need  an  uplift.  He  has  been  of  great  service  in  upbuilding 
the  association  and  backed  by  the  board  of  directors,  he  is  doing  a  great  work 
for  the  young  men  of  the  city." 

In  1903  there  was  a  building  committee  appointed  by  the  board  of  direc- 
tors as  follows:  J.  K.  Chester,  John  G.  Wetzel,  A.  J.  McNeil,  W.  P.  Utley, 
John  Wagner,  and  through  their  earnest  efforts  a  three-story  building  was 
erected  at  a  less  cost  than  contractors'  bids.  The  building  is  of  Milwaukee 
pressed  brick,  plain,  but  substantial,  costing  $30.000,  and  the  lots  costing  $10,- 
000,  making  a  total  of  $40,000.  The  basement,  cement  throughout,  is  fully 
equipped,  the  first  floor  contains  the  offices  and  is  roomy  and  open,  the  second 
floor  can  be  divided  into  class  rooms;  the  boys'  department  rooms  are  also 
on  this  floor.  The  third  floor  has  21  sleeping  rooms,  baths  and  every  con- 
venience for  making  it  homelike. 

It  was  through  the  efforts  of  the  Ladies'  Auxiliary  that  Judge  Ben  Lind- 
say, of  Denver,  delivered  his  lecture,  "Misfortunes  of  Mickey,"  at  the 
academy,  Feb.  27,  1908. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  407 

WHAT   THE   DOCTORS   ARE   DOING. 

Who  shall  decide  when  doctors  disagree, 

And  soundest  casuists  doubt,  like  you  and  me? — Pope. 

The  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  Physicians'  Club  was  organized  May  15, 
1904,  and  meets  the  first  Wednesday  of  the  month.  The  officers  are  J.  F. 
Keefer,  president ;  C.  E.  Parker,  vice  pres. ;  S.  A.  Allen,  secretary.  The  roll  of 
membership  has  the  names  of  Frank  Anthony,  S.  A.  Allen,  C.  G.  Beard,  W.  I. 
Carolus,  W.  B.  Carolus,  J.  B.  Crandall,  E.  L.  Dow,  C.  0.  Deeming,  C.  M.  Frye, 
F.  W.  Gordon,  A.  H.  Harms,  M.  J.  Hill,  J.  F.  Keefer,  Jane  R.  Keefer,  S.  S. 
Kehr,  N.  L.  Lehman,  F.  J.  Scott,  J.  C.  Maxwell,  C.  E.  Parker,  A.  C.  Smith, 
J.  L.  Snavely. 

Then  there  is  the  Rock  River  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  which  holds  occa- 
sional meetings  to  discuss  their  special  field  of  treatment.  At  the  January 
session  in  1908  on  the  program  for  papers  were  Gordon,  Kehr  and  Hill,  of 
Sterling,  Scott,  of  Rock  Falls,  Sickles  and  Blackman,  of  Dixon,  Sears,  of 
Amboy,  Blunt,  of  Clinton. 

The  dentists,  too,  have  their  organization.  The  Lee  and  Whiteside  sec- 
tion of  the  Northern  Illinois  Dental  Society  had  its  last  meeting  in  I.  0.  O. 
F.  hall,  Sterling,  and  elected  as  officers,  Dr.  McMillan,  Tampico,  president; 
Dr.  Shannon,  Sterling,  vice  pres. ;  Dr.  Jennings,  Rock  Falls,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Papers  in  the  afternoon,  in  the  evening  a  banquet  and  smoker. 

The  largest  medical  gathering  ever  held  in  Sterling  was  the  34th  annual 
convention  of  the  North  Central  Illinois  Medical  Association,  held  in  Grace 
Parish  House,  .Dec.  3  and  4,  1907.  About  fifteen  counties  represented.  The 
grand  old  man  of  the  occasion  was  Dr.  Thomas  Croswell,  of  Streator,  ninety- 
five,  sixty-one  years  in  practice,  and  still  retaining  open  office.  It  is  his  am- 
bition to  attend  the  medical  sociables  till  he  is  one  hundred.  After  the  ban- 
quet at  six  in  the  evening,  served  by  the  ladies  of  Grace  church,  toasts  and 
responses,  and  the  election.  E.  S.  Murphy,  Dixon,  was  chosen  president  for 
the  coming  year. 

There  is  also  a  Whiteside  County  Medical  Society,  and  at  the  election  in 
December,  1907,  C.  G.  Beard,  Sterling  was  elected  pres. ;  J.  F.  Keefer,  Sterling, 
vice  pres. ;  Dr.  Wahl,  Tampico,  secretary ;  Dr.  Proctor,  Coleta,  treasurer. 

THE   NEWSPAPERS. 

Turn  to  the  press — its  teeming  sheets  survey, 

Big  with  the  wonders  of  each  passing  day. — Sprague. 

The  present  Gazette  is  an  evolution,  a  survival  of  the  fittest.  The  Ster- 
ling Times,  Charles  Boynton,  issued  Dec.  12,  1854,  was  the  first  in  the  town, 
four  pages,  six  columns.  Grattan  and  Norwood  purchased  it  in  1855,  and  in 
1856  sold  to  L.  D.  Crandall,  William  Hyde  being  editor.  In  1856-1857,  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Worthington  and  Biggert,  and  was  finally  discon- 
tinued. In  July,  1856,  AVilliam  Cavert  began  to  publish  the  Sterling  Re- 
publican, and  in  the  winter  of  1857-58,  H.  C.  Grattan  started  the  Sterling 
Gazette.  Both  were  soon  united  under  the  title,  Republican  and  Gazette,  with 
both  men  as  publishers,  until  Grattan  sold  his  interest  to  Walter  Nimocks, 


408  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

who  soon  withdrew,  leaving  Caffrey  in  sole  control.  Republican  was  dropped 
and  Sterling  Gazette  has  continued  the  proud  title  for  fifty  years.  In  1861 
the  management  was  C.  M.  Worthington  &  Company,  then  C.  M.  Worthing- 
ton,  until  the  paper  was  sold  to  George  Terwilliger,  Sept.  3,  1870.  Mr.  Worth- 
ington purchased  the  office  again,  and  in  1873  sold  a  half  interest  to  W.  F. 
Eastman,  so  that  the  firm  became  C.  M.  Worthington  &  Co.  In  March,  1876, 
Mr.  Eastman  became  sole  proprietor  until  July,  when  D.  J.  Jenne  bought  a 
half  interest,  and  the  firm  was  Eastman  &  Jenne.  This  firm  continued  to  the 
spring  of  1880,  when  the  Sterling  Gazette  Company  was  organized,  Chalkly 
John,  of  Jordan,  and  W.  R.  Cobbe,  of  North  Carolina,  buying  the  stock. 

The  Gazette  has  been  a  rolling  stone.  The  third  floor  of  the  casket  fac- 
tory, the  upper  story  of  Gait's  old  hardware  store,  the  basement  of  the  academy 
of  music,  the  mercantile  block,  Farwell  Hall  for  seventeen  years,  its  present 
situation  in  Wallace  Block  on  West  Third,  are  the  various  homes  of  this 
soaring  bird  of  passage.  Frequent  changes,  too,  in  ownership.  Jan.  1,  1887, 
Chalkly  John  purchased  the  plant  after  it  had  been  in  receiver's  hands,  for 
$18,500.  With  his  brother,  the  business  was  conducted  for  several  years  under 
the  name,  C.  &  H.  L.  John.  This  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  C.,  H.  L.,  and 
M.  D.  John,  later  by  H.  L.  and  M.  D.  John.  When  Orville  Bassett  bought 
an  interest,  Sept.,  1903,  the  Sterling  Publishing  Company  was  formed,  which 
has  recently  given  way  to  the  former  name,  Sterling  Gazette  Company. 

The  Gazette  was  run  as  a  weekly  only,  seven  columns,  eight  pages,  until 
1881,  when  the  Daily  Gazette  was  permanently  established  under  the  John- 
Cobb  management.  About  five  years  ago  the  weekly  became  a  semi-weekly, 
and  on  March  1st,  1907,  the  semi-weekly  edition  was  abandoned  and  the  daily 
edition  has  since  been  issued.  The  demand  for  weekly  and  semi-weekly  kept 
growing  less  and  less  all  the  time,  and  the  daily  growing  more  popular.  About 
four-fifths  of  the  former  semi-weekly  subscribers  have  re-subscribed  for  the 
daily. 

During  the  past  twenty  years  the  Gazette  has  had  but  two  business  man- 
agers. P.  N.  Edwards  for  five  years  and  M.  D.  John  for  the  past  fifteen  years. 
There  have  been  several  different  editors,  among  them  being  W.  R.  Cobb, 
Charles  M.  Worthington,  Joe  R.  Adams,  M.  D.  John,  Scott  Williams,  Orville 
P.  Bassett  (now  editor  of  the  Springfield  News)  and  Edward  S.  Hoover,  the 
present  editor. 

The  Gazette  has  eighteen  regular  employes,  often  one  or  more  extra, 
twenty-five  or  more  newspaper  carriers,  and  a  pay  roll  of  over  $250  per  week 
for  the  regular  employes,  not  counting  carriers. 

The  first  edition  of  the  Evening  Gazette,  which  was  printed  on  March 
31,  1878,  was  a  four  page  paper,  four  columns  to  the  page,  and  each  column 
twelve  inches  in  length. 

During  the  past  few  years  the  Gazette  has  made  enormous  strides.  The 
plant  and  equipment  have  been  made  up  to  date  and  as  complete  as  possible. 

The  circulation  reached  an  average  of  4,124  for  the  year  1907,  which 
is  by  far  the  largest  in  this  congressional  district. 

On  occasions  of  special  importance,  editions  of  extra  size  are  issued.  Its 
industrial  edition  of  44  pages  on  March  5.  1908,  and  the  profusely  illustrated 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  409 

edition  of  the  Fourth  Street  M.  E.  Church,  March  30,  would  have  done  credit 

to  the  metropolitan  journals  of  Chicago  or  New  York. 

Ayer's  Newspaper  Annual,  one  of  the  leading  authorities  on  newspaper 

circulation  in  the  United  States,  credits  the  Gazette  with  having  by  far  the 

largest  circulation  of  any  daily  paper  in  the  Thirteenth  congressional  district. 

The  cities  in  the  district  having  daily  papers,  with  their  1900  census  figures 

are  as   follows:     Freeport,   15,100;  Dixon,   7,917;   Sterling,   6,309;   Galena, 

5,005;  Savanna,  3,325;  Mt.  Carroll,  1,965. 

The  circulation  reports  for  the  district  are  as  follows: 

Gazette,  Sterling   4,169 

Star,   Dixon    2,607 

Standard,   Sterling    2,483 

Bulletin,    Freeport    2,298 

Telegraph,   Dixon    2,232 

Journal,   Freeport    1,950 

Standard,  Freeport 1,327 

Sun,   Dixon    1,190 

Gazette,  Galena    820 

Journal,   Savanna    720 

Democrat,  Mt.  Carroll 600 

Times,   Savanna    500 

Mirror,  Mt.  Carroll   400 

THE    STERLING   DAILY   STANDARD. 

One  of  the  indications  of  the  growth  and  advancement  of  a  community 
is  the  appearance  of  the  daily  paper  published  in  it,  and  today  the  Daily 
Standard  stands  forth  as  an  example  of  the  wonderful  advancement  of  the 
city  of  Sterling. 

In  the  year  of  18'88  Theodore  H.  and  Charles  Mack  established  and  com- 
menced the  publication  of  the  Whiteside  Chronicle  in  the  city  of  Sterling. 
For  some  time  these  gentlemen  edited  and  managed  the  publication,  the 
latter  finally  taking  charge  of  the  paper,  which  he  continued  to  edit  until  tihe 
year  of  1870  when  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Sterling  Standard,  and  Mr. 
Theodore  Mack  took  over  the  interest  held  by  his  brother. 

In  1883  Mr.  Mack  sold  a  half  interest  in  the  paper  to  James  W.  New- 
comer, these  gentlemen  continuing  the  publication  until  the  year  of  1887 
when  Mr.  Mack  retired,  his  interest  being  assumed  by  Alfred  Bayliss. 

In  1889  Mr.  Newcomer  retired  from  the  firm  his  interest  being  absorbed 
by  Thomas  Diller,  who  later  on  secured  the  interest  of  Mr.  Bayliss  and  took 
into  partnership  Eugene  B.  Fletcher. 

These  gentlemen  continued  to  publish  the  Standard  as  a  weekly  until 
1892,  when  modern  machinery  was  installed  and  the  publication  was  changed 
to  that  of  a  daily. 

From  the  time  of  its  establishment  as  a  daily,  the  paper  has  advanced 
rapidly  until  today  it  stands  without  an  equal  in  Northern  Illinois  in  circula- 
tion and  advertising  value. 


410  HISTORY    OF    WH1TESIDE    COUNTY 

In  the  fall  of  1908  active  management  of  the  paper  parsed  into  the  hands 
of  A.  L.  Richmond,  who  purchased  the  paper  and  now  publishes  and  con- 
trols its  editorial  policies. 

The  Standard  is  strictly  Republican  in  politics,  yet  its  columns  are 
always  open  to  the  espousal  of  all  that  is  right  and  just,  and  especially  for 
the  advancement  of  Sterling  and  Whiteside  county. 

One  of  the  largest  of  printing  presses  is  used  to  run  off  the  Standard's 
large  edition  of  4,800  copies.  It  is  an  eight,  ten  and  twelve  page  seven- 
column  paper,  published  in  the  afternoon. 

Besides  the  newspaper  plant,  which  includes  an  up-to-date  Mergenthaler 
linotype  machine,  the  Standard  company  also  owns  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  up-to-date  job  printing  plants  in  Northern  Illinois. 

The  personnel  of  the  Standard's  staff  is  as  follows: 

A.  L.  Richmond,  president,  treasurer,  and  editor-in-chief;  Mrs.  A.  L.  Rich- 
mond, vice  president  and  secretary;  Miss  Winnifred  Rourke,  assistant  book- 
keeper; R.  B.  McNiel,  circulation  manager;  and  D.  P.  Munn,  city  editor. 

STERLING  BEOBACHTER. 

Thou  on  the  Lord  rely 

So,  safe,  shalt  thou  go  on. — German  hymn  of  Gerhardt. 

This  is  the  only  German  paper  in  the  county.  No  others  nearer  than 
Freeport  or  Davenport.  In  English  it  means  Observer.  It  was  started  by 
Carl  Strack  in  1877,  who  continued  in  charge  till  1881,  when  Henry  Mathey 
assumed  control.  In  February,  1883,  Louis  Oltmanns  purchased  the  outfit,  and 
has  been  editor  and  publisher  ever  since.  The  average  edition  is  about  1,200, 
and  it  has  a  wide  circulation  not  only  among  the  German  patrons  in  the 
county,  but  all  over  the  United  States,  wherever  people  have  gone  who  once 
lived  in  this  section.  Some  copies  find  their  way  to  Europe.  The  price  is 
two  dollars  here,  $2.50  for  Deutschland.  Friday  is  the  day  of  publication,  and 
the  office  is  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Anthony  block,  Fourth  street,  over  the 
Standard. 

Louis  Oltmanns,  the  editor,  is  a  genuine  Teuton,  born  in  Oldenburg, 
Germany,  1833,  and  coming  to  Sterling  in  1865  where  he  has  lived  to  this 
day.  His  first  business  was  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  the  late  R.  B.  Witmer, 
where  he  remained  seventeen  years.  He  then  decided  to  use  the  editorial  quill 
instead  of  the  mercantile  yardstick, "and  began  to  educate  his  brethren  from 
the  Vaterland  through  the  columns  of  the  Beobachter.  It  is  an  eight  page 
journal,  with  seven  wide  columns  to  the  page,  and  ha.s  an  excellent  advertis- 
ing patronage. 

THE   RECORD. 

Few  persons  know  that  a  small  magazine  was  published  for  a  short  time 
in  Sterling.  It  was  conducted  by  Calvin  Martin,  and  issued  weekly.  Before 
us  is  the  number  for  March  29,  1879,  with^everal  original  and  selected  articles 
like  i;Unseen  Battles  of  Youth,"  by  Rev.'  N.  H.  G.  Fife;  "Wives  and  Pud- 
dings," by  W.  W.  Davis;  editorials,  local  items,  general  news,  business  cards. 
Walter  Nimock.s  and  four  other  candidates  for  tax  collector.  Kier  was  hatter, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  411 

R.  L.  Mangan  had  a  green  house,  Stambaugh  had  paper  and  paints.     About 
thirty  pages. 

Several  sheets  have  risen,  flourished  and  fallen.  The  Sterling  Clear  Grit, 
edited  by  Ralph  W.  Norwood,  appeared  Oct.  13,  1877,  but  was  soon  discontin- 
ued. The  Blade,  a  little  seven  by  nine  daily,  published  by  the  Booths,  ten 
cents  a  week,  was  issued  awhile  about  the  early  eighties.  It  was  the  pioneer  of 
the  present  Gazette,  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness.  Then  was  the 
Sterling  Herald,  weekly,  political  and  agricultural,  which  also  soon  ran  its 
mournful  career. 

ORDERS    AND    LODGES. 

Society,  friendship  and  love 

Divinely  bestowed  upon   man, 
Oh,  had  I  the  wings  of  a  dove, 

How  soon  would  I  taste  you  again. — Coicper. 

Sterling  Lodge  No.  174, 1.  0.  0.  F.  was  instituted  May  31st,  1855. 

The  charter  members  were  Miles  S.  Henry,  Edward  N.  Kirk,  Lorenzo 
Hapgood,  Geo.  H.  Wells,  Amos  Fa-sett,  Henry  Bush,  Geo.  0.  Blakeslee  and 
Andrew  McMoore,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  Henry  Bush,  the  last  sur- 
vivor, dying  November  20th,  1908,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  84.  For  many  years 
the  lodge  held  their  meetings  in  the  Capt.  J.  W.  R.  Stambaugh  building  on 
First  avenue.  February  26th,  1896,  the  lodge,  with  appropriate  services,  dedi- 
cated their  new  hall,  a  handsome  three-story  and  basement,  brick  building 
located  at  No.  11  East  Fourth  street. 

The  regular  lodge  meetings  are  held  Monday  evenings  at  7 :30.  January 
1st,  1908,  the  membership  was  148,  and  is  rapidly  increasing.  The  present 
lodge  officers  are  Albert  L.  Street,  G.  R.;  John  G.  Loos,  D.  G..M.;  Albert  Bere, 
P.  G. ;  Isaac  N.  Hoover,  N.  G. ;  Henry  Grebner,  V.  G. ;  W.  W.  Haskell,  Rec. 
Sec'y. ;  F.  A.  Caughey,  Per.  Sec'y. ;  R:  A.  Kidder,  Treas. ;  Jos.  T.  Britt,  war- 
den; J.  G.  G.  Loos,  conductor;  John  Lingham,0.  G. ;  Fred  Grebners,  I.  G. ; 
Isaac  G.  Brimmer,  R.  S.  N.  G. ;  Dr.  W.  I.  Carolus,  L.  S.  N.  G. ;  Harry  J.  Wil- 
ton, R.  S.  V.  G. ;  Will  C.  Loos,  L.  S.  V.  G. ;  Rev.  E.  Lee  Fleck,  chaplain ;  Cyrus 
Miller,  organist. 

The  Rebekahs  are  the  ladies'  auxiliary  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  have  75 
members.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brimmer  is  first  noble  grand,  and  Miss  Emma 
Snavely,  secretary. 

MYSTIC  WORKERS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Sterling  Lodge,  No.  2,  was  organized,  Dec.  11,  1895,  with  28  members, 
I.  N.  Martin  presiding  officer,  W.  E.  Rose,  secretary.  It  has  steadily  grown 
from  this  humble  beginning  to  a  membership  of  590.  The  present  officers  are: 
Prefect.  T.  J.  McDonnell;  monitor,  C.  J.  O'Brien;  Sec.,  W.  E.  Rose;  banker, 
A.  L.  Heckman;  marshal.  F.  W.  Eller;  warder.  B.  M.  Rutt;  sentinel,  Harry 
Roark.  The  supervisors  are  E.  V.  Ford.  M.  R.  Rutt,  P.  J.  Pfeters.  The  meet- 
ings are  held  in  their  own  hall,  over  the  Standard  office,  on  Fourth  street,  for- 
merly the  hall  of  the  G.  A.  R. 


412  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

This  is  the  largest  order  in  the  county,  and  steadily  increasing.  Rock 
Falls  has  340  Mystic  Workers,  Prophetstown  200,  Lyndon  125,  Erie  100,  Tam- 
pico  75,  Fulton  675,  Morrison  250.  In  round  numbers  about  2,500  in 
Whiteside.  Being  both  social  and  beneficial,  the  order  has  much  to  attract 
the  average  man  who  is  desirous  of  being  associated  with  an  organization  that 
is  at  once  strong  and  entertaining. 

MASONIC. 
By  Capt.  J.  W.  Niles. 

The  Masonic  fraternity  of  Sterling  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  organ- 
izations in  the  city.  It  has  erected  and  owns  the  magnificent  building  known 
as  Masonic  Temple,  which  building  would  be  a  credit  to  a  city  of  much  larger 
pretensions 

Sterling  Lodge  No.  202  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  was  organized  in  1856  with  E.  N. 
Kirk,  W.  M.,  but  lost  its  charter  in  1868.  Rock  River  Lodge  No.  612  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.  was  chartered  in  1869,  with  M.  S.  Bowman  (now  of  California)  as 
W.  M.  Its  total  enrollment  to  date  is  476.  Present  membership,  254.  H.  S. 
Street  and  M.  S.  Bowman  are  the  only  living  charter  members.  C.  H.  Tuttle, 
W.  M. ;  John  W.  Niles,  Sec. 

Sterling  Chapter  No.  57  Royal  Arch  Masons  was  chartered  in  Oct.,  1859, 
with  H.  G.  Reynolds  as  H.  P.  and  Geo.  L.  Kline,  K.  Total  enrollment,  300. 
Present  membership,  152.  W.  A.  Stoeckle,  H.  P. ;  John  W.  Niles,  Sec. 

Sterling  Commandery  No.  57  Knights  Templar  was  chartered  in  Oct, 
1884,  with  C.  C.  Johnson  as  E.  C.  Enrollment,  284.  Present  membership, 
178.  0.  E.  Maxson,  E.  C. ;  John  W.  Niles,  recorder. 

Sterling  Chapter  No.  354  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  was  organized  in 
July,  1898,  with  Mrs.  Wm.  A.  McCune  as  Worthy  Matron.  Enrollment, 
200.  Present  membership,  156.  Mrs.  Ella  Cooper,  Sec. 

G.   A.   R. 

Will  Robinson  Post  No.  274  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  was  organized 
June  14,  1883.  Has  had  an  enrollment  of  246.  Present  membership,  98. 
Capt.  J.  W  Niles  has  been  commander  six  years.  Present  commander,  P.  T. 
Van  Home.  F.  A.  Caughey,  Adjutant. 

MODERN    WOODMEN    OF    AMERICA. 

Forgive   this   foolish   tear, — 
But  let  that  old  oak  stand! 

On  the  second  floor  of  the  old  Farwell  building  on  Locust  street  where 
the  Gazette  office  used  to  be,  is  the  spacious  and  splendid  hall  where  the  390 
members  of  this  flourishing  association  gather  in  their  regular  deliberations. 
A.  Richtmyer  is  clerk,  and  J.  J.  McKee,  of  Rock  Falls  Man.  Company  is 
consul.  The  camp  was  organized  here  July  1,  1883,  as  Camp  12,  with  13 
original  charter  members.  The  order  celebrated  its  25th  anniversary  Jan.  5, 
1908,  with  big  class  initiations  all  over  the  country.  The  head  office  was 
stationed  in  Fulton  for  fourteen  years  until  thev  were  removed  to  Rock  Island 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  413 

in  1897  after  a  desperate  contest.  The  first  local  camp  of  the  Woodmen, 
Pioneer  camp,  No.  1,  was  organized  at  Lyons,  Clinton  county.  Iowa,  the  even- 
ing of  Jan.  5,  1883,  ,with  twenty-one  charter  members,  by  J.  C.  Root,  the 
founder. 

The  head  camp  is  the  governing  body  of  the  society.  It  meets  triennially 
and  is  composed  of  delegates  chosen  by  the  state  camps,  one  delegate  for  each 
1,500  members  or  fraction  of  that  number. 

It  is  a  beneficiary  order,  the  insurance  varying  from  $500  to  $3,000,  ac- 
cording to  dues  received.  With  its  membership  of  900,000,  it  claims  to  lead 
all  similar  organizations.  The  social  feature  is  always  prominent.  At  an 
initiation  in  March,  1908,  of  ten  new  members,  a  special  train  brought  to 
Sterling  between  300  and  400  enthusiastic  WToodmeii  from  Tampico,  Lyndon, 
Prophetstown,  and  Erie,  packing  the  elegant  hall  to  witness  the  floor  work  of 
the  Tampico  Foresters,  and  to  hear  the  addresses  of  Dr.  Rutledge  of  Elgin, 
C.  A.  Davis  and  J.  J.  Ludens  of  Sterling,  and  George  Isherwood  of  Tampico. 

All  well  regulated  societies  nowadays  have  the  ladies  in  association,  and 
the  Woodmen  call  their  feminine  adjunct  Royal  Neighbors  of  America.  In 
December,  1888,  a  little  club  of  sixteen  women  was  formed,  which  was  known 
as  the  "Ladies'  Auxiliary"  to  Camp  No.  171,  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  and  was 
merely  a  social  organization,  its  main  purpose  being  to  aid  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  in  that  city.  Steady  improvement  and  branching  out  to  do 
greater  good  resulted  in  the  forming  of  a  woman's  fraternal  beneficial  society, 
known  as  the  Royal  Neighbors  of  America,  chartered  under  the  laws  of  the 
state  of  Illinois,  March  21,  1895.  It  is  not  exclusive.  Any  white  woman  of 
good  character,  whether  related  to  a  Woodman  or  not,  is  eligible  to  member- 
ship. This  auxiliary  in  Sterling  is  No.  30,  and  has  120  members.  It  was 
started  about  1900.  Applicants  must  be  between  17  and  45  years,  and  certifi- 
cates for  insurance  are  written  for  $250  up  to  $2,000.  The  total  membership 
of  the  auxiliary  is  now  150,000.  Mrs.  Louisa  Rieger  is  supreme  oracle  in 
Sterling.  At  all  important  functions  of  the  order,  the  Royal  Neighbors  per- 
form a  very  essential  service  in  cheering  the  performance  with  their  presence 
as  well  as  managing  the  banquet  and  other  material  accessories  of  the  festival. 

KNIGHTS  OF   THE   GLOBE. 

One  of  our  newest  societies,  which  has  grown  rapidly.  The  parent  society 
dates  back  only  to  Aug.  28,  1889,  when  Dr.  W.  W.  Krape  organized  the  su- 
preme council  in  Freeport.  Now  there  are  over  100  garrisons  with  10,000 
members  scattertd  through  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  other  states.  The  pur- 
poses of  the  order  are  the  cultivation  of  fraternity,  patriotism,  and  character. 
No  one  can  advance  through  money,  friends,  or  favoritism.  The  Sterling 
garrison  is  No.  83,  and  is  composed  of  an  energetic  and  intelligent  body  of 
men  and  women,  for  there  is  an  auxiliary,  called  Eminent  Ladies.  Their 
annual  banquet  is  the  occasion  of  a  feast  of  reason  and  a  flow  of  soul.  Music 
and  intellectual  display.  At  their  last  function  toasts  were  responded  to  by 
C.  E.  Sheldon,  C.  A.  Davis,  G.  D.  John,  Dr.  J.  Gregg.  Sometimes  a  debate. 
A  late  question  was,  Resolved,  That  it  was  right  for  Uncle  Sam  to  send  the 
navy  around  the  Horn.  A  lemon  social  by  the  ladies  afforded  much  diversion 


414  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

in  its  various  forms  of  attraction.  Then  there  is  a  juvenile  garrison  for  the 
youngsters.  There  are  330  members,  with  Warren  Powers  president,  and 
Warren  Hall  secretary.  Their  hall  is  on  the  third  floor  of  the  Academy  of 
Music,  and  the  meeting  is  on  Monday  night. 

KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS. 

Corinthian  Lodge,  No.  63,  was  organized  Nov.  23,  1875,  with  21  charter 
members.  E.  G.  Allen,  Chancellor  Commander;  Hugh  R.  Edwards,  Keeper 
of  Records  and  Seals;  John  S.  Miller,  Master  of  the  Exchequer;  W.  A.  Mc- 
Cune,  Master  at  Arms;  J.  W.  R.  Stambaugh,  Inner  Guard.  Other  members 
were  C.  C.  Johnson,  Jacob  Sides,  L.  Stoeckle.  Some  of  these  early  men  are 
dead.  Over  400  candidates  have  been  initiated.  The  membership  today  about 
one  hundred.  The  Commander  is  E.  M.  McKerg,  and  Keeper,  L.  A.  Little. 
The  meetings  are  held  every  Tuesday  night  on  the  third  floor  of  Lawrence 
block,  Third  street.  There  are  sixty  Pythian  Sisters,  the  social  auxiliary. 

CATHOLIC    KNIGHTS   OF    AMERICA. 

This  society  was  organized  in  Sterling,  April  28,  1885,  with  the  following 
charter  members:  Rev.  H.  M.  Fegers,  Adam  Beren,  Henry  Weber,  Wm. 
Clarkson,  Michael  Weber,  John  A.  Weber,  W.  Michels,  Joseph  Ferenbacher, 
V.  Schiffmacher,  Phil  Wenckl,  J.  A.  Schiffmacher,  Jos.  Herziefer.  It  is  of 
the  fraternal  order,  and  provides  for  insurance  from  $250  to  $2,000.  Any 
regular  Catholic  in  good  health  is  eligible  to  its  privileges.  The  present 
membership  numbers  41,  and  the  meetings  are  held  the  third  Sunday  of  the 
month  at  the  School  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

KNIGHTS  OF  COLUMBUS. 

This  is  a  thriving  order,  many  being  young  fellows  full  of  enthusiasm 
and  progress.  The  object  is  both  beneficial  and  social.  At  the  last  meeting 
W.  A.  Kannally  was  elected  Grand  Knight;  F.  R.  Jackson,  treasurer;  T.  J. 
McDonald,  recording  secretary;  Rev.  H.  M.  Fegers,  chaplain.  The  Sterling 
Council  was  organized  in  1902.  The  meetings  are  held  twice  a  month  in 
their  "rooms  at  Farwell  Hall,  where  there  is  every  comfort  in  the  way  of  read- 
ing and  games.  A  membership  of  250  in  Sterling,  and  140  in  Fulton. 

TABULAR"  VIEW  OF  LODGES. 
Masonic. 

Rock  River  Lodge  No.  612 — Stated  communications  first  and  third  Fri- 
day of  each  month.  John  W.  Niles,  secretary. 

Sterling  Commandery  No.  57,  K.  T. — Stated  conclaves  first  and  third 
Tuesday  evenings  of  each  month.  John  W.  Niles,  receiver. 

Sterling  Chapter  No.  57,  R.  A.  M. — Stated  convocations  second  Wednes- 
day of  each  month.  John  W.  Niles,  secretary. 

Sterling  Chapter  No.  354,  O.  E.  S. — Stated  communications  first  and 
third  Mondays  of  each  month.  Mrs.  Ella  Cooper,  secretary. 

Meetings  are  held  in  Masonic  Temple,  111  to  113  We^t  Third  street. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  415 

Odd  Fellows. 

Sterling  Lodge  No.  174 — Meets  every  Monday  evening  in  I.  0.  O.  F. 
hall,  11  East  Fourth  street.  W.  M.  Haskell,  recording  secretary. 

Abraham  Encampment  No.  49 — Meets  second  and  fourth  Fridays  of  the 
month  in  I.  0.  0.  F.  hall.  F.  A.  Caughey,  scribe. 

Holtslander  Lodge  No.  70,  D.  of  R. — Meets  second  and  fourth  Thursday 
of  each  month  in  I.  0.  0.  F.  hall.  Miss  Emma  Snavely,  recording  secretary. 

A.  0.  V.  W. 

Meets  first  Friday  of  each  month  in  Mystic  Worker  hall,  13  East  Fourth 
street.  Franklin  Werner,  secretary. 

Stars  of  Equity. 

Sterling  Lodge  No.  15 — Meets  in  Mystic  Worker  hall,  13  East  Fourth 
street.  W.  E.  Rose,  secretary. 

Brotherhood  of  Yeoman. 

Sterling  Lodge  No.  540 — Meets  in  Mystic  Worker  hall.  W.  E.  Rose, 
secretary. 

Fraternal  Tribunes. 

Sterling  Tribune  No.  118 — Meets  second  and  fourth  Fridays  of  each 
month  in  Mystic  Worker  hall.  Earl  M.  Hallett,  secretary. 

Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 

Sterling  Aerie  No.  831 — Meets  first  and  third  Thursdays  in  Mannerchor 
hall,  208  First  avenue.  John  Harmon,  secretary. 

Knights  of  Columbus. 

Sterling  Council  No.  662 — Meets  in  Knights  of  Columbus  hall  every 
second  and  fourth  Monday  of  the  month.  John  McGee,  financial  secretary. 

Knights  of  the  Globe. 

Sterling  Garrison  No.  83 — Meets  every  Monday  night  in  Knights  of  the 
Globe  hall  in  Academy  block.  Geo.  Beckey,  secretary. 

Eminent  Ladies,  Clara  Barton  Garrison  No.  34 — Meets  second  and  fourth 
Tuesdays  of  each  month  in  K.  of  G.  hall.  Mrs.  B.  Chapin,  secretary. 

Knights  of  Pythias. 

Corinthian  Lodge  No.  '63 — Meets  every  Tuesday  night  in  Knights  of 
Pythias  hall,  102  West  Third  street.  L.  A.  Little,  K.  of  R.  and  S. 

Sterling  Commandery  No.  45,  U.  R.  of  K.  P. — Meets  every  second  and 
fourth  Thursdays  of  'the  month.  C.  H.  Atvvood,  captain. 

Pythian  Sisters. 

Rosewood  Temple  No.  112 — Meets  second  and  fourth  Fridays  of  each 
month.  Belle  McAllister,  recording  secretary. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor. 

Twin  City  Lodge  No.  2789 — Meets  fourth  Tuesday  of  each  month  in 
Mystic  Workers  hall.  Earl  M.  Hallett,  secretary. 


416  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security. 

Sterling  Lodge  1173 — Meets  third  Friday  of  each  month  in  Mystic 
Workers  hall.  L.  L.  Law,  secretary. 

Modern  Brotherhood  of  America. 

Good  Fellowship  Lodge  No.  1739 — Meets  the  first  and  third  Friday  of 
each  month  in  Mystic  Workers  hall.  Earl  M.  Hallett,  secretary. 

Modern  Woodmen. 

Sterling  Camp  No.  12 — Meets  second  and  fourth  Wednesdays  of  each 
month  in  Woodman  hall,  310  and  312  Locust  street.  A.  Richtmeyer,  clerk. 

Good  Luck  Camp  No.  30,  R.  N.  A. — Meets  first  and  third  Tuesday  of  each 
month  in  Modern  Woodman  hall.  Mrs.  Mary  Stoeckle,  secretary. 

Mystic  Workers. 

Sterling  Lodge  No.  2 — Meets  first,  second,  third  and  fourth  Wednesdays 
of  each  month.  W.  E.  Rose,  secretary. 

0.  A.  R. 

Will  Robinson  Post  No.  274 — Meets  second  and  fourth  Saturdays  of  each 
month  in  G.  A.  R.  hall  in  the  City  Hall  building.  G.  D.  Johns,  adjutant. 

Will  Robinson  Corps  No.  45,  W.  R.  C. — Meets  second  and  fourth  Satur- 
day afternoons  in  G.  A.  R.  hall.  Mrs.  Electa  B.  Kirk,  secretary. 

Spanish  War  Veterans. 

Leo  H.  Bushnell  Camp  No.  18 — Meets  in  G.  A.  R.  Hall.  Howard  Geyer, 
adjutant. 

RIVERSIDE   CEMETERY. 

Dust,  to  its  narrow  house  beneath! 

Soul,  to  its  place  on  high ! 
They  that  have  seen  thy  look  in  death, 

No  more  may  fear  to  die. — Mrs.  Remans. 

Lying  within  the  eastern  limits,  and  easily  reached  by  a  good  walk  or 
by  the  street  cars,  which  run  past  the  front  entrance,  is  the  loveliest  spot  in 
the  city.  The  young  trees  with  their  fresh  verdure,  the  grassy  slopes,  the 
noble  outlook  of  river  and  woodland  and  prairie  far  to  the  southern  horizon, 
all  combine  to  invest  Riverside  with  a  peculiar  charm.  It  is  really  a  sacred 
park.  Not  a  promenade  for  gay  resort,  but  a  retreat  for  solemn  meditation. 
When  in  a  serious  mood,  Addison  loved  to  stroll  through  the  aisles  of  West- 
minster Abbey.  But  ours  is  a  Campo  Santo  under  the  open  s"ky.  Just  as  in 
Greenwood  you  have  glimpses  of  the  Sound,  and  at  Laurel  Hill  of  the  Schuyl- 
kill,  so  our  beautiful  river  glorifies  the  landscape.  The  rounded  hills  lift 
heavenward,  the  sparkling  stream  suggests  the  water  of  life. 

Let  us  first  pass  into  the  old  graveyard  near  the  street.  Here  we  read 
names  that  call  up  many  familiar  people.  John  Weaver,  72,  and  wife,  81, 
five  Weavers  in  a  row.  Samuel  Hendricks,  79,  the  old  Waltonian  who  carried 
fish  from  door  to  door.  Bresslers,  Hoovers,  Landises.  An  old  couple,  Adam 
Spies,  76,  Christina,  90.  Bares,  Delps,  Beehlers.  Kratz,  Shultz.  Overs.  This 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  417 

i*  Anthony  Elhuaker,  1880,  from  Pennsylvania,  a  near  relative  of  Amos,  an 
eminent  lawyer  in  Lancaster  on  the  anti-masonic  ticket  with  William  Wirt  in 
1832.  John  Edson,  79,  and  his  wife,  Emily,  70,  were  the  parents  of  Mrs. 
Bushnell,  so  long  postmistress.  Eunice,  wife  of  George  Wells,  1844,  pioneer,, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  graves.  Cyrus  Manahan,  1874,  was  a  popular  clerk. 
Esther  Judd,  1843,  another  pioneer.  Ann  Ben  ton,  1842,  was  the  wife  or 
daughter  of  Dr.  Benton,  early  physician.  There  are  numerous  Brewers. 
Roots  and  Kauffmans,  too.  John  Lefevre,  1872.  Pap  Lefevre  was  a  lively 
man  to  the  last.  He  left  a  large  family.  This  couplet  on  his  stone: 

Dear  children,  do  not  weep  for  me, 
When  in  this  yard  my  tomb  you  see. 

John,  north  of  Sterling,  is  the  only  son  of  many,  and  he  is  eighty.  Jesse 
Penrose,  1873,  a  Quaker,  honest,  steady,  always  addressing  the  writer  as  Wil- 
liam. Daniel  White,  blacksmith,  whose  shop  was  where  Wallace  block  is. 
Here  is  Wiott  Cantrall  1877,  aged  86,  who  figured  so  conspicuously  in  the 
early  days  of  Sterling.  A  lour  among  the  graves  will  recall  people  enough 
to  write  a  history  of  the  town. 

In  the  Odd  Fellows  section,  which  for  years  was  separate,  we  find  Joseph 
Rundlett.  81,  whose  widow  is  living  at  the  home  on  Fourth  street  at  92.  C. 
C.  Buell,  the  soldier,  farmer,  educator,  public  citizen.  Isaac  Reed,  86,  of 
Empire,  and  his  son,  Daniel,  a  soldier.  The  Greenough  family  have  a  huge 
rock  of  rough  granite,  and  the  Golders  a  shaft  with  red  panel.  Manning, 
Headley,  Stambaugh,  all  soldiers.  The  latter  died  at  59.  Joe  liked  nothing 
so  well  as  to  march  with  his  sword  at  the  head  of  the  boys.  Headley,  too,  was 
an  enthusiastic  soldier. 

Crossing  the  shallow  ravine  by  the  vault,  we  come  to  the  tombs  of  Samuel 
Hoover,  1859,  aged  66,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  1870,  aged  71.  He  was  called 
Cash  Hoover,  because  he  paid  promptly  in  coin  when  money  was  scarce.  W. 
C.  Robinson,  1835-1883,  captain  Co.  A,  34th  Illinois.  John  Gait,  1863,  aged 
65.  Sarah  M.,  his  wife,  1898,  who  lived  to  93,  and  busied  herself  about  the 
house  to  the  last.  David  M.  Crawford,  1883,  at  53.  From  a  boy  in  a  store, 
ond  Gait  and  Crawford  was  a  familiar  firm  for  thirty  years  in  the  city.  His 
father,  Thomas  Crawford,  1854,  aged  70.  He  once  kept  tavern  in  George- 
town, and  met  many  of  the  great  men  of  the  Clay  and  Webster  era  in  Wash- 
ington. John  G.  Manahan,  1897,  only  60,  a  brave  soldier  of  the  13th  Illinois, 
and  lawyer  of  high  standing.  Win.  Manahan,  1886,  80,  his  father,  sheriff  of 
Whiteside,  and  early  emigrant.  Jonathan  Stevens,  1870,  71.  A  prominent 
family.  Major  Wallace,  Empire  pioneer,  who  died  in  1861  at  53.  His  tomb- 
stone is  broken  into  three  pieces.  The  major  was  a  hunter  and  liked  game. 
His  wife,  Elizabeth  A.,  was  a  member  of  an  aristocratic  family  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  late  A.  J.  Cassatt,  president  of  the  great  railway,  belonging  to  the 
same.  She  died  in  1886  at  75.  Here  is  another  of  the  old  Sterling  set,  Hugh 
Wallace,  who  died  in  18'34  at  62.  His  wife,  Mary  Gait  Wallace,  lived  much 
longer,  1809-1895.  A  woman  of  remarkable  power  and  hospitality.  She  was 
born  in  the  same  year  as  Lincoln,  Gladstone,  Darwin.  This  is  Capt.  Wood- 
burn,  1872,  aged  75,  who  was  among  the  early  crowd,  and  this  doubtless  is 


418  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

his  mother,  Mary,  wife  of  George  Woodburn,  1797-1846.  Here  is  a  name 
that  the  present  Presbyterians  know  nothing  about,  Rev.  George  Stebbins, 
1798-1891.  He  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  church,  1844  to  1856.  His  daugh- 
ter, Miss  Saide,  now  resides  in  the  city.  Major  Bnshnell,  13th  Illinois,  killed 
at  Ringgold,  1863.  Col.  R.  L.  Wilson,  red  Scotch  granite  vault,  is  the  only 
memorial  of  that  style  on  the  grounds.  Lot.  S.  Pennington,  1812-1906.  Joel 
Harvey's  tall  shaft,  1875,  aged  63.  Near  is  the  column  of  John  S.  Miller, 
whose  son,  John,  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

For  years  there  was  an  early  burial  ground  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
town,  but  under  no  systematic  control.  Feb.  16,  1865,  the  Sterling  Cemetery 
Association  was  formed  with  Samuel  S.  Patterson,  T.  A.  Gait,  W.  A.  Sanborn, 
B.  C.  Coblentz,  S.  P.  Gait,  James  Gait,  Robert  A.  Gait  as  organizers.  S.  S. 
Patterson  was  made  president,  B.  C.  Coblentz  secretary,  W.  A.  Sanborn  treas- 
urer, and  James  Gait  superintendent.  Originally,  L.  S.  Pennington  and 
James  Dinsmo  >r  appear  as  president  and  secretary.  At  this  time  forty  acres 
of  beautiful  rolling  woodland  running  to  the  river  were  purchased  and  plotted. 
The  sites  in  the  new  addition  were  so  picturesque  that  lots  were  rapidly  in 
demand,  and  in  the  last  forty  years  the  loved  and  lost  of  the  Sterling  homes 
are  resting  in  the  southern  slopes.  Adjoining  the  main  cemetery  on  the  west 
was  the  small  and  elegant  burial  enclosure  controlled  by  the  Odd  Fellows,  and 
in  May,  1886,  that  society  made  arrangements  by  which  the  order  entered  into 
possession  of  the  entire  cemetery;  and  both  grounds  placed  under  their  direc- 
tion. Walter  Stager,  Alfred  Bayliss,  H.  S.  Street,  M.  M.  Rover,  G.  G.  Keefer, 
were  the  board  of  managers.  H.  S.  Street,  president;  Dr.  Rover,  treasurer; 
Walter  Stager,  secretary;  Geo.  Keefer,  superintendent.  At  present  the  officers 
consist  of  S.  S.  Kehr,  president;  Judd  Decker,  secretary  and  treasurer;  D.  L. 
Miller,  superintendent;  Michael  Rutt,  sexton.  The  new  Mennonite  church, 
with  its  sheds,  is  on  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  cemetery,  but  own  their 
share  of  the  grounds. 

Heroes  of  Older  Wars  who  are  in  this  garden  of  the  dead: 

MEXICAN    WAR 1846-7. 

Dr.  Traviss,  D.  W.  Hamblin. 

CANADA    INVASION 1837.' 

Capt.  Benj.  F.  Sheldon,  7th  New  York  Artillery. 

BLACK    HAWK   WAR 1832. 

John  W.  McLemore,  Illinois  Mounted  Infantry;  Lieut.  J.  C.  Oliver, 
Mich.  Vol. 

WAR  OF  1812-15. 

Captain  Luther  Bush,  John  Edison,  Levi  Walling,  John  Benner,  John 
I.  Taylor,  Edward  F.  Randolph,  Asa  Grover,  William  J.  Teller.  Paul  Hecker. 

Over*  150  soldiers  of  the  civil  war  are  buried  in  Riverside,  with  suitable 
memorials  over  the  graves.  Resting  here,  also,  are  the  following  noble  boys 
of  the 

SPANISH-AMERICAN    AVAR. 

Sergt.  L.  C.  Sheldon,  E,  6th  111.,  &  N,  4th  U.  S. ;  Cor.  James  P.  Kereven, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  419 

Co.  C,  22d  U.  S.  Inft. ;  Leo  Bushnell,  Co.  E,  6th  111.  Inft. ;  Frank  Aument,  Co. 
E,  6th  111.  Inft.;  Roy  Eshleman,  Co.  E,  6th  111.  Inft.;  Moses  Dillon,  Jr., 
Co.  E,  6th  111.  Vol.  Inft. ;  Frank  Pigg,  Co.  E,  6th  111.  Vol.  Inft. ;  B.  J.  Buckley, 
E,  6th  111.  Vol.  Inft. ;  Edd  Bassett,  E,  6th  111.  Vol.  Inft. ;  R.  P.  Church,  A, 
12th  U.  S.  Inft. 

Soldiers  in  Rock  Falls  Cemetery: 

Capt.  Wm.  Parker,  A,  75th  111.  Inft.;  Charles  Button,  Co.  K,  75th  111. 
Inft.;  James  Corke,  H,  105th  111.  Inft,;  Wm.  Hackett,  111.  Inft.;  Charles 
Barnes,  75th  &  140th  111.  Inft. ;  Win.  A.  Roland,  M,  8th  111.  Cav. ;  Miller,  - 
Pa.  Inft.;  Lieut.  J.  W.  Smith,  Louisiana  Immunes;  J.  E.  Durstine,  Co.  K. 
84th  111.  Inft. ;  Fred  F.  Sheldon,  I,  75th  111.  Inft. ;  Wm.  Labram,  111.  Inft. ; 
Wm.  G.  Patton,  111.  Inft.;  J.  E.  VanDusen,  Co.  F,  3d  Mich.  Inft.;  Silas  How- 
land,  Co.  G,  147th  111.  Inft.;  Chas.  J.  Labram,  147th  Mich.  Inft.;  J.  C.  Dur- 
went,  Co.  G,  153d  Mich  Inft, ;  Lars  H.  Linn,  Henshaw's  Battery ;  Isaac  Orr, 
Co.  K,  77th  111.  Inft.,  and  K,  130th  111.;  Sergt,  H.  P.  Price,  Co.  B,  147th  111. 
Inft. ;  Herman  G.  Huster,  Co.  B,  13th  111.  Inft. ;  Geo.  0.  Deyoe,  12th  111.  Cav. 

Soldiers  sleeping  in  Fulton  City  Cemetery : 

Gustavus  Peterson,  Co.  F,  52nd  111.  Inft.;  George  L.  Lyon,  Co.  I,  80th 
111.  Inft. ;  Joseph  Moody,  Co.  M,  1st  Iowa  Cav. ;  Elisha  B.  Ralyea,  Co.  C,  1st 
N.  Y.  Cav. ;  Charles  Shumake,  Co.  I,  75th  111.  Inft. ;  James  Russell,  a  veteran 
of  the  war  of  1812 ;  Gorharn  B.  Plumley,  Co.  F,  52nd  111.  Inft ;  Alfred  Strotha, 
Co.  A,  60th  U.  S.  Cav. ;  Thomas  S.  Chandler,  Co.  E,  33d  111.  Inft. ;  Lafayette 
Decker,  4th  N.  Y.  artillery;  Robert  B.  Myers,  Co.  F,  93d  111.  Inft.;  Edwin  V. 
Burroughs,  Co.  K,  42nd  111.  Inft, ;  John  L.  Knapp,  Co.  C,  9th  Ind.  Inft. ;  R. 
H.  Adams,  Co.  A,  7th  111.  Inft.;  James  H.  Stoddard,  Co.  C,  126th  111.  Inft.; 
George  Eckert,  Co.  F,  52nd  111.  Inft. ;  L.  F.  Puffer,  Co.  A,  108th  111.  Inft. ; 
Edward  J.  Strating,  Co.  B,  12th  Minn.  Inft.,  Spanish-American  war;  John  C. 
Martindale,  Co.  F,  93d  111.  Inft. ;  Alfred  B.  Conger,  Co.  D,  6th  U.  S.  Inft., 
Spanish-American  war;  Hiran  Pulver,  Co.  D,  47th  N.  Y.  Inft.;  Charles  Hall, 
Co.  F,  52nd  111.  Inft. ;  Daniel  E.  Galusha,  Co.  I,  92nd  111.  Inft. ;  H.  T.  Heller, 
Ohio  Inft.;  Oscar  Summers,  52nd  111.  Inft. 

CALVARY  CEMETERY. 

Death  rides  on  every  passing  breeze, 
He  lurks  in  every  flower. — He  her. 

North  of  Riverside  on  the  west  line  of  the  Freeport  road  is  this  seques- 
tered place  of  burial.  There  are  five  acres,  purchased  about  1890  from  Clark 
Powell  for  $250  per  acre.  The  ground  is  level,  and  wide  alleys  run  north  and 
south  between  the  tombs.  A  variety  of  evergreen*,  spruce,  pine,  arbor  vitae, 
form  a  pleasing  contrast  with  the  cold  marble  and  granite,  and  give  an  air  of 
cheerfulness  and  immortal  hope  to  the  grassy  mounds  that  hold  the  dust  of 
the  cherished  dead.  When  the  writer  visited  the  spot  on  a  balmy  day  in  later 
April  the  first  violets  were  in  bloom,  and  meadow  larks  were  warbling  their 
sweet  notes  in  an  adjoining  pasture.  For  a  new  cemetery  the  number  of  ele- 
gant monuments  is  surprising.  As  usual,  the  names  are  numerous  of  the 
persons  one  was  used  to  meeting  on  the  street  from  town  and  country.  Many 


420  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

aged  people.  Bridget  Colford,  1900,  aged  81.  Wm.  Mooney,  1816-1892.  Pat- 
rick Clavin,  76.  Thomas  Higgins,  1807-1895,  and  Mary  Higgins,  1815-1869. 
He  was  the  father  of  the  builder  of  the  street  railway.  Catherine  McCormick, 
1898,  aged  68.  Morris  Morlarty,  Ireland,  1820-1907.  Patrick  Healey,  1820- 
1904,  and  wife,  Ann,  1824-1905.  One  of  the  most  elaborate  memorials  is  that 
of  Martin  Mee,  with  columns  at  the  corner,  1824-1891.  Several  of  the  family 
.  on  the  lot.  Another  handsome  one,  Martin  Costello,  1814-1883,  and  his  wife, 
Mary,  1821-1879.  Gaffey,  Grady,  Durr,  Sullivan,  Lawler,  Ryan,  Drew.  On 
this  tomb: 

Dearest  mother,  thou  has  left  us, 

Here  thy  loss  we  deeply  feel, 
But  'tis  God  that  hath  bereft  us, 
He  can  all  our  sorrows  heal. 

This  is  Hannah  O'Neil,  1815-1888,  for  years  the  faithful  housekeeper  in 
the  mansion  of  Mrs.  Mary  Wallace.  John  Horn,  soldier,  Co.  G,  1st  Penn. 
Healy,  Burke,  Connell,  Rourke.  Crosses  are  a  favorite  device,  and  the  sacred 
initials,  I.  H.  S.  Buckleys  have  a  rough  block  of  gray  granite  and  five  small 
head  stones.  B.  J.  Buckley,  Co.  E,  6th  111.  Inf.,  Spanish-American  war. 
Julia  Kilroy,  a  bright  girl,  1865-1894,  teacher  in  Second  ward  school.  Con- 
lin,  Devine,  Sheehan,  Kelly,  Curtin.  John  Houlihan,  soldier,  1847-1863.  A 
very  pretty  design  is  the  monument  of  Bernhard  Hodgins,  1839-1838,  and 
Margaret,  183'3-1903.  The  red  granite  of  the  upper  block  forms  a  fine  con- 
trast with  the  gray  of  the  base.  Kannally  family  has  a  huge  mass  of  gray 
granite  and  seven  head  stones.  Here  lies  a  devout  churchman:  M.  Dundon, 
1885,  aged  69.  "Fortified  with  all  the  rites  of  the  holy  church,  on  whose 
soul  sweet  Jesus  have  mercy,  Amen." 

THE  WATER  SUPPLY. 

Still  always  it  is  beautiful, 

That  life-giving  water. — Judge  Arrington. 

Although  not  a  city  man,  Joel  Harvey  was  the  first  person  in  Sterling  to 
appreciate  the  convenience  and  healthfulness  of  a  better  source  of  water  than 
that  furnished  by  the  old  oaken  bucket,  the  iron-bound  bucket,  the  moss- 
covered  bucket  that  hung  in  the  well.  He  owned  a  tract  of  land  in  the 
northern  part  of  town,  sufficiently  high  to  send  a  stream  of  water  into  the 
second  and  third  stories  of  most  of  "the  buildings.  Here  he  started  an  artesian 
well  in  1873,  and  continued  the  bore  until  it  reached  a  depth  of  1,652  feet, 
and  struck  a  current  that  gave  a  flow  abundant  for  all  purposes.  Wooden 
pipes  were  laid  in  the  main  streets,  and  for  several  years  Harvey's  water  was 
in  extensive  use.  The  pipes  gradually  rotted,  needing  constant  repair,  and 
the  need  was  urgent  for  a  more  substantial  and  enlarged  system  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  growing  city.  The  Sterling  Water  Company  was  organized, 
and  in  1885  the  first  well  was  bored  to  a  depth  of  1,435  feet  and  mains  laid 
throughout  the  city.  Then  followed  a  second  well.  1,626  feet  deep,  and  a 
third,  1.816  feet  deep.  The  present  flow  is  one  million  gallons  every  24 
hours.  There  are  two  pumps  with  a  capacity  of  five  million  gallons,  and 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  421 

three  boilers  of  125  horse  power  each.  Fire  is  kept  constantly  under  two,  and 
the  third  is  hanked  for  instant  service.  The  consumption  of  coal,  a  mixture 
of  nut  and  slack,  is  four  tons  daily.  A.  W.  Wilson,  Worcester,  Mass.,  formerly 
a  railway  engineer,  has  been  in  charge  of  the  machinery  for  21  years.  An 
analysis  of  the  water  made  at  the  University  of  Illinois  shows  18  per  cent 
mineral  matter  in  a  gallon,  carbonate  of  lime  and  carbonate  of  magnesia  pre- 
ponderating. This  is  an  unusually  small  amount  of  mineral  substance  for 
wells  so  deep.  Cool,  fresh,  and  delicious  for  drinking,  and  not  too  hard  for 
ordinary  washing.  While  the  stock  is  owned  principally  in  Portland,  Maine, 
the  parent  office  is  in  Sterling,  according  to  the  laws  of  Illinois.  Judd  Decker, 
superintendent  and  secretary,  has  shown  commendable  efficiency  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties. 

OUR   TWO   GREENHOUSES. 

Bring  flowers,  fresh  flowers,  for  the  bride  to  wear, 

They  were  born  to  blush  in  her  shining  hair. 

Bring  flowers,  pale  flowers,  o'er  the  bier  to  shed, 

A  crown  for  the  brow  of  the  early  dead. — Mrs.  Hemans. 

Fronting  on  Eighteenth  avenue  is  the  brick  office,  cheerful  with  living 
color,  of  the  Sterling  Floral  Company,  Robert  Lundstrom,  proprietor.  He  is 
a  Swede,  and  has  really  inherited  the  trade,  as  his  father  was  a  gardener  on 
a  great  estate.  There  are  eight  greenhouses.  Two  are  devoted  exclusively  to 
carnations,  three  to  carnations  and  mixed  stocks,  one  to  roses,  one  to  palms 
and  ferns,  one  to  propagating.  The  heat  proceeds  from  a  seventy-horse  power 
tubular  boiler.  To  furnish  requisite  heat,  250  tons  of  coal  per  year  are  con- 
sumed. The  Bride,  a  white  rose,  is  extensively  grown,  so  much  in  demand  for 
funerals.  Also  of  the  beautiful  red,  the  Bridesmaid.  In  fact,  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  it  is  the  sorrow  of  the  home,  the  casket,  and  the  cemetery  with  the 
decorations  of  the  grave,  that  supports  the  floral  business.  A  bad  wind  that 
blows  nobody  good.  Nine-tenths  of  his  products,  Mr.  Lundstrom  says,  are 
taken  in  Sterling  and  vicinity.  The  temperature  necessary  for  these  delicate 
creations  varies  with  the  season,  higher  in  winter  or  dull  weather,  than  in 
mild  days  or  bright  sun.  Higher  at  night  than  during  the  day.  An  average 
temperature  for  carnations  is  50  to  55  degrees.  No  one  variety  is  allowed  to 
monopolize  a  long  raised  wooden  bed  for  the  year.  For  example,  pansies  are 
started  in  the  late  winter  and  as  they  cease  to  bloom,  succeed  geraniums,  chrys- 
anthemums, and  perhaps  lettuce,  or  some  quick -growing  vegetable.  The  soil, 
of  course,  is  replenished  and  enriched.  Who  use  the  violets?  Young  men  for 
their  Dulcineas.  He  showed  the  writer  a  circular  mass  of  blossoms  just  picked, 
two  hundred,  to  meet  an  order  from  a  luxurious  mansion  where  they  would 
exhale  their  perfume. 

violets  dim, 


But  sweeter  than  the  lids  of  Juno's  eyes. 

To  manage  the  business  Mr.   Lundstrom   requires  the  aid  of  two  or  three 
hands  and  a  bookkeeper.    All  extra  product  is  sent  to  Chicago  or  St.  Louis. 


422  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

J.    A.    SWARTLEY   AND   SON. 

These  grounds  are  on  the  corner  of  East  Fifth  street  and  Seventeenth 
avenue.  The  residence,  a  white  frame,  on  the  west,  and  the  four  greenhouses, 
the  largest  three  hundred  feet  long,  occupying  the  rear  of  the  lots.  The  busi- 
ness was  started  in  1901  in  a  humble  way,  and  has  rapidly  grown  to  its  present 
proportions.  The  front  office  of  concrete  is  a  cozy  reception  room  with  a  glass 
case  of  various  trimmings  and  numerous  curiosities  picked  up  by  Mr.  Swartley 
in  his  southern  trips :  stuffed  snakes,  minerals,  fox  skins,  and  a  huge  alligator 
hide  twelve  feet  long.  A  seventy-five  horse  power  boiler  furnishes  heat  for 
the  buildings.  Two  large  houses  are  necessary  to  meet  the  call  for  carnations. 
This  seems  to  be  the  reigning  flower.  Much  used  in  churches  on  Sunday  with 
asparagus  for  pulpit  decoration.  It  was  McKinley's  favorite.  No  other  flower 
keeps  its  freshness  so  long.  To  supply  transient  customers,  jars  of  cut  flowers 
are  kept  in  the  damp  cellar.  Besides  the  retail  trade  at  home,  shipments  are 
made  east  and  west.  Among  the  latest  species  of  fern  is  the  delicate  Whit- 
man with  its  exquisite  leaves.  Mr.  Swartley  is  assisted  by  his  wife  and  son, 
Ernest,  who  both  have  made  a  study  of  the  lovely  floral  world  in  all  its  depart- 
ments. 

THE  PARKS. 

There  are  three  pleasure  grounds  for  the  people,  Lincoln  Park  in  the 
east,  Wallace  in  the  west,  and  Central  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  This  is  kept 
in  elegant  condition  by  Phil  Kereven,  Gettysburg  veteran.  The  lawn  is 
smooth  and  luxuriant,  trees  throw  a  grateful  shade,  and  flowers  and  shrubs 
make  the  spot  cheerful  and  attractive.  Here  are  held  all  affairs  of  public 
interest,  Fourth  of  July  celebrations,  Memorial  Day  exercises,  religious  and 
temperance  meetings.  Iron  settees  are  placed  at  convenient  points  for  com- 
fort. It  already  has  associations  of  genius.  Here  General  Howard  gave  a 
reception,,  and  here  echoed  the  eloquent  voices  of  Collyer,  Hillis  and  Gun- 
saulus. 

The  ornament  of  Central  Park  is  the  Soldiers'  Monument  of  granite, 
which  rises  from  a  mount  of  turf  to  the  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  crowned 
by  an  infantry  volunteer  in  heroic  size.  On  the  south  side  are  "Shiloh,  Stone 
River,  Vicksburg,  Atlanta."  "The  patriotic  people  of  Sterling  and  vicinity 
have  erected  this  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  who 
were  willing  to  die  that  the  Union  and  Liberty  might  live"  on  the  east  side. 
On  the  north,  "Petersburg,  Wilderness,  Gettysburg,  Appomattox."  On  the 
west,  "This  stone  is  a  reminder  of  the  cost  and  value  of  the  Union  of  the 
States."  The  base  is  thickly  engraven  with  the  names  of  departed  heroes,  and 
as  a  soldier  dies  his  name  is  added  to  the  roll  of  honor.  The  monument  cost 
about  $5,000,  and  was  unveiled  July  4,  1890,  with  imposing  ceremonies. 

MINERAL  SPRINGS  PARK. 

Not  a  mile  from  the  east  limits  of  the  city  is  a  charming  bit  of  woodland 
writh  its  grassy  slopes,  shade  of  young  forest  trees,  meandering  stream,  and 
spring  of  sparkling  water.  It  was  purchased  from  the  late  Samuel  Albertson, 
and  is  controlled  by  the  park  association.  Much  outlay  has  been  made  to 
make  the  resort  attractive.  As  the  Northwestern  Fair  holds  its  annual  meet- 


CENTRAL  PARK,  STERLING 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

VK!V™8!TY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  423 

ings  here,  a  race  track  and  amphitheater  have  been  constructed.  A  small 
hotel  furnishes  good  accommodations  for  all  who  wish  to  remain  a  day  or  a 
week.  A  favorite  resort  for  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  city  in  their  yearly 
picnics. 

A  Chautauqua  under  the  management  of  H.  M.  Holbrook  has  been  held 
here  for  four  successive  seasons,  the  summer  of  1908  making  the  fifth.  The 
usual  program  of  lecture,  music,  and  mixed  entertainment.  The  star  per- 
formers have  been  Bryan,  Col.  Bain,  Mrs.  Logan,  Billy  Mason,  Billy  Sunday. 
A  season  ticket  is  two  dollars,  single  admission  25  cents.  A  three-room  tent 
is  furnished  for  five  dollars.  Many  of  the  Sterling  people,  and  others  from  a 
distance,  find  tent  life  for  ten  days  an  agreeable  relief  from  the  routine  of 
the  residence.  The  street  cars  run  only  to  Powell's  corner,  where  omnibuses 
are  ready  to  meet  passengers.  A  half-mile  walk  for  pedestrians.  A  spur  from 
the  main  car  track  would  be  a  great  convenience.  The  president  of  the  park 
association  is  J.  T.  Williams;  secretary,  J.  N.  Harpham. 

CEMENT    IN   BUILDING. 

For  years  cement  was  found  to  be  valuable  for  curbs  and  sidewalks,  but 
very  suddenly  it  has  bounded  into  general  use  as  a  material  for  houses.  First 
for  basement  or  cellar  walls,  now  the  whole  residence  is  constructed  of  the 
solid  blocks.  They  have  all  the  effect  of  stone  in  an  old  Norman  castle,  and 
are  much  cheaper  than  pressed  brick,  and  more  durable  in  not  showing  the 
marks  of  age.  Not  only  the  walls,  but  the  arches,  columns,  all  parts  of  an 
edifice,  can  be  constructed  of  cement,  by  means  of  molds  adapted  to  the  de- 
sign. The  stone  quarry  will  levy  no  more  tax  on  our  builders. 

An  enormous  quantity  of  cement  was  consumed  in  the  two  cites  in  1907. 
The  records  show  that  177  cars  of  the  article  were  shipped  in.  The  total 
amount  used  was  about  28,320  barrels,  having  a  retail  value  of  $56,640.  This 
is  equal  to  177,000  sacks.  The  heaviest  consumers  in  1907  were  the  United 
States  in  the  government  dam  and  the  Hydraulic  Company  in  the  piers  of  the 
power  house,  using  thirty  carloads.  Much  was  required  by  the  Gail  Borden 
milk  plant,  and  by  some  of  the  new  factories.  A  number  of  carloads  were 
used  by  F.  L.  Johnson,  the  Rock  Falls  Cement  and  Stone  Company,  the  Ster- 
ling Concrete  Company,  the  Rock  River  Concrete  Company  and  George  Hall, 
all  manufacturers  of  cement  blocks.  Cement  in  large  amounts  was  also  used 
by  Dennis  O'Hare,  Peter  O'Hare,  Henry  McFadden,  W.  D.  Praetz  and  others, 
the  last  named  being  cement  sidewalk  makers  and  curb  builders. 

The  cement  block  manufacture  has  in  a  short  time  grown  to  large  pro- 
portions. Fred  Johnson  has  the  credit  of  starting  the  business  in  1903,  and 
who  in  1904  erected  a  stable  of  the  material  at  his  residence  on  Fourth  avenue. 
Already  in  1907  about  150.000  cement  blocks  of  the  18-inch  size  were  made 
in  the  two  cities.  Many  of  the  new  dwellings  in  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls  are 
constructed  of  these  blocks,  having  a  substantial  and  pleasing  appearance. 
The  crowning  exhibition  of  the  fitness  of  cement  in  architecture  is  the  Fourth 
Street  M.  E.  church,  which  from  ground  to  pinnacle  is  constructed  of  the 
blocks,  molded  in  every  form  to  suit  the  fancy  of  the  builder.  Dr.  Hill's 
home  on  Locust  is  the  richest  private  example  in  the  city. 


424  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

TWO  HISTORIC   WOMEN. 

At  her  old  home  on  Fourth  street  and  Sixth  avenue,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Rundlett 
reached  the  ninety-second  milestone  of  her  long  pilgrimage.  No  celebration. 
Her  daughters  were  by  her  side,  flowers  from  thoughtful  friends  cheered  the 
sitting  room  with  their  fragrance  and  beauty,  and  various  tributes  of  affec- 
tion were  received  from  relatives  at  a  distance. 

Both  by  association  and  descent,  Mrs.  Rundlett  is  now  the  grand  old 
lady  of  our  city.  In  early  life  at  Newburyport  she  often  saw  Hannah  Flagg 
Gould,  the  poet,  author  of  that  familiar  poem : 

Alone  I  walked  the  ocean  strand, 
A  pearly  shell  was  in  my  hand, 
I  stooped  and  wrote  upon  the  sand, 
My  name,  the  year,  the  day. 

She  dwells  fondly  upon  old  Newburyport,  next  to  Boston  richest  of  all 
New  England  towns  in  antiquarian  suggestion.  This  was  the  home  of  Wil- 
liam Lloyd  Garrison,  and  here  is  the  Old  South  or  First  Presbyterian  church, 
1746-1896,  in  whose  crypt  was  buried  George  Whitefield,  that  naming  apostle 
of  eloquence,  1770.  His  coffin  is  still  shown,  and  once  the  skull  could  be  sesn. 

The  family  have  a  large  book,  called  the  Lowell  Genealogy,  containing 
several  hundred  names,  and  tracing  the  Lowells  to  their  first  coming  to  New 
England  in  1639  from  the  old  country.  There  were  numerous  branches, 
James  Russell  Lowell  belonging  to  one,  and  Mrs.  Rundlett's  kindred  to  an- 
other. 

Except  a  bodily  weakness  which  makes  a  reclining  position  .  most  com- 
fortable much  of  the  day,  Mrs.  Rundlett's  faculties  are  in  excellent  preserva- 
tion. A  bright  eye,  face  with  scarce  a  wrinkle,  voice  clear,  and  memory  that 
is  quick  to  recall  anything  she  once  knew.  Always  cheerful,  glad  to  meet 
her  friends,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  see  her  happy  expression  as  she  lies  on  her 
couch  surrounded  by  devoted  daughters,  who  are  quick  to  anticipate  the 
slightest  wish. 

On  Second  avenue  between  Fifth  and  Sixth  streets,  in  a  neat  brick  cot- 
tage, the  home  for  over  fifty  years,  reside  Mrs.  Martha  Barrett  and  her  daugh- 
ter Mattie.  Although  not  old,  being  only  seventy-five,  Mrs.  Barrett  has  seen 
Sterling  expand  from  a  village  at  her  arrival  in  1855  to  a  young  metropolis, 
and  has  also  sadly  witnessed  the  departure  one  by  one  of  the  early  generation 
she  knew  so  well. 

Mrs.  Barrett's  early  years  were  spent  in  Rushville,  N.  Y.  Her  mother 
and  five  brothers  composed  a  noble  family,  one  of  whom  has  made  the  name 
immortal.  Marcus  Whitman,  pioneer,  missionary,  explorer,  was  her  mother's 
brother.  She  was  twelve  when  he  left  for  the  west,  and  remembers  Marcus 
as  a  tall,  stout  man  with  dark  hair  and  earnest  movement.  He  was  ambitious, 
took  a  medical  course  at  Berkshire  institute,  and  in  1834  was  appointed  a  mis- 
sionary physician  to  Oregon. 

After  a  short  visit  he  came  back,  and  with  his  wife  and  Rev.  II.  IT. 
Spanieling  and  his  young  wife,  they  crossed  the  continent  in  1836.  driving 
the  first  American  wagon  to  the  gates  of  Fort  Walla  Walla  on  the  Columbia 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  425 

river.  A  church  was  established  and  a  farm  ope'ned.  Only  fifty  Americans, 
100,000  Indians.  But  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  aimed  to  secure  the  land 
for  England.  Whitman  -scented  the  danger,  the  loss  to  the  United  States,  and 
on  Oct.  3,  1842,  started  to  ride  to  Washington,  accompanied  by  one  guide  and 
one  white  man. 

That  ride  has  no  parallel.  Paul  Revere  and  Sheridan  are  trifling.  Four 
thousand  miles  through  the  snows  of  the  Rockies.  He  reached  Washington, 
March  3,  1843,  and  saw  Webster,  secretary  of  state,  who  was  unmoved.  Pres- 
ident Tyler  was  more  impressed.  Take  a  wagon  train  across  the  mountains 
and  prove  the  truth  of  your  claim.  Whitman  led  a  colony  back  in  1843  of 
200  wagons  and  1,000  settlers.  That  decided  the  policy.  In  1846  the  north- 
western boundary  line  gave  us  Oregon. 

And  what  was  this  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho  that  the  winter  ride 
of  Marcus  Whitman,  Mrs.  Barrett's  uncle,  saved  from  England's  grasp  to  our 
own  domain?  It  is  a  small  continent,  equal  to  all  New  England,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia.  It  is  our  western  empire  with  California,  In  1842 
considered  worthless  by  the  wise  heads  at  Washington. 

Barbara  Frietchie's  work  is  o'er, 

And  the  rebel  rides  on  his  raids  no  more. 

Then  Whitman  settled  down  to  his  work,  but  he  was  not  permitted  to 
long  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  heroism.  Nov.  29,  1847,  the  Indians  surrounded 
the  mission,  slew  Whitman,  his  wife  and  twelve  companions.  But  his  name 
endureth.  Whitman  seminary  at  Walla  Walla  and  the  shaft  over  his  grave 
will  keep  his  devotion  ever  glorious. 

The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just, 
Shall  flourish  when  he  sleeps  in  dust. 

SPECULATION  IN   OIL  AND  COPPER. 

Gold  begets  in  brethren,  hate ; 
Gold  in  families,  debate ; 
Gold  does  friendship  separate; 
Gold  does  civil  wars  create. — Cowley. 

A  tornado  swept  through  Whiteside  in  18'60,  and  forty  years  later  a 
species  of  brain  storm  in  stocks  of  oil  and  copper.  It  was  not  surprising.  Men 
have  always  been  eager  to  make  money.  Holland,  in  1637,  had  her  tulip  craze 
when  worthless  bulbs  sold  for  their  weight  in  gold.  The  South  Sea  Scheme 
in  England  in  1720  sent  many  a  luckless  investor  into  bankruptcy.  Cali- 
fornia was  a  golden  Mecca  in  1849. 

Since  that  time  all  sorts  of  mining  schemes  have  occupied  the  attention 
of  the  American  people.  The  rich  mineral  regions  of  Colorado  and  the  Pa- 
cific slope  have  especially  attracted  adventure  and  capital.  Then  came  the 
discovery  of  oil  fields  in  Pennsylvania,  and  a  dozen  states.  The  Standard 
Oil  Company  grew  to  be  a  colossal  concern  affecting  every  household  in  the 
nation,  in  the  world. 

Two   of  these   commercial   propositions   were   finally   placed  before  the 


426  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

quiet  citizens  of  Sterling,  who  heretofore  had  shown  no  desire  to  amass  wealth 
except  by  gradual  accumulation  in  the  course  of  legitimate  business.  The 
first  scheme  was  in  the  form  of  oil.  A  property  had  been  secured  in  Texas, 
a  company  formed,  officers  elected  and  stocks  offered  for  sale.  The  following 
advertisement  appeared  in  the  Sterling  papers  in  1901: 

THE  ILLINOIS  OIL  COMPANY 

HAS  STRUCK  A  GUSHER ! 

70,000    BARRELS    PER   DAY ! 

For  a  few  days  longer  shares  will  be  sold 
at  ten  cents  a  share. 

Excitement  for  awhile  ran  high.  A  few  dollars  would  purchase  numerous 
shares,  enough  to  assure  a  competence  in  old  age.  Rockefeller  became  a  Croe- 
sus in  oil,  and  he  started  in  a  very  humble  way.  What  became  of  the  gusher 
Texas  only  knows,  and  the  oil  craze  passed  into  a  local  bubble. 

As  the  oil  delusion  was  slipping  off,  the  copper  glitter  was  held  before 
eager  eyes.  Oil  was  uncertain,  wells  gave  out,  but  copper  was  solid,  and  there 
was  a  mountain  of  that  metal  in  Idaho,  waiting  to  be  blasted,  and  floated  down 
Snake  river  to  Lewiston.  Assays  showed  a  richer  yield  than  the  world-famous 
Calumet-Hecla.  Clark  was  king  in  the  copper  world,  but  his  supremacy 
would  not  continue.  This  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Sterling  dailies  in 
1902: 

BUY  COPPER  STOCK  AT  oOc  PER  SHARE ! 
EUREKA   MINING,   SMELTING,  AND   POWER  COMPANY. 

People  of  Sterling  and  vicinity  are  offered  for  a  short  time  only,  a  chance  to 
buy  shares  in  one  of  the  richest  copper  propositions  ever  offered  the  public. 
So  rich  are  the  claims,  the  company  could  sell  its  entire  holdings  at  more 
than  the  total  capital  stock,  but  declines  to  consider  any  such  proposition  as  it 
is  sure  of  making  vastly  more. 

There  were  a  president,  secretary,  treasurer,  and  a  board  of  nine  trus- 
tees. This  appeal  did  the  business.  The  stock  sold  like  hot  cakes.  All  ranks 
from  the  retired  capitalist  to  the  frugal  clerk  invested  their  dollars  in  a  scheme 
that  meant  a  palace  on  Fifth  avenue  and  a  regular  winter  in  Europe.  But 
the  enterprise  for  a  hundred  reasons  moved  slowly  towards  princely  returns. 
The  boiler  burst,  the  boat  sank,  the  machinery  failed  to  arrive,  and  the  pro- 
moters after  deluding  the  weeping  stockholders  with  a  few  yearly  reports,  are 
in  criminal  obscurity. 

THE  ITALIAN   MURDER. 

Will  all  great  Neptune's  ocean  wash  this  blood 
Clean  from  my  hand? — Shakespeare. 

On  the  night  of  July  14,  1907,  Mrs.  Isadoro  Gennetti  was  murdered  in 
a  frame  house  near  the  river  in  the  first  ward.  Suspicion  strongly  pointed  to 
two  of  her  country  folk,  Luigi  and  Cristina  Randi;  they  were  arrested  and 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  427 

placed  in  Morrison  jail,  in  November,  tried  and  found  guilty,  and  sentenced, 
Luigi  to  twenty,  and  the  wife  to  fourteen,  years  in  the  penitentiary.  Judge 
Graves  presided.  Judge  H.  C.  Ward,  counsel  for  prisoners,  made  a  motion 
for  a  new  trial,  but  it  was  overruled. 

OFFICERS   OF   THE   CITY  OF  STERLING. 

Mayor — John  L.  Janssen. 
City  Clerk— M.  E.  Wilger. 
City  Attorney — Carl  E.  Sheldon. 
City  Treasurer — F.  A.  Caughey. 
Chief  of  Police — Chris.  Baker. 
Chief  of  Fire  Dept.— S.  A.  Stull. 
City  Collector— E.  H.  McGrath. 
Supt.  of  Streets — J.  L.  Harrison. 
Health  Officer— Dr.  A.  H.  Harms. 

ALDERMEN. 

First  Ward— A.  R.  Hendricks,  J.  C.  Meistei 
Second  Ward— M.  C.  Wharfield,  W.  J.  Moou. 
Third  Ward— E.  E.  LeFever,  F.  G.  Giffrow. 
Fourth  Ward— M.  C.  Ward,  C.  G.  Harrison. 
Fifth  Ward— J.  E.  Conlon,  W.  F.  Lawrie, 

OFFICERS   OF    THE    UNITED   STATES   EXAMINING   PENSION    BOARD. 

President— Dr.  A.  C.  Smith. 

Secretary — Dr.  J.  F.  Keefer. 

Treasurer — Dr.  George  R.  Proctor. 

The  board  meet  the  first  Wednesday  in  each  month. 

Sterling  claims  a  population  of  10,000,  and  it  is  believed  in  the  two  cities 
of  Rock  Falls  and  Sterling  there  are  13,000  people.  The  vote  on  April  7, 
1908,  in  the  local  option  contest,  was  2,043,  the  largest  cast  in  the  history  of 
the  township. 

WHITESIDE  IN  GENERAL. 

Work,  for  the  night  is  coming, 

Work  thro'  the  morning  hours; 
Work  while  the  dew  is  sparkling, 

Work  'mid  springing  flowers. — Dyer. 

Bees  do  well  some  seasons,  but  require  some  care  to  make  them  profitable. 
Henry  Stewart  sold  10,000  pounds  of  honey  in  1907. 

Alfalfa  is  receiving  more  attention  every  year,  as  it  is  found  to  be  valu- 
able for  feeding  stock.  The  seed  is  a  staple  at  feed  stores  with  clover  and 
timothy. 

Wild  animals  linger  about  their  early  haunts.  Ralph  Mayberry,  while 
out  hunting  near  Rock  Falls  recently,  killed  a  large  coon,  weighing  forty- 
two  pounds.  Andrew  A.  Tofte,  of  Rock  Falls,  also  killed  an  opossum  in  his 
hen  house.  Large  coons  have  also  been  shot  near  Coleta  in  Genesee. 


428  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Concrete  is  the  coming  article  for  building.  Lumber  is  high,  stone  is 
scarce,  but  concrete  can  be  made  anywhere.  It  is  a  boon  to  farmers.  A 
farmer  lately  completed  a  barn  which  is  built  of  concrete  from  base  to  roof. 
It  is  a  solid  mass,  built  in  a  form  not  of  blocks.  A  concrete  floor  in  base- 
ment, and  another  overhead,  so  that  it  is  fireproof.  Nothing  but  the  crop 
stored  inside  can  be  destroyed.  In  its  construction,  500  sacks  of  cement  were 
used.  The  work  was  all  done  by  the  farmer  and  sons.  In  a  similar  way,  all 
the  new  bridges  in  various  parts  of  the  county,  have  concrete  piers  and  ap- 
proaches, with  the  prospect  in  the  future  of  concrete  floors.  Planks  decay, 
and  steel  rusts. 

Within  twenty  years  a  marked  improvement  in  roads.  Hills  leveled,  low 
places  filled,  sloughs  drained,  culverts  installed,  and-  many  of  the  main  high- 
ways graveled.  Travel  is  now  as  easy  even  after  rains  as  on  the  turnpikes 
in  the  east. 

Farmers  have  discovered  that  it  takes  no  more  time,  no  more  feed,  to  rear 
good  stock  than  inferior  grades.  This  change  is  especially  noticeable  in  swine. 
The  University  of  Illinois  is  encouraging  the  movement,  by  purchasing  the 
best  animals  for  its  own  herd. 

The  University  of  Illinois  h'as  recently  added  three  Berkshires  to  its  herd 
at  the  total  cost  of  $1,050.00.  Besides  Berkshires,  the  University  is  also 
breeding  Poland  Chinas,  Duroc  Jerseys.  Chester  Whites,  large  Yorkshires  and 
Tamworths.  In  driving  past  our  Whiteside  fields,  specimens  of  these  high- 
grade  animals  may  be  found  leisurely  feeding. 

Orchards  are  not  flourishing  in  some  parts  of  the  county.  Severe  winters 
killed  varieties  of  apples,  and  the  rows  are  not  filled  up.  Apples  are  not  per- 
fect as  in  early  years,  and  regular  spraying  is  necessary  for  desirable  fruit. 
Even  farmers  buy  imported  apples  at  the  grocers  for  winter  use.  Peaches 
spring  up  spontaneously,  and  in  favorable  seasons,  yield  abundantly.  Wild 
plums  still  flourish  in  timber  that  has  not  vanished.  Small  fruits  do  well. 
In  good  years,  plenty  of  strawberries,  blackberries,  currants,  raspberries.  No 
finer  melons  are  raised  anywhere.  Our  markets  well  supplied  with  all  kinds 
of  vegetables  in  season. 

One  winter  diversion  of  the  weary  farmer  is  the  public  auction  held  at 
various  places  towards  spring.  These  are  either  regular  cattle  sales,  or  sales 
of  implements  and  stock  by  men  who  intend  to  move  or  retire.  Terms  cash 
for  sums  under  ten  dollars,  over  that  amount  twelve  months  credit  without 
interest,  or  seven  per  cent  afterwards.  Always  a  free  lunch  of  meat,  bread, 
pie  and  coffee  at  noon.  One  generous  fellow  set  out  oyster  stews,  which  were 
received  with  applause. 

The  osage  hedge  in  excellence  varies  with  the  locality.  Some  have  been 
cut  away  and  replaced  with  wire,  which  is  really  the  best  fence  as  it  takes  no 
room  and  wastes  no  ground.  Here  and  there  the  hedges  are  quite  thrifty. 

It  is  gratifying  in  traveling  over  the  county  to  notice  the  immense  change 
in  the  farm  buildings.  What  spacious  barns,  corn  cribs,  all  the  necessary  out- 
structures,  painted  red,  and  then  the  neat  residence,  with  piazza,  lawn,  concrete 
walk,  and  picket  or  iron  fence.  People  in  the  country  live  as  cosily  as  in  town, 
and  with  telephone  and  rural  delivery  have  all  the  conveniences  of  civiliza- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  429 

lion.  The  raggedness  arid  isolation  of  the  old  log  cabin  or  weather-beaten 
shanty  have  all  disappeared.  No  more  riding  to  town  on  the  hard  boards  of 
a  lumber  wagon,  but  instead  the  cushioned  seats  of  a  two-horse  surrey.  Yes, 
the  farmers  today  are  not  to  be  pitied  with  a  bank  account  and  cribs  of  corn 
they  can  hold  for  advance  in  market. 

Another  valuable  help  to  farmers  which  they  duly  appreciate  and  en- 
courage is  the  yearly  institute  held  in  so  many  districts.  One  was  held  in 
Sterling  in  December,  1907,  and  one  in  Coleta,  January,  1908.  At  these 
meetings,  which  continue  two  days,  there  is  a  varied  program  of  music,  read- 
ings, and  addresses  by  practical  men  on  topics  of  timely  importance:  injurious 
insects,  soils,  machinery,  poultry,  selection  of  seeds,  putting  in  crops,  education 
for  the  boys  and  girls,  most  profitable  stock  to  raise.  These  affairs  attract 
large  crowds,  occurring  as  they  do  at  leisure  times,  and  awaken  great  enthu- 
siasm. Prizes  are  offered  for  best  displays  of  fruit  and  grain. 

It  does  seem  that  the  climate  of  Whiteside  is  changing.  In  earlier  years 
there  were  heavy  falls  of  snow,  blocking  the  roads,  and  often  lingering  till 
spring.  About  1861  or  '62  there  were  three  months  of  sleighing,  a  rare  lux- 
ury these  degenerate  days.  The  last  deep  snow  was  in  1881  when  remains 
of  drifts  were  visible  in  April.  Fifty  years  ago,  winter  began  in  November, 
and  in  January  retired  for  a  thaw  and  a  mild  southwest  breeze,  but  after  a 
week's  indulgence,  broke  dreams  of  spring,  with  terrific  blasts  from  Esqui- 
maux land.  Our  coldest  weather  of  late  is  in  February,  and  ice  men  who  have 
begun  to  despair,  find  their  best  crop  made  by  the  zero  in  that  month. 

Within  forty  years  land  has  rapidly  increased  in  value.  Land  that  sold 
for  ten  or  twelve  dollars  an  acre  at  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865,  now  readily 
brings  one  hundred.  With  good  improvements,  $150.  Much,  of  course,  de- 
pends on  location  and  buildings.  Farms,  indeed,  are  becoming  a  favorite 
form  of  investment.  The  cash  rent  is  five  dollars  or  more  per  acre.  But  the 
main  consideration  is  safety.  Factories  burn,  stocks  depreciate,  stores  fail, 
but  the  soil,  like  the  flag  in  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner,"  is  still  there.  You 
always  know  where  to  find  it.  You  are  sure  of  not  being  penniless  on  rising 
in  the  morning. 

Timber  is  not  as  abundant  as  formerly.  The  beautiful  groves  that  glad- 
dened the  eyes  of  the  pioneers  are  slowly  vanishing.  The  land  is  too  valuable 
for  shade  or  sentiment  or  beauty.  The  Coe  grove  in  Jordan,  Round  Grove  in 
Hopkins,  the.  woods  at  Empire,  the  fine  trees  along  the  streams  everywhere, 
are  yearly  showing  the  ravages  of  the  ax.  It  is  a  pity,  and  nothing  is  done  to 
replace  this  early  growth  except  a  windbreak  or  a  grove  near  the  house.  Trees 
are  not  only  charming  in  the  landscape,  but  an  important  element  in  modi- 
fying our  climate,  and  regulating  the  water  supply. 

More  attention  is  given  of  late  years  in  the  rural  districts  to  the  regular 
functions  of  social  life  as  are  found  in  the  towns.  While  spelling  schools  at 
an  early  day  or  an  occasional  sermon  were  the  only  occasions  to  draw  out  the 
scattered  people,  now  almost  every  school  house  has  its  Sunday  school  or 
church  service,  while  the  good  ladies  of  the  township  enjoy  frequent  reunions 
with  their  aid  societies  and  other  organizations.  Sometimes  all  classes,  young 
and  old,  parents  and  pupils,  unite  in  forming  a  lyceum  at  a  central  place, 


430  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

whose  literary  and  musical  features  are  a  source  of  personal  improvement 
and  general  happiness. 

Farm  hands  are  becoming  scarcer,  although  wages  are  higher.  So  many 
young  men  flock  to  the  cities,  and  seek  more  attractive  employment.  At  pres- 
ent the  minimum  price  paid  for  hired  men  is  twenty-five  dollars  per  month, 
and  the  farmers  in  addition  to  paying  this  sum  of  money,  also  keep  a  horse 
and  buggy  for  the  help.  There  are  a  number  of  farmers  who  are  paying  as 
high  as  thirty  dollars  a  month  for  men,  and  in  addition  to  this  sum  also  keep 
a  horse  and  buggy  for  the  help.  This  high  price  also  includes  board  and 
washing,  which  is  worth  at  least  twenty  dollars  a  month,  and  the  horse  cannot 
be  fed  for  much  less  than  ten  dollars  a  month  at  the  present  high  price  of 
horse  feed  which  would  bring  the  salary  of  a  thirty  dollar  a  month  man  to 
sixty  dollars  a  month. 

A  peculiar  feature  of  the  pay  received  by  help  this  year  is  in  the  fact  that 
it  includes  the  month  of  March.  Usually  the  amount  paid  for  the  month  of 
March  is  about  one-half  of  the  amount  paid  during  the  farming  months  of 
the  season. 

The  population  of  the  county  in  1840  was  only  2,514,  and  in  1850,  5,361. 
But  then  Cook  county,  or  Chicago,  had  only  43,000.  In  1860  Whiteside  had 
grown  to  18,737,  in  1870  to  27,503,  in  1890  to  30,854,  and  in  1900  to  34,710. 

Investigation  reveals  the  fact  that  two  Meredosia  men  ship  to  London 
each  year  the  hides  of  over  150,000  fur-bearing  animals,  worth  $100,000.  As 
most  of  these  pelts  come  from  Illinois  the  extent  of  the  trapping  carried  on 
within  the  confines  of  this  state  is  somewhat  surprising.  The  early  name  is 
French,  Marais  de  Ogee,  and  means  marsh,  and  much  of  the  big  slough  lies 
in  the  southern  flats  of  the  county. 

County  Clerk  W.  C.  Stikon  has  paid  out  $1,956  for  bounties  on  ground 
hogs  and  crows  in  Whiteside  county  since  the  law  went  into  effect,  July,  1907. 
Up  to  the  present  7,595  ground  hogs  have  been  killed  and  577  crows. 

The  tax  books  of  Whiteside  for  1908  called  for  a  total  of  $500,100,  an 
increase  of  $60,000  over  1907.  This  is  due  to  the  revision  of  values  made  by 
the  board  of  review  the  year  before. 

No  more  reckless  hunting  is  permitted  by  careful  farmers.  They  have  at 
last  discovered  that  these  idle  freebooters  wi'th  dog  and  gun,  banging  away 
at  straw  stack  or  cattle  or  poultry,  have  no  business  on  private  property.  One 
of  our  county  weeklies  published  this  card : 

WARNING   TO   HUNTERS. 

We,  the  undersigned,  hereby  warn 
all  parties  against  hunting,  trapping  or 
trespassing  on  lands  owned  or  controlled 
by  us,  under  penalty  of  the  law. 

This  was  signed  by  fifty  farmers.  It  is  hoped  that  similar  notices  will  be 
posted  all  over  the  county.  Our  native  birds  and  denizens  of  the  woods  are 
already  too  scarce.  These  fellows  are  trespassers.  If  they  are  hungry  for 
game,  let  them  rush  for  the  Rockies. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  431 

LOCAL  OPTION  IN    1908. 

One  of  the  greatest  election  contests  Whiteside  county  ever  experienced 
over  the  saloon  issue  was  that  of  Tuesday,  April  7,  1908,  and  the  result  shows 
a  majority  of  the  voters  went  on  record  as  opposed  to  the  licensing  of  saloons. 

Local  option  vote  in  AVhiteside  county,  Tuesday,  April  7 : 

Yes.  No. 

Sterling,  First   272  150 

Sterling,  Second    261  199 

Sterling,  Third  219  212 

Sterling,  Fourth   132  198 

Sterling,  Fifth  124  250 

Coloma,  First    146  192 

Coloma,  Second 227  189 

Mt.  Pleasant,  First 237  188 

Mt.  Pleasant,  Second  195  167 

Prophetstown,  First   188  86 

Prophetstown,  Second   149  48 

Fulton,  First 87  112 

Fulton,  Second 94  144 

Jordan   108          37 

Montmorency   34          53 

Hahnaman 35  33 

Genesee  140        86 

Hopkins 70  150 

Hume   46  22 

Tampico 203  140 

Clyde   84          44 

Lyndon    126          93 

Ustick  88          25 

Union  Grove    87  21 

Fenton    * .      53  24 

Portland   100          41 

Erie  128  139 

Garden  Plain,  not  voting   ... 

Newton   54          27 

Albany,    not   voting    ... 


Total   3,697    2,983 

Local   option   majority    714 

The  "wet"  towns  are,  Sterling,  by  one  majority;  Coloma  (Rock  Falls), 
by  eight  majority;  Fulton,  by  seventy-five  majority;  Montmorency,  by  nine- 
teen majority;  Hopkins,  by  eighty  majority;  Erie,  by  eleven  majority. 


432  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

VOTE   OF  THE   TOWNSHIPS  FOR  PRESIDENT   IX    1904. 

Jordan   185 

Sterling    1,528 

Coloma  701 

Montmorency    98 

Hahnaman .  152 

Tampico  367 

Hume    125 

Hopkins   204 

Genesee   424 

Clyde    171 

Mt.  .Pleasant    823 

Lyndon   240 

Prophetstown   660 

Portland  191 

Fenton   . 154 

Union  Grove 238 

Ustick    187 

Fulton    653 

Garden  Plain   234 

Newton    164 

Erie   310 

Albany    213 

One  of  the  saddest  sights  to  be  met  here  and  there  in  a  tour  of  the  county 
is  an  abandoned  church.  Solitary  and  neglected,  it  is  a  mute  reminder  of 
happier  days  and  departed  worshipers.  The  following  notice  in  the  Morrison 
Record  is  an  illustration: 

WHITE  CHURCH  FOR  SALE. 

The  old  Methodist  church,  known  as  the  "White  Church,"  at  Garden 
Plain,  and  the  lot  upon  which  it  stands  is  offered  "For  Sale."  The  building 
is  32x49  feet,  16  foot  walls.  Sealed  bids  will  be  received  for  church  and  lot 
or  for  church  alone,  fell  bids  are  to  be  sent  to  H.  J.  Simpson,  Albany,  111., 
by  the  20th  of  May,  1908,  the  trustees  of  said  church  reserving  all  rights  to 
accept  or  reject  one  or  all  bids. 

April  27,  1908.  By  Order  Board  of  Trustees. 

Just  as  a  college  or  university  student  feels  an  ambition  for  a  prize  at 
commencement,  so  the  pupils  in  the  various  school?  of  the  townships  look  for- 
ward to  the  results  of  the  yearly  examinations.  Out  of  the  one  hundred  and 
forty-seven  pupils  from  the  rural  schools  who  took  the  final  examinations 
which  were  held  on  April  25  in  the  Sterling,  Prophetstown  and  Morrison 
high  school  buildings,  seventy-nine  passed  the  required  average.  The  class 
which  consists  of  fifty-eight  girls  and  twenty-one  boys  graduated  at  Morrison 
on  Saturday,  June  6.  The  highest  rank  was  made  by  Miss  Mndge  Jones  of 
Sunnyside  school,  Tampico,  Miss  Hettie  McCracken,  teacher,  and  was  94  4-7 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  43S 

per  cent.  The  second  rank  was  made  by  Miss  Clara  Hickey,  Mt.  Hope  school, 
Garden  Plain,  and  the  third  by  Miss  Bertha  Grater,  Malvern  school. 

As  Rock  river  and  several  creeks,  Elkhorn,  Sugar,  Buffalo,  Spring,  Rock, 
traverse  the  county,  the  erection  and  maintenance  of  bridges  is  an  important 
item.  In  1908  a  contract  was  let  for  the  repair  of  the  river  bridge  at  Prophets- 
town,  and  bids  received  for  two  new  bridges  in  Hopkins  to  cost  $7,000.  Con- 
crete is  now  used  largely  in  these  structures,  as  although  more  costly  at  first,  it 
will  be  more  enduring.  Schools  and  bridges  are  the  two  heaviest  factors  in 
shaping  the  amount  of  the  rural  tax-payer. 

Although  wolves  are  almost  extinct  in  the  thickly  settled  districts,  they 
still  linger  on  the  outskirts  of  prairies  and  woods.  The  Tampico  Tornado 
says  the  champion  wolf  hunter  in  Bureau  or  Whiteside  counties  lives  six  miles 
south  of  Tampico  and  his  name  is  I.  S.  Hayes.  Mr.  Hayes  recently  shot  aii 
old  wolf  and  killed  seven  young  ones,  which  makes  a  total  of  164  wolves  that 
he  has  killed  during  the  past  twenty  years.  Bureau  county  has  paid  Mr. 
Hayes  a  large  sum  in  bounties  and  ought  to  put  him  on  the  pension  list  for 
ridding  the  country  of  so  many  troublesome  animals. 

An  indirect  benefit  of  the  Hennepin  canal  and  feeder  is  mentioned  by 
Major  C.  S.  Richie,  chief  of  engineers  in  charge  of  the  canal:  "As  a  high- 
w&y  for  the  conveyance  of  material  for  the  improvement  of  the  middle  state 
roads,  which  are  for  the  most  part  in  a  wretched  condition,  the  canal  is  un- 
surpassed. If  this  improvement  of  the  roads  by  the  utilization  of  the  canal 
were  taken  up  by  the  farmers  the  roads  up  and  down  the  canal  on  either  side 
for  a  radius  of  many  miles  could  be  brought  to  a  desired  modern  and  improved 
standard."  This  would  apply,  of  course,  to  the  east  and  west  roads  in  White- 
side  and  beyond  that  cross  the  feeder.  Firm,  substantial  highways  that  can 
be  traversed  at  all  seasons,  with  heavy  loads,  are  among  the  pressing  needs  of 
rural  happiness. 

Fish  in  Rock  river  have  become  so  scarce  owing  to  the  activity  of  two 
generations  of  Izaak  Waltons  that  steps  have  been  taken  to  restore  the  lazy 
diversion  to  its  early  attraction  and  profit.  Congressman  Lowden,  in  response 
to  an  application  by  Fish  Warden  W.  F.  Mangan,  has  promised  a  consign- 
ment of  game  fish  which  have  by  this  time  been  placed  in  the  lake  east  of 
the  government  dam.  The  fish  club  will  do  all  in  the  power  of  its  members 
to  protect  the  young  fish  until  they  are  large  enough  to  be  eaten.  In  less  than 
ten  years  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  our  anglers  to  explore  the  Columbia  river 
for  salmon,  the  streams  of  the  Adirondacks  for  trout,  or  of  Wisconsin  for  ba=s. 

OFFICERS  OF  WHITESIDE. 

Here  and  there  some  stern  high  patriot  stood, 

Who  could  not  get  the  place  for  which  he  sued. — Byron. 

COUNTY   JUDGE. 

N.  G.  Reynolds,  1849-1857 ;  James  McCoy,  1857-1859 ;  Charles  J.  John- 
son, 1859-1860;  W.  Anderson,  1860-1861;  C.  C.  Teats,  1861-1865;  E.  G. 
Allen,  1865-1869;  W.  Lane,  1869-1882;  W.  J.  McCoy,  1882-1890;  A.  A. 
Wolfersperger,  1890-1894;  H.  C.  Ward,  1894-1906. 


434  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

CIRCUIT   CLERK. 

R.  L.  Wilson,  1848-1860;  A.  Farrington,  1860-18'o8;  J.  N.  Baird,  1868- 
1872;  W.  P.  Squire,  1872-1876;  A.  Farrington,  1876-1884;  L.  E.  Tuttle, 
1884-1908. 

COUNTY  CLERK. 

N.  J.  Nichols,  1849-1853;  R.  De  Garmo,  1853-1857;  W.  S.  Wilkinson, 
1857-1869;  E.  W.  Payne,  1869-1894;  G.  W.  Howe,  1894-1906;  W.  C.  Stilson, 
1906. 

TREASURER. 

D.  Mitchell,  1839-1841;  D.  Brooks,  1841-1843;  D.  Hazard,  1843-1847; 
H.  Ustick,  1847-1850;  J.  B.  Myers,  1850-1851;  D.  Hazard,  1851-1855;  Jesse 
Penrose,  1855-1857;  E.  B.  Warner,  1857-1869;  W.  H.  Thatcher,  1869-1886; 
A.  H.  Hershey,  1886-1890;  M.  H.  Seger,  1890-1894;  W.  Warner,  1894-1898; 
Mathews,  1898-1902;  G.  Rogers,  1892-1906;  C.  W.  McCall,  1903. 

SHERIFF. 

J.  C.  Woodburn,  1839-1840;  J.  W.  McLemore,  1840-1844;  J.  A.  Sweet, 
1844-1846;  McLemore,  1846-1848;  L.  D.  Crandall,  1848-1850;  P.  L.  Jeffers, 
1850-1852;  C.  Wright,  1852-1854;  W.  Manahan,  1854-1856;  R.  G.  Clendenin, 
1856-1858;  J.  Dippell.  1858-1860;  Clendenin,  1860-1862;  R.  E.  Logan,  1862- 
1864;  Dippell,  1864-1866;  L.  A.  Lincoln,  1866-1868;  E.  A.  Worrell,  18'6.8- 
1880;  T.  S.  Beach,  1880-1886;  G.  G.  Keefer,  1886-1890;  J.  W.  Farley,  1890- 
1894;  C.  C.  Fuller,  1894-1898;  A.  K.  Haberer,  1898-1902;  Fuller,  1902-1904; 

C.  A.  Hamilton,  1904.  > 

SURVEYOR. 

C.  R.  Rood,  1839-1842 ;  W.  S.  Wilkinson,  1842-1847 ;  W.  Pollock,  1847- 
1853;  W.  S.  Wilkinson,  1853-1857;  L.  H.  Woodworth,  1857-1863;  M.  T. 
Woolley,  1863-1865;  J.  D.  Arey,  1865-1871;  Silas  Sears,  1871-1879;  W.  C. 
Holbrook,  1879-1900;  E.  0.  Hills,  1900. 

CORONER. 

I.  Colcord,  1839-1844;  G.  Buckingham,  1844-1846;  C.  G.  Taylor,  1846- 
1848;  I.  Colcord,  1848-1854;  D.  F.  Millikan,  1854-1856;  D.  Reed,  1856-1858; 
W.  L.  Coe,  1858-1860;  J.  Eddy,  1860-1862;  S.  Taylor,  1862-1868;  W.  L.  Coe, 
1868-1870;  D.  B.  Seger,  18704872;  J.  Riley,  1872-1873;  M.  Mead,  1873-1874; 

D.  E.  Dodge,  1874-1876;  M.  Lathe,  1876-1878;  J.  A.  Nowlen,   1878-1880; 
H.  C.  Donaldson,  1880-1892;  J.  N.  Baird,  1892-1900;  Congar,  1900-1904; 
John  G.  Limerick,  1904. 

COUNTY  STATE'S  ATTORNEY. 
David  McCartney,  1872-1880;  W.  Stager,  1880-1904;  H.  H.  Waite,  1904. 

SUPERINTENDENT   OF   SCHOOLS. 

C.  S.  Doming,  1855-1857;  M.  R.  Kelly,  1857-18'39;  M.  W.  Smith,  1869- 
1873;  0.  M.  Crary,  1873-1877;  B.  F.  Hendricks,  1877-1886;  W.  J.  Johnson, 
1886-1902 ;  B.  F.  Hendrick?,  1902. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  435 

COUNTY  OFFICERS  IN  1908. 

County  Judge — Henry  C.  Ward.  l 

State's  Attorney— H.  H.  Waite. 

Master  in  Chancery — Charles  H.  Woodburn. 

County  Clerk— Will  C.  Stillson. 

Circuit  Clerk— L.  E.  Tuttle. 

Sheriff — Charles  Hamilton. 

Treasurer— Charles  W.  McCall. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — B.  F.  Hendricks. 

Surveyor — Edward  0.  Hills. 

Coroner — John  G.  Limerick. 

NATIONAL  AND  STATE  OFFICERS  IN  1908. 

U.   S.    EXECUTIVE   DEPARTMENT. 

President — Theodore  Roosevelt. 

Vice  President — Charles  N.  Fairbanks. 

Secretary  of  State— Elihu  Root. 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury — George  B.  Cortelyou. 

Secretary  of  War— W.  H.  Taft. 

Secretary  of  the  Navy — Victor  H.  Metcalf. 

Attorney  General — Charles  J.  Bonaparte. 

Postmaster  General — George  Von  L.  Meyer. 

Secretary  of  the  Interior — James  R.  Garfield. 

Secretary  of  Agriculture — James  Wilson. 

Secretary  of  Commerce — Oscar  S.  Strauss. 

STATE  OFFICERS. 

Governor — Charles  S.  Deneen,  R. 
Lieutenant  Governor — L.  Y.  Sherman,  R. 
Secretary  of  State — James  A.  Rose. 
Auditor — James  S.  McCullough,  R. 
Attorney  General — William  H.  Stead,  R. 
Treasurer — John  F.  Smulski,  R. 

Trustees  University  of  Illinois — Carie  T.  Alexander,  Frederick  L.  Hatch, 
Alexander  McLean. 

Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction — F.  G.  Blair,  R. 

UNITED   STATES    SENATORS. 

Shelby  M.  Cullom,  R.,  Springfield. 
A.  J.  Hopkins.  R.,  Aurora. 

STATE  SUPREME  COURT. 

J.  H.  Cartwright,  Ogle  county. 
Alfred  M.  Craig,  Knox  county. 
Frank  K.  Dunn.  Coles  county. 


436  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

David  J.  Baker,  Alexander  county. 
Joseph  N.  Carter,  Quincy. 
Orrin  Carter,  Cook  county. 
Jamas  B.  Ricks. 

THIRTEENTH   CONGRESSIONAL   DISTRICT. 

Congressman — Frank  O.  Lowden. 

CIRCUIT  COURT  JUDGES. 

Hon.  William  H.  Gest, 
Hon.  Frank  D.  Ramsey. 
Hon.  Emery  Graves. 

THIRTY-FIFTH    SENATORIAL    DISTRICT. 

State  Senator . 

Representatives — Hon.  Harvey  L.  Sheldon,  R.,  Whiteside  county;  Hon. 
G.  M.  Tindall,  R.,  DeKalb  county;  Hon.  Henry  F.  Gehant,  D.,  Lee  county. 

BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS  IN  1908. 

The  election  Tuesday,  April  7,  1908,  made  no  change  in  the  members  of 
the  board  of  supervisors  in  Whiteside  county,  for  each  of  the  present  incum- 
bents whose  term  of  office  had  expired  was  up  for  re-election.  The  board  is 
now  composed  of  the  following  representatives  of  the  respective  towns  as 
named: 

Albany— W.  W.  Blean. 

Clyde — Joseph  Wood. 

Coloma— R.  L.  Halsted. 

Erie— E.  M.  Peckham. 

Fenton — S.  C.  Givens. 

pulton— J.  C.  Snyder. 

Genesee — Mathias  Wolber. 

Garden  Plain — H.  J.  Simpson. 

Hahnaman — John  R.  Renner. 

Hopkins— C.  Frank  Seidel. 

Hume — Henry  Brown. 

Jordan — Elmer  E.  Mensch. 

Lyndon — A.  E.  Parmenter. 

Montmorency — Theodore  Frank. 

Mt.  Pleasant — Oscar  Woods. 

Newton — James  Y.  McCall. 

Portland — Bert  Besse. 

Prophetstown — Elwood  Beeman. 

Sterling — Adam  Beien.  John  S.  Landis  and  John  G.  Wetzel. 

Tampico — F.  A.  Brewer. 

Union  Grove — J.  C.  Weaver. 

Ustick — John  J.  Entwhistle. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 


437 


SCHOOL  DISTRICTS  OF  WHITESIDE  COUNTY. 


OLD  NUMBER. 

JORDAN. 

NEW  NUMBER. 

Dist. 

Dirt. 

No. 

Twp. 

R. 

Name  of  School. 

No. 

County. 

5 

22 

7 

Talbott 

1 

Whiteside 

2 

22 

7 

Compton 

2 

Whiteside 

8 

22 

7 

Gould 

211 

W.  and  C. 

3 

22 

7 

Knapp 

3 

Whiteside 

6 

22 

7 

Jordan  Center 

4 

Whiteside 

7 

22 

7 

Fairview 

5 

Whiteside 

1 

22 

7 

Stone 

6 

Whiteside 

STERLING   AND   COLOMA. 

10 

21 

7 

East  Science  Ridge 

'  7 

Whiteside 

1 

21 

7 

West  Science  Ridge 

8 

Whiteside 

9 

21 

7 

Union 

9 

Whiteside 

8 

21 

7 

Wallace 

10 

Whiteside 

3 

21 

7 

Central  and  Lincoln  Township 

High  School 

11 

Whiteside 

2 

21 

7 

Woodlawn 

201 

W.  and  L. 

5 

21 

7 

Coloma 

12 

Whiteside 

4 

21 

7 

Rock  Falls 

13 

Whiteside 

6 

21 

7 

Riverdale 

14 

Whiteside 

MONTMORENCY. 

1 

20 

7 

Sturtz 

202 

W.  and  L. 

2 

20 

7 

Excelsior 

15 

Whiteside 

6 

20 

7 

Allpress 

16 

Whiteside 

7 

20 

7 

Elmendorf 

17 

Whiteside 

3 

20 

7 

Banes 

18 

Whiteside 

5 

20 

7 

McWhorter 

203 

W.  and  L. 

HAHNAMAN. 

1 

19 

7 

Advance 

19 

Whiteside 

2 

19 

7 

Champion 

20 

Whiteside 

3 

19 

7 

Reeves 

21 

Whiteside 

6 

19 

7 

Deer  Grove 

22 

Whiteside 

4 

19 

7 

Island 

23 

Whiteside 

5 

19 

7 

Maple  Grove 

204 

W.,L.&  B. 

TAMPICO. 

1 

19 

6 

Ross 

24 

Whiteside 

7 

19 

6 

Pleasant  Hill 

25 

Whiteside 

2 

19 

6 

Sunnyside 

26 

Whiteside 

4 

19 

6 

Highland 

27 

Whiteside 

8 

19 

6 

Olsson 

28 

Whiteside 

3 

19 

6 

Tampico 

29 

Whiteside 

6 

19 

6 

Maple  Hill 

30 

Whiteside 

438 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 


OLD  NUMBER. 

Dlst. 
No.    Twp.        II. 


LYNDON. 


Name  of  School. 


5  20  5  Greene 

8  20  5  Fergesen 

4  20  5  Richmond 

6  20  5  Langdon 

2  20  5  Hamilton  Grove 

3  20  5  Lyndon 

9  20  5  Riverside 

7  20  5  Jackson  Street 


NEW  NtTMBEH. 
Dlst. 
No.  County. 


66 
67 
68 
69 
70 
71 
72 
73 


Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 


7     19     5 


PROPHETSTOWN. 

Prairieview 


1-3  19  5  Prophetstown 

1  19  5  Benton  Street 

8  19  5  Centerville 

10  19  5  Cloverdale 

5  19  5  Leon 

6  19  5  Woodward's  Bluff 


74 

75 
76 
77 
78 
79 
80 


Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 


CLYDE. 

1  22  5  Franklin 

8  22  5  North  Clyde 

2  22  5  Center  Clyde 

6  22  5  Greenwood 

4  22  5  Malvern 

5  22  5  James 

3  22  5  Alldritt 

7  22  5  West  Clyde 

MT.    PLEASANT. 

2  21  5  Hiddleson 

8  21  5  McElrath 

5  21  5  Round  Grove 

9  21  5  Knox 

7  21  5  Mt.  Pleasant  Center 

1  21  5  Morrison 
Morrison 

4  21  5  Upton 

6  21  5  McAllister 
10  21  5  Humphrey 


UNION    GROVE. 


2  21     4  Delhi 

7  21     4  Green  Valley 
5  21     4  Bunker  Hill 

8  21  .  4  Independent 


49 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
56 


57 
58 
59 
60 
61 


Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 


Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 


62  Whiteside 

63  Whiteside 

64  Whiteside 

65  Whiteside 


94  Whiteside 

95  Whiteside 

96  Whiteside 

97  Whiteside 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 


439 


OLD  NUMBER. 
Dlst. 
No.    Twp.       R. 


Name  of  School. 


4  21  4  Prairie  Center 

1  21  4  Unionville 

3  21  4  Union  Grove 

6  21  4  Lincoln 


4 
1 


USTICK. 


2     22  4  Cottonwood 

8     22  4  Goff 

6     22  4  Gridley 

5     22  4  Robertson 

22  4  Crouch 


22     4     Otto  Bluff 


3     22     4     Spring  Valley 
7     22     4    Cobb 

FULTON. 

2  22     3     Smith 
1     22     3     Fulton 

Fulton  Southside 

3  22     3     Cottage  Grove 

GARDEN   PLAIN. 

1  21     3     Lockhart 

3  21     3     Garden  Plain 

2  21     3     East  Clinton 

Cedar  Creek 
6  21  3  Stone  Street 
5  21  3  Spring  Creek 

4  21     3     Mount  Hope 


NEWTON. 


5  20  3  Cottle 

6  20  3  Byers 

2  20  3  Slocumb  Street 

3  20  3  West  Newton 
1  20  3  Kingsbury 

4  20  3  Mineral  Springs 

7  20  3  Dewey 

8  20  3  Anglese 


HUME. 


5  20  6  South  Hume 

2  20  6  West  Hume 
•6  20  6  Hume  Center 
4  20  6  East  Hume 

3  20  6  North  Hume 
1  20  6  Bend 


NEW  NUMBER. 

Dlst. 

No.  County. 

98  Whiteside 

99  Whiteside 

100  Whiteside 

101  Whiteside 


102  Whiteside 

103  Whiteside 

104  Whiteside 

105  Whiteside 

106  Whiteside 

107  Whiteside 

108  Whiteside 

109  Whiteside 

110  Whiteside 

111  Whiteside 

112  Whiteside 


113  Whiteside 

114  Whiteside 

115  Whiteside 

116  Whiteside 

117  Whiteside 

118  Whiteside 


119  Whiteside 

120  Whiteside 

121  Whiteside 

122  Whiteside 

123  Whiteside 

124  Whiteside 

125  Whiteside 

126  Whiteside 


31  Whiteside 

32  Whiteside 

33  Whiteside 

34  Whiteside 

35  Whiteside 

36  Whiteside 


440 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 


HOPKINS. 

OLD  NUMBER. 
Dlst. 
No.    Twp.        R.  Name  of  SchooL 

2  21     6  Woodside 
1     21     6  Como 

4  21     6  Gait 

6     21     6  Hopewell 

5  21     6  North  Star 

3  21     6  Emerson 


NEW  NUMBER. 
Dlst. 
No.  County. 


37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 


Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 
Whiteside 


GENESEE. 


9  22  6  Lafayette 

6  22  6  Washington 

5  22  6  Hickory  Grove 

3  22  6  Liberty 
•2  22  6  Coleta 

7  22  6  Salem 

4  22  6  Elm 

1  22  6  Hazel  Green 

8  22  6  Steuben 


43  Whiteside 

44  Whiteside 

45  Whiteside 

46  Whiteside 

47  Whiteside 

48  Whiteside 

208  W.  and  C. 

209  W.  and  C. 

210  W.andC. 


PORTLAND. 


4 
5 


19 
19 


2     19 


1 

7 

3     19 


4     Jefferson  Corners 
4     Arnett 


4  Spring  Hill 

6     19     4  Sharon 

8     19     4  Burke 

19     4  Pleasant  Ridge 

19     4  Portland 

4  Erie 


81  Whiteside 
205  W.andB. 

82  Whiteside 

83  WThiteside 

84  Whiteside 

85  Whiteside 

86  Whiteside 

87  Whiteside 


FENTON. 


3  20  4  East  Sand  Ridge 

1  20  4  Rock  River 

5  20  4  Coborn 

6  20  4  Enterprise 


2 

7 


20 
20 


4     Fenton 
4     Valley 


ERIE. 

2     19     3     West  Sand  Ridge 
5     19     3     Wheelock 
1     19     3     Kempterville 


ALBANY. 


4     20     2     Dublin 
1     21     2     Albany 


88  Whiteside 

89  Whiteside 

90  Whiteside 

91  Whiteside 

92  Whiteside 

93  Whiteside 


127  Whiteside 

128  Whiteside 
207     W.  &    H. 


129  Whiteside 

130  Whiteside 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  441 

APPENDIX. 

HEROES  IN  GROVE  HILL  CEMETERY,  MORRISON. 

The  roll  of  the  deceased  soldiers  who  are  buried  in  Grove  Hill  cemetery 
ia  as  follows: 

Henry  Levitt,  C,  8th  111.  Cav.;  Douglas  D.  Blodgett,  E,  46th  111.  Inf.; 
Michael  Harrison,  War  of  1812;  Aaron  B.  Jackson,  G,  13th  111.  Inf.;  Edward 
P.  Boyer,  G,  156th  111.  Inf.;  Orlin  P.  P.  Wheeler,  W.  Va.  Inf.;  Milton  B. 
Strunk,  B,  75th  111.  Inf. ;  Willis  M.  Alexander,  G,  8th  Kan.  Inf. ;  John  Hall, 
Q.  M.  Col.  Barnett's  Regt.  1812 ;  Edward  S.  Harris,  C,  75th  111.  Inf. ;  Nicholas 
S.  Mason,  A,  34th  111.  Inf.;  John  W.  Isenhart,  D,  21st  111.  Inf.;  John  W. 
Bowser,  C,  2d  Mo.  Cav.;  Walter  A.  Stowell,  Black  Hawk  War;  James  Clifford, 

F,  12th  111.  Inf.;  Jacob  Elsrod,  Mex.  War  and  B,  140th  111.  Inf.;  Charles 
Voigt,  G,  156th  111.  Inf.;  Francis  Dubridge,  Marine  Corps  Flo.  War.;  Alex- 
ander Benson,  U.  S.  S.  Essex,  U.  S.  Navy;  William  H.  Oberholtzer,  3d  Pa. 
Lt.  Art. ;  Peter  Martin,  B,  34th  111.  Inf. ;  Almanza  D.  Johnson,  H,  1st  N.  Y. 
Vet.     Cav.;     Upton     Ruthrauff,     A,     146th     111.     Inf.;     Thomas     Powers, 

G,  74th     111.     Inf.;     James     A.     Hulett,     H,     12th    111.     Cav.;     Sebary 
Morse,     B,     140th     111.     Inf.;     Milton     Morse,     B,     140th    111.     Inf.;     Jo- 
seph G.  Wheeler,  G,  21st  Mich.  Inf.;  Orrie  Colebaugh,  I,  6th  111.  Inf.  S.  A. 
W.;  George  Ashworth,  1st  Colo.  Cav.;  Robert  C.  Thomson,  I,  6th  III.  Inf. 
S.  A.  W.;  Edward  C.  Vennum,  E,  46th  111.  Inf.;  Peter  R.  Boyd,  G,  156th 
111:  Inf.;  Charles  Churchill,  C,  75th  111.  Inf.;  William  H.  Whited,  A,  33d 
111.  Inf.;  John  J.  Kelley,  F,  5th  N.  Y.  H.  Art,;  James  S.  Bean,  Maj.  86th 
111.  Inf.;  Harley  Pearson,  20th  Kan.  Inf.  S.  A.  W.;  Jason  C.  Booth,  A,  1st 
W.  Va.  Inf. ;  Jasper  N.  Booth,  I,  2d  W.  Va.  Inf. ;  J.  Van  Ston,  record  un- 
known; Robert  J.  Fellows,  D,  140th  111.  Inf.;  John  S.  Gillett,  C,  75th  111. 
Inf.;  Cleveland  Gillett,  28th  N.  Y.  Inf.;  William  Pleasant,  llth  Mo.  Cav.; 
Daniel  D.  Lincoln,  C,  8th  111  Cav. ;  John  J.  Brown,  E,  1st  111.  Lt.  Art. ;  Henry 
Brown,  C,  8th  111.  Cav. ;  George  W.  Thompson,  F,  59th  111.  Inf. ;  John  Lucas, 
U.  S.  Navy;  George  S.  Milnes,  C,  75th  111.  Inf.;  William  D.  Richard,  E,  46th 
111  Inf.;  Henry  E.  Allen,  F,  93d  111.  Inf.;  Robert  White,  War  of  1812;  Robert 
S.  Anthony,   G,   13th  111.   Inf.;  William   Austin,   War  of  1812;  Columbus 
Dodge,  E,  46th  111.  Inf.;  David  J.  Quackenbush,  B,  34th  111.  Inf.;  George 
A.  Quackenbush,  Prin.  Mus.  34th  111.  Inf.;  Lyman  A.  Hulett,  B,  147th  111. 
Inf.;  William  Lane,  E,  46th  111.  Inf.;  Alman  M.  Mosher,  B,  1st  Iowa  Cav.; 
Samuel  B.  Lenhart,  G,  156th  111.  Inf.;  Jesse  McKee,  K,  142d  N.  Y.  Inf.; 
Gardner  H.  Rugg,  B,  38th  111.  Inf.;  Rollin  C.  Sholes,  C,  8th  111.  Cav.;  Harvey 
P.  Baker,  C,  8th  111.  Cav. ;  Gurdon  Barrows,  War  of  1812 ;  Jo^ph  Myers,  B, 
34th  111.  Inf. ;  Edward  Lawton,  I,  6th  111.  Inf.  S.  A.  W. ;  Ralph  D.  Humphrey, 
I,  6th  111.  Inf.  S.  A.  W. ;  John  C.  Calderwood,  B,  147th  111.  Inf. ;  John  S. 
Harrison,  C.  8th  111.  Cav. ;  William  Taylor,  H,  42d  111.  Inf. ;  James  Lister,  B, 
1st  Iowa  Cav. ;  W.  H.  H.  Hutton,  20th  111.  Inf.  and  Surg.  U.  S.  A. ;  William 
Henry  Paschal,   Black  Hawk   War;   Abijah  H.  Foreman,  C,  8th  111.  Cav.; 
Egbert  T.  Inger>on,  B,  18'8th  N.  Y.  Inf.;  Aaron  H.  Martin,  K.  74th  111.  Inf.; 
Alpheus  Clark,  Major  8th  111.  Cav. ;  William  A.  Payne,  F,  93d  111.  Inf. ;  James 
H.  Bradley.  K,  84th  Ohio  Inf. ;  George  W.  McKenzie,  C,  8th  111.  Cav. ;  Irving 


442  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Williams,  I,  75th  111.  Inf. ;  John  Kirman,  4th  Ohio  Cav. ;  John  N.  Baird,  A, 
34th  111.  Inf.;  Truman  Culver,  C,  8th  111.  Cav.;  Frank  Clendenin,  Maj.  147th 
111.  Inf. 

SOLDIERS  BURIED  NEAR  MORRISON. 

Heaton  Cemetery — Aaron  Bailey,  War  of  1812 ;  Joseph  Bump,  C,  75th 
111.  Inf.;  Warren  Heaton,  C,  8th  111.  Cav.;  James  T.  Jackson,  E,  46th  111. 
Inf.;  John  D.  Paschal,  Black  Hawk  War;  Charles  M.  Shaw,  H,  5th  Vermont 
Inf.;  James  Thomas,  Black  Hawk  War;  Alfred  Heaton,  C,  8th  111.  Cav. 

Round  Grove  Cemetery — Peter  Barberry,  C,  8th  111.  Cav. ;  Harvey  Bun- 
zey,  D,  115th  N.  Y.  Inf.;  William  P.  Crump,  B,  34th  111.  Inf.;  Albert  Fel- 
lows, E,  4th  111.  Cav.;  John  S.  Green,  B,  75th  111.  Inf.;  Thomas  Mason,  C, 
75th  111.  Inf. ;  Oscar  Seeley,  C,  75th  111.  Inf. ;  David  B.  Symonds,  G,  13th  111. 
Inf. ;  Lewis  Knox,  C,  8th  111.  Cav. 

Union  Grove  Cemetery — Marvin  Goodwin,  G,  13th  111.  Inf. ;  Joseph  John- 
son, War  of  1812;  Peter  Root,  C,  75th  111.  Inf.;  Henry  Ustick,  War  of  1812; 
Wm.  Lane,  C,  75th  111.  Inf. 

Alldritt  Cemetery,  Clyde— George  Beswick,  C,  25th  111.  Inf.;  Richard 
Foster,  C,  75th  111.  Inf. ;  William  Winebrenner,  G,  65th  111.  Inf. 

Fenton  Cemetery — Joseph  Kaier;  Jacob  Miller;  William  P.  Moore,  F, 
52nd  111.  Inf. 

Malvern  Cemetery,  Clyde — Harvey  Conaway,  A,  34th  111.  Inf. 

North  Clyde  Cemetery— John  Riggs;  William  White,  War  of  1812; 
Charles  1.  Ward,  100th  Ohio  Inf. 

Spring  Valley— John  Kier,  C,  75th  111.  Inf. ;  Robert  Imlay. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


JOHN  S.  MILLER. 

Prominent  among  the  energetic,  far-seeing  and  successful  business  men 
of  Sterling  is  John  S.  Miller,  president  of  the  First  National  Bank.  There 
has  not  been  a  single  esoteric  phase  in  his  career.  On  the  contrary  his  busi- 
ness methods  have  ever  been  such  as  will  bear  the  closest  investigation  and 
scrutiny  and  his  advancement  has  come  through  the  recognition  and  utiliza- 
tion of  opportunity  and  the  exercise  of  energy  and  enterprise — his  dominant 
qualities. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Pottsville,  April  13, 
1849,  his  parents  being  John  S.  and  Barbara  (Bach)  Miller,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Germany,  the  former  born  at  Simothaven  and  the  latter  at 
Elwagen.  The  father  was  reared  in  Germany  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years  and 
acquired  his  early  education  in  that  land.  He  then  crossed  the  Atlantic  to 
the  new  world  and  without  means  landed  at  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  where 
in  order  to  provide  for  a  livelihood  he  followed  the  baker's  trade,  and  to 
secure  progress  along  intellectual  lines  he  attended  the  night  schools.  In 
1857  he  came  west  to  Freeport,  Illinois,  where  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  C.  J.  Fry  in  the  manufacture  of  alcohol.  They  sold  out  in  1862  and  on 
the  1st  of  May,  1864,  Mr.  Miller  became  a  resident  of  Sterling,  where  he 
continued  the  manufacture  of  alcohol  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1874,  when  he  was  fifty-three  years  of  age.  His  wife  survived  him 
and  lived  to  be  sixty-five  years  of  age.  He  figured  in  business  circles  in 
Sterling  not  only  as  a  manufacturer  but  also  as  a  prominent  representative  of 
its  financial  interests,  being  one  of  the  original  promoters  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  which  was  organized  in  1870.  He  was  chosen  its  first  president  and 
continued  as  its  chief  executive  officer  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  placing  the 
institution  upon  a  safe,  reliable  basis  and  instituting  a  conservative  policy 

445 


446  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

that  has  awakened  uniform  trust.  The  bank  is  capitalized  for  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  and  has  been  a  successful  institution  from  the  beginning. 

Both  Mr.  Miller  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  were  people  of  the  highest  respectability,  winning  for  themselves  a 
creditable  position  in  the  regard  of  their  fellow  townsmen.  Of  their  family 
of  seven  children  two  were  sons  and  five  were  daughters.  The  record  is  as 
follows:  Margaret,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Frank  Bartholomae;  John  S. 
is  the  second  in  order  of  birth;  William  H.,  who  was  associated  with  our 
subject  in  the  banking  business,  died  of  heart  disease  while  on  a  hunting  trip 
in  Dakota  in  1903;  Mary,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Bernard  Roesing;  Julia, 
deceased,  was  the  wife  of  E.  Stein;  Louise  M.  is  the  wife  of  T.  T.  Ramsdell 
and  is  now  living  in  Buffalo,  New  York;  and  Alice,  deceased,  was  the  wife 
of  W.  P.  Kennard. 

John  S.  Miller,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  spent  the  first  eight 
years  of  his  life  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  then  accompanied  his  parents 
to  the  west,  living  for  six  years  in  Freeport,  Illinois,  and  one  year  in  Chicago 
before  the  family  home  was  established  in  Sterling,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued. He  attended  the  public  schools  in  these  different  towns  and  for  two 
years  was  a  student  in  Clark's  Seminary  at  Aurora  and  for  two  years  in  the 
high  school  at  Chicago. 

Mr.  Miller  then  entered  the  office  of  his  father  as  a  grain  buyer  and  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  alcohol  until  1884,  forming  a  partnership 
with  his  brother,  William  H.,  on  the  death  of  their  father  in  1874.  He  also 
became  his  father's  successor  as  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Sterling  and  is  still  at  the  head  of  that  institution,  which  is  widely  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  strongest  moneyed  concerns  of  this  section  of  the  state. 
The  bank  now  occupies  one  of  the  most  handsome  bank  buildings  in  Illinois 
outside  of  the  large  cities.  It  was  remodeled  in  1906  and  is  fully  equipped 
with  every  modern  convenience  for  the  transaction  of  business  and  for  the 
protection  of  depositors. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1879,  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie 
Ware,  a  daughter  of  Richard  C.  and  Carrie  (Cameron)  Ware.  The  latter 
was  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Cameron,  whose  children  were  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Ware;  Marcella,  who  became  the  wife  of  General  E.  C.  Kirk  and  after 
his  death  of  Dr.  Charles  H.  Thomas;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Patterson; 
Josephine,  who  married  Dr.  P.  G.  Clark,  and  Elianna,  the  wife  of  Albert 
Vincent. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  were  born  four  children :  Carl  W.,  who  is 
now  a  medical  student  in  Chicago;  Howard,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  and 
a  half  years;  Alice  Louise,  who  passed  away  when  but  a  few  days  old,  and 
Fred  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  months.  Mrs.  Miller  passed  away 
December  19,  1889,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years  and  her  death  was  deeply 
regretted  in  the  Episcopalian  church,  of  which  she  was  a  member,  and  by  the 
community  at  large.  Mr.  Miller  is  also  a  member  of  that  church'  and  his 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party.  He  has  traveled  exten- 
sively, crossing  the  ocean  ten  times  and  visiting  thirteen  foreign  countries. 
He  has  thus  gained  the  experience,  knowledge  and  culture  which  only  travel 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  447 

can  bring  and  is  an  entertaining  gentleman,  to  whom  the  world  instinctively 
pays  deference  by  reason  of  his  social  qualities  as  well  as  the  success  he  has 
achieved. 


WILLIAM  L.  McWHORTER. 

A  life  of  industry,  diligence  and  well  directed  effort  has  been  crowned  with 
success  that  enables  William  L.  McWhorter  to  put  aside  business  care?  and 
enjoy  an  honorable  retirement  from  labor.  He  now  resides  at  No.  801  East 
Second  street  in  Sterling  and  is  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  the  county, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Montmorency  township,  August  23,  1860.  He  is 
one  of  the  seven  children  of  Hon.  Tyler  and  Rhoda  A.  (Ward)  McWhorter, 
of  whom  extended  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

William  L.  McWhorter  was  reared-  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Montmor- 
ency township  and  attended  the  district  schools,  while  later  he  was  a  pupil 
in  the  Sterling  Business  College.  He  then  returned  to  the  farm  and  after  his 
father's  death  he  carried  on  the  farm  for  a  few  years.  He  then  bought  what 
was  known  as  the  Frank  Utley  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-one  acres,  liv- 
ing upon  it  until  the  spring  of  1902,  when  he  rented  the  farm  and  removed 
to  Sterling,  where  he  has  since  lived  retired.  His  rest  is  well  merited  because 
his  life  has  been  active  and  his  energy  and  diligence  constitute  the  basis  of 
his  success. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1890,  Mr.  McWhorter  was  married  to  Miss  Ara- 
bella M.  Beale,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  M.  and  Margaret  (Sturtz)  Beale.  The 
paternal  grandfather  was  Nicholas  Beale,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania;  who 
wedded  Mary  Hardin  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  as  a  life  work. 
He  died  when  past  middle  life,  having  reared  a  large  family.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  McWhorter  was  John  Sturtz,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married  Rebecca  Beale,  who  survived  her 
husband  for  several  years  and  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
McWhorter  were  natives  of  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was 
a  farmer  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  and  afterward  conducted  a  general 
store  near  Ursina  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a«  soldier  of  the 
Civil  war,  serving  throughout  the  period  of  hostilities.  He  died  in  Ohio  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  while  his  wife  died  in  1879,  when  more  than 
forty-nine  years  of  age.  They  were  Lutheran  in  religious  faith.  In  their 
family  were  two  sons  and  five  daughters,  as  follows:  Calvin  L. ;  Charles  H. ; 
Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Costello;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  William  Martz; 
Martha  L.,  the  wife  of  Charles  L.  Walker;  Arabella,  the  wife  of  William  L. 
McWhorter;  Amanda  L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years.  Calvin  was  killed 
in  a  railroad  accident  when  not  quite  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McWhorter  were  born  three  children:  Margaret  L., 
Pauline  and  Alden  Lynn.  Of  these  Pauline  died  at  the  age  of  six  months  and 
Alden  L.  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months.  The  parents  are  members  of  St. 
John's  Lutheran  church  and  Mr.  McWhorter  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen 


448  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

of  America.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and 
wherever  he  sees  an  opportunity  to  advance  community  interests  or  to  promote 
the  general  welfare  he  eagerly  embraces  it.  In  his  business  career  he  has  so 
labored  as  to  win  gratifying  success  and  is  thus  enabled  to  spend  the  evening 
of  life  in  well  earned  retirement  from  further  labor. 


J.  H.  MOSHER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Mosher  deserves  mention  among  those  whose  lives  have  been 
eminently  successful  by  reason  of  their  own  labors  and  intelligently  directed 
energy.  He  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Prophetstown  and  at  the 
same  time  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  landowners  of  this  part  of  the  state,  hav- 
ing two  thousand  acres  of  income  property,  including  some  of  the  best  farm 
land  of  Whiteside  county.  He  was  born  near  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county, 
New  York,  April  26,  1840.  The  Mosher  family  is  of  English  descent  and 
traces  its  connection  with  American  interests  from  the  time  of  the  burning  of 
Saybrook,  Connecticut,  by  the  Indians.  The  parents  of  Dr.  Mosher  were 
George  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Tienan)  Mosher,  the  former  a  native  of  Maine 
and  the  latter  of  New  York  city.  Both  died  in  Oswego  county,  New  York, 
however.  Their  family  numbered  seven  children :  George  R.,  who  was  a 
well-known  merchant  and  wealthy  business  man  of  Oswego  county,  New  York, 
who  died  several  years  ago;  William,  who  passed  away  in  the  same  county; 
J.  H.,  of  this  review;  John  E.,  who  is  connected  with  copper  mines  in  Ari- 
zona; Hamilton  A.,  who  is  living  in  Oswego  county,  New  York;  Elizabeth, 
who  died  in  Herkimer  county,  New  York;  and  Katherine,  whose  death  oc- 
curred in  Oswego  county,  that  state. 

Dr.  Mosher  was  reared  upon  a  farm  to  the  age  of  thirteen  years  and  re- 
mained with  his  parents  in  Oswego  county,  New  York,  through  the  period 
of  his  boyhood  and  youth.  His  time  was  divided  between  the  work  of  the 
home  farm  and  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom  and  his  early  education  was  sup- 
plemented by  study  in  the  academy  in  the  village  of  Mexico.  He  left  the 
east  in  1863  and  with  his  brother  John  E.  went  to  California,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching,  as  principal  of  the  school  at  Eureka,  California,  for  three 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  made  his  way  to  New  York  city 
and  entered  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College.  Later  he  continued  his 
preparation  for  the  profession  as  a  student  in  the  Long  Island  College  Hos- 
pital from  which  he  received  his  degree  in  1867. 

Having  thus  qualified  for  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery,  Dr. 
Mosher  came  to  Prophetstown,  arriving  in  the  month  of  October  following  his 
graduation.  He  at  once  opened  an  office  for  general  practice  and  throughout, 
the  intervening  years  has  been  accorded  a  liberal  patronage.  From  1871  until 
1890  he  conducted  a  drug  store  where  he  now  has  his  office.  He  built  the  pres- 
ent business  block  and  after  carrying  on  the.  drug  store  with  success  for  about 
nineteen  years  he  disposed  of  his  stock  of  goods,  retaining  only  his  office  room 
here.  While  he  is  widely  recognized  as  an  able  physician  and  is  accorded  an 
extensive  patronage,  he  has  not  confined  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  pro- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  449 

fessional  duties  but  has  become  recognized  as  an  active  business  man  in  other 
lines.  In  connection  with  S.  G.  Baldwin  he  built  the  first  brick  block  in  this 
village  in  1871.  It  was  not  built  as  a  partnership  affair,  but  by  arrangements 
they  erected  the  two  buildings  side  by  side  at  the  same  time.  Dr.  Mosher  has 
always  been  interested  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  real  estate  since  attaining 
his  majority.  He  bought  property  in  California  and  in  1873  made  his  first 
investment  in  farm  land  in  Illinois,  becoming  owner  of  a  half  section  in 
Whiteside  county.  He  has  since  increased  his  holdings  from  time  to  time 
until  he  now  has  about  two  thousand  acres,  all  lying  in  this  county  with  ex- 
ception of  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Iowa  which  has  been  in 
his  possession  for  thirty-one  years.  He  does  not  buy  property  for  speculation 
but  always  improves  it  and  retains  it  as  a  source  of  income.  All  of  the  land 
is  cultivated  and  in  the  placing  of  his  investments  and  in  the  supervision  of 
his  landed  interests  he  shows  sound  judgment  and  keen  discernment;.  He 
also  owns  town  property  and  in  connection  with  his  brother  Hamilton  owns 
a  cottage  in  the  Thousand  Islands,  where  he  spends  the  summer  seasons. 

In  1871  Dr.  Mosher  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Florence  Warner, 
who  was  born  in  1853,  daughter  of  A.  J.  Warner.  Mrs.  Mosher  died  in  1890, 
leaving  two  children :  Maude,  who  was  born  in  1873  and  died  in  1894,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years ;  and  George,  who  was  born  in  1878  and  is  now  a 
physician  of  Chicago,  associated,  as  assistant,  with  E.  Fletcher  Ingals,  a  spe- 
cialist of  Rush  Medical  College  in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  chest,  nose 
and  throat.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Madison  University,  of  the  Chicago  Uni- 
versity and  the  Rush  Medical  College,  receiving  the  Doctor  of  Philosophy 
degree  from  the  first  named,  the  Bachelor  of  Science  degree  from  the  Chicago 
University,  and  his  professional  degree  from  Rush  Medical  College.  In  1894 
Dr.  J.  H.  Mosher  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Nellie  M. 
Barnes,  a  native  of  Turner  Junction,  now  West  Chicago.  She  came  to  White- 
side  county  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  with  her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  C.  Barnes,  of  Morrison.  One  son  has  been  born  of  the  second  mar- 
riage, James  B.,  now  twelve  years  of  age. 

While  Dr.  Mosher  has  led  a  most  busy  and  useful  life  in  connection  with 
his  professional  duties  and  his  extensive  business  interests,  he  is  also  well 
known  as  a  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  republican  party  in  this  county.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  republican  national  convention  when  U.  S.  Grant  was 
defeated  for  the  third  nomination.  He  has  frequently  been  a  delegate  to  the 
district  and  state  conventions  and  his  opinions  carry  weight  in  the  local  coun- 
cils of  his  party.  He  has  been  active  in  educational  affairs,  serving  on  the 
board  of  education  of  Prophetstown  since  1876  with  the  exception  of  one  year 
and  acting  as  president  of  the  board  throughout  the  entire  period.  He  assisted 
largely  in  erecting  the  present  school  building  and  does  everything  in  his 
power  to  further  the  cause  of  public  instruction.  He  has  served  on  the  town 
board  and  for  a  long  period  has  been  its  president,  thus  taking  an  active  and 
helpful  part  in  the  management  of  community  interests.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  board  of  pension  examiners  for  four  years,  beginning  in  1891, 
his  appointment  coming  to  him  unsolicited.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Masons  and  holds  membership  with  the  Knight  Templar  Commandery  of 


450  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Sterling.  He  belongs  to  the  State  Medical  Society  and  keeps  in  interested 
touch  with  the  advancement  of  the  profession  although  during  the  last  six 
years  he  has  confined  his  attention  to  office  practice. 

When  ambition  is  satisfied  every  ultimate  aim  accomplished,  satiety  fol- 
lows, effort  languishes  and  industry  becomes  futile.  It  is  the  man  who  is  not 
satisfied  with  present  conditions  who  delights  in  doing,  who  finds  pleasure  in 
exerting  his  powers  and  in  solving  intricate  problems  that  becomes  a  forceful 
factor  in  the  world's  development.  From  early  youth  Dr.  Mosher  has  been 
one  of  the  world's  workers  and  his  success,  so  great  as  to  seem  almost  magical, 
is  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  labors.  There  have  been  difficulties  and  ob- 
stacles in  his  path  but  he  has  overcome  these  by  determined  purpose  and 
laudable  endeavor,  and  by  unfaltering  industry,  integrity  and  wise  investment 
has  gradually  advanced  to  the  goal  of  prosperity. 


LEANDER  SMITH. 

Leander  Smith,  now  deceased,  was  for  many  years  a  well  known  banker 
of  Morrison  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  northern  Illinois. 
His  business  interests,  wide  in  scope  and  important  in  character,  brought  to 
him  notable  success  and  at  the  same  time  proved  a  factor  in  the  rapid  and 
substantial  development  of  the  localities  in  which  he  operated.  He  arrived 
in  Whiteside  county  in  1856  and  was  identified  with  its  interests  until  his 
demise.  He  was  born  February  10,  1819,  at  Templeton,  Massachusetts,  and 
was  descended  from  Puritan  ancestry.  The  early  home  of  the  family  was  at 
Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  but  Nathan  and  Nancy  (Lampson)  Smith,  the 
parents  of  our  subject,  were  both  born  at  Mount  Vernon,  New  Hampshire, 
the  former  in  1777  and  the  latter  in  1782.  They  had  but  two  sons,  Nathan 
and  Leander.  The  father,  a  woolen  manufacturer  and  farmer,  removed  to 
Templeton,  Massachusetts,  in  an  early  day  and  in  1838  took  up  his  abode  at 
Royalston,  where  he  died  in  1849,  while  his  wife  passed  away  there  in  1854. 

Leander  Smith  remained  upon  the  home  farm  until  sixteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  became  a  student  in  the  academy  at  Ipswich,  Massachusetts, 
and  acquired  a  good  education.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  taught  school, 
following  the  profession  for  s_ix  years.  In  the  meantime  he  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine,  matriculating  in  the  medical  department  of  Dartmouth 
College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1842,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years.  He  practiced  his  profession  successfully  for  three  years  at  Richmond, 
Vermont,  and  thence  went  to  Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  the  lumber 
resources  of  the  district  were  being  developed.  He  located  at  Elkland  and 
from  1845  until  1853  was  identified  with  various  interests  in  the  county. 
His  professional  skill  won  him  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  and  his  energy 
and  keen  business  insight  proved  strong  elements  in  the  success  that  attended 
other  business  ventures.  He  became  successfully  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  and  was  also  connected  with  mercantile  projects  of  considerable 
proportion. 


LIBRARY 
OF  TH€ 

"wtyrnciTV  OF  ILL'.MC!" 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  453 

Attracted  by  the  reports  concerning  the  gold  discoveries  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  in  March,  1849,  he  started  for  California,  participating  in  the  life  of 
the  state  at  the  time  when  the  present  capital  city  was  but  a  village  of  tents 
and  San  Francisco  contained  only  a  few  houses.  There  was  no  well  organ- 
ized government  and  many  desperate  and  criminal  characters  were  found  in 
that  region,  drawn  thither  by  the  opportunities  afforded  for  carrying  on  their 
depredations.  Mr.  Smith  engaged  in  prospecting  on  the  north  fork  of  the 
American  river  for  a  year  and  rendered  efficient  aid  to  the  administration  of 
measures  to  secure  protection  to  the  people.  He  met  with  good  success  during 
the  year  of  his  residence  in  California  and  in  1850  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  resumed  his  former  duties  and  business  connection.  He  afterward 
went  to  Vinton,  Iowa,  where  in  1853  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  also  becoming  an  active  factor  in  the  general  business  life  of 
the  place.  He  owned  a  large  tract  of  government  land  upon  which  he  platted 
a  part  of  the  town. 

After  a  year  he  removed  to  Lyons,  Iowa,  and  was  identified  with  its 
professional  and  commercial  interests  until  1856,  when  he  arrived  in  Fulton, 
Whiteside  county,  Illinois.  He  was  a  man  of  keen  business  discernment, 
readily  recognizing  and  utilizing  opportunities; 'and  here  he  devoted  his  time 
to  financial  projects  and  enterprises  and  was  also  engaged  extensively  in  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  lumber  for  ten  years.  He  also  purchased  large  tracts 
of  government  land  in  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  from  which  he  cut  the 
timber  and  then  sold  the  land  to  those  who  wished  to  become  permanent 
settlers.  In  1856  he  established  the  banking  house  of  Smith,  Root  &  Com- 
pany, owning  a  controlling  interest  therein  until  1864,  in  which  year  the 
financial  institution  of  L.  Smith  &  Company  was  established  at  Morrison. 
The  following  year  it  was  converted  into  the  First  National  Bank,  of  which 
Mr.  Smith  became  president  and  A.  J.  Jackson  cashier.  In  1876  Mr.  Smith 
took  up  his  abode  in  Morrison  and  two  years  later  founded  the  banking  house 
of  Smith  &  Mackay,  an  institution  which  soon  took  rank  with  the  leading 
financial  enterprises  of  this  part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Smith  was  also  interested 
in  the  real-estate  business  and  owned  and  assisted  in  the  improvement  of  two 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Whiteside  county,  besides  several  thousand  acres 
in  Iowa,  Nebraska,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  He  was  considered  to  be  the 
financial  head  of  Whiteside  county  and  he  belonged  to  that  class  of  typical 
American  citizens  who  in  advancing  individual  interests  also  contribute  to  the 
public  welfare. 

'In  August,  1843,  at  Richmond,  New  Hampshire,  Leander  Smith  wedded 
Miss  Elizabeth  Parkhurst,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  John  Parkhurst,  of  that  place. 
Her  death  occurred  at  Elkland,  Pennsylvania,  January  31,  1851,  and  on  the 
2d  of  May,  1855,  Mr.  Smith  wedded  Miss  Dolly  A.  Allen,  a  native  of  Cort- 
land,  New  York.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  Alice,  Anna  E.. 
Frank  L.,  Lewis  W.,  Edward  A.  and  Harry  W.  The  mother  was  a  daughter 
of  Edward  Allen,  a  granddaughter  of  Joseph  Allen,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  a  great-granddaughter  of  Zebulon  Allen,  who  was  the  first 
lieutenant  in  the  Colonial  army  in  the  struggle  for  independence.  One  of  the 
sons  of  Leander  and  Dolly  A.  (Allen)  Smith,  Frank  L.,  was  born  June  26, 


454  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

1861,  at  Fulton,  Illinois,  and  attended  the  public  schools  and  the  University 
at  Champaign.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered  his  father's  bank  as  cashier 
and  remained  in  that  position  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Pasadena, 
California,  in  February,  1887.  He  married  Gertrude  Thatcher,  a  daughter 
of  W.  H.  Thatcher,  a  pioneer  of  this  county.  He  made  his  home  in  Sterling 
and  for  many  years  was  county  treasurer,  but  now  resides  in  Morrison.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  L.  Smith  was  celebrated  in  1886  and  his 
death  occurred  the  following  year. 

In  1868  Leander  Smith  again  visited  California  and  noted  with  interest 
the  many  changes  that  had  occurred  in  business  conditions,  in  the  govern- 
ment and  in  the  social  and  moral  life  of  the  city.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  was  a  Baptist  in  religious  belief,  in  which  connection  he 
accorded  to  all  the  right  to  their  individual  opinions.  He  gave  his  political 
allegiance  to  Jeffersonian  democracy  until  1848,  when  he  cast  his  ballot  for 
Martin  Van  Buren,  the  presidential  candidate  of  the  free-soil  party.  From 
1858  until  his  death  he  was  one  of  the  stalwart  advocates  of  the  republican 
party,  and  was  deeply  interested  in  its  success  and  growth.  While  at  Fulton 
he  was  elected  to  represent  the  district  in  the  state  legislature  from  1862  until 
1864  and  while  a  member  of  the  house  served  on  the  committee  on  banks, 
corporations,  state  institutions  and  others  of  less  importance.  He  also  intro- 
duced a  number  of  important  bills,  including  the  one  for  the  building  of  the 
Rockford,  Rock  Island  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  system.  He  filled  the  office  of  city  councilman  in  Ful- 
ton for  a  number  of  years,  was  also  city  treasurer  and  for  a  time  was  alder- 
man at  Morrison.  In  all  of  these  official  positions  his  labors  were  marked  by 
a  singleness  of  purpose  that  never  left  room  for  question  as  to  his  loyalty  or 
his  patriotism.  On  the  organization  of  the  college  of  northern  Illinois  at 
Fulton  he  became  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees  and  served  as  its  treasurer 
until  his  death,  having  entire  charge  of  the  endowment  fund.  He  died 
August  7,  1889,  and  Whiteside  county  lost  one  of  its  most  distinguished  citi- 
zens— a  man  whom  to  know  was  to  respect  and  honor  and  who,  though 
eminently  successful  in  business  life,  ever  followed  methods  which  were  above 
reproach  or  suspicion. 


EDWARD   BEHRENS. 

Edward  Behrens,  whose  business  career  was  ever  active,  honorable  and 
upright,  left  to  his  family,  at  his  death,  an  untarnished  name.  He  was  born 
in  Oldenburg,  Germany,  August  30,  1850,  and  was  a  son  of  Frederick  and 
Rinsty  (Wilms)  Behrens,  also  natives  of  Germany.  In  their  family  were 
two  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  After  losing  his  first  wife  the 
father  married  again  and  there  were  two  children  of  that  union:  Bernard, 
who  died  when  a  young  man ;  and  August,  who  lives  in  Montmorency  town- 
ship, this  county.  In  1866  the  father  came  to  America  with  his  second  wife 
and  settled  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  near  Dinsmoor.  A  few  years  later 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  455 

he  bought  a  farm  in  Montmorency  township,  comprising  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  suc- 
cessfully carrying  on  the  work  of  the  fields  for  many  years.  He  was  born 
February  27,  1819,  and  died  April  6,  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years, 
having  for  some  time  survived  his  second  wife. 

Edward  Behrens  acquired  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  Germany, 
manifesting  special  aptitude  in  his  studies,  and  for  one  season  he  was  a  student 
in  an  English  school  in  this  country.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
making  his  home  with  his  parents  until  he  attained  his  majority,  although 
he  occasionally  worked  out  by  the  month.  He  was  a  youth  of  fifteen  years 
when  the  family  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world  and  for  forty-years 
was  a  resident  of  Whiteside  county  and  an  interested  witness  of  the  events 
which  have  shaped  its  policy  and  formulated  its  history. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1878,  Mr.  Behrens  was  married  to  Miss  Catharine  Bon- 
gartz,  a  daughter  of  Wilhelm  and  Gertrude  (Evan)  Bongartz.  Mrs.  Behrens 
was  born  at  Cologne,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  with  her  widowed 
mother  and  two  brothers  in  1870,  after  the  French  war,  her  father  having  died 
in  Germany  when  she  was  six  years  of  age.  The  death  of  her  mother  occurred 
in  Sterling  in  1890  when  she  was  about  seventy-two  years  of  age.  The  family 
numbered  two  sons  and  four  daughters :  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  Adam  Hut- 
ton,  of  Sterling;  Maria,  the  widow  of  Martin  Roff,  of  Chicago;  Frank  Bon- 
gartz, who  makes  his  home  in  Sterling;  Agnes,  the  deceased  wife  of  Robert 
Babelick,  her  death  occurring  in  Germany;  Mrs.  Behrens;  and  Henry  Bon- 
gartz, who  lives  in  Sterling.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Behrens  were  born  three 
sons,  but  all  died  in  infancy. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  Behrens  worked  for  a  time  in  the  wire  mill 
in  Sterling  and  subsequently  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Montmorency 
township.  There  he  lived  for  seven  years  and  afterward  bought  another 
farm  of  forty  acres.  Subsequently  he  disposed  of  both  of  those  places  and 
invested  in  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  in  Montmorency  township  but 
removed  to  Sterling,  where  he  established  a  coal  business.  After  his  father's 
death  Edward  Behrens  became  administrator  of  the  estate  and,  withdrawing 
from  the  coal  trade,  took  up  his  abode  upon  his  father's  farm,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  a  year.  He  then  sold  his  interest  in  the  place  to  his  brother  and 
became  a  dealer  in  agricultural  implements  at  Rock  Falls  in  partnership  with 
Jacob  Hoffman  under  the  firm  style  of  Hoffman  &  Behrens.  They  continued 
together  for  several  years  with  good  success,  after  which  Mr.  Behrens  retired. 
During  all  this  time  he  retained  the  ownership  of  his  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  but  since  his  death  Mrs.  Behrens  has  sold  it  to  his  brother 
August. 

It  was  on  the  10th  of  May,  1906,  that  Mr.  Behrens  passed  away,  when 
nearly  fifty-six  years  of  age.  He  belonged  to  St.  John's  Lutheran  church, 
having  been  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  faith  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He 
became  a  charter  member  of  the  organization  of  that  denomination  at  Rock 
Falls  and  when  he  removed  to  Sterling  transferred  his  membership  here.  He 
was  a  highly  respected  citizen,  who  in  every  relation  of  life  was  found  true 
to  his  duties  and  to  any  trust  reposed  in  him.  He  held  membership  with 


456  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  Knights  of  the  Globe  and  was  president  of  the  local  organization  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  served  as  a  school  director  in  Montmorency  township 
and  the  cause  of  education  ever  found  in  him  a  warm  friend.  He  was  a  manly 
man,  who  held  to  high  ideals  in  citizenship  and  in  business,  while  friendship 
with  him  was  inviolable.  Those  who  knew  him  entertained  for  him  the  warm- 
est regard  in  recognition  of  his  genuine  worth,  and  his  death  was  the  occasion 
of  deep  sorrow  to  many  who  had  known  him  and  had  learned  to  appreciate 
his  good  qualities  of  heart  and  mind.  Mrs.  Behrens  still  survives  her  hus- 
band and  owns  a  good  home  at  No.  310  Fourth  avenue,  where  she  now  resides 
amid  the  many  friends  whom  she  has  made  in  Sterling. 


LOTT  SOUTHARD  PENNINGTON,  M.  D. 

Man's  worth  in  the  world  is  determined  by  his  usefulness — by  what  he 
has  accomplished  for  his  fellowmen— and  he  is  certainly  deserving  of  the 
greatest  honor  and  regard  whose  efforts  have  been  of  the  greatest  benefit  to 
his  fellow  citizens.  Judged  by  this  standard,  Dr.  Lott  Southard  Pennington 
could  well  be  accounted  one  of  the  distinguished  citizens  of  Sterling.  His 
life  was  ever  helpful  in  its  nature  whether  as  a  physician,  in  other  business 
lines  or  in  the  public  service.  He  met,  too,  with  a  measure  of  success  that 
made  him  one  of  the  leading  landowners  of  Whiteside  county  and  the  strong 
determination,  laudable  purpose  and  unfaltering  perseverance  which  he  man- 
ifested constitute  an  example  that  is  well  worthy  of  emulation. 

Dr.  Pennington  was  born  at  Somerset,  New  Jersey,  November  12,  1812, 
his  parents  being  Elijah  and  Martha  (Todd)  Pennington,  who  were  likewise 
natives  of  that  state.  The  family  numbered  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
but  all  are  now  deceased.  Dr.  Pennington  acquired  his  early  education  at 
Somerville,  Somerset  county,  New  Jersey,  attending  a  private  academy  there, 
while  later  he  pursued  his  studies  in  an  educational  institution  at  Basking- 
ridge,  New  Jersey.  His  more  specifically  literary  education  was  supplemented 
by  preparation  for  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  New  York  city 
and  in  1836  he  came  to  the  middle  west,  establishing  his  home  in  Jerseyville, 
Jersey  county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  medicine 
until  1839. 

Through  the  following  year  he  was  a  practitioner  in  Sterling  and  in 
1840  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  and  turned  his  attention  to  general  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  In  1841  he  began  the  cultivation  of  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees  and  in  this  connection  did  an  important  work,  demonstrating  the  possi- 
bilities for  horticultural  development  in  the  state.  Gradually  he  built  up  a 
nursery  business,  in  which  he  continued  for  fifteen  years,  having  the  second 
nursery  in  northern  Illinois.  He  sent  out  only  the  best  nursery  stock  and 
did  much  toward  promoting  the  attractiveness  of  Illinois  by  reason  of  its  fine 
orchards  and  the  shade  and  ornamental  trees  used  in  adorning  town,  village 
and  country  seat.  Along  legitimate  lines  he  conducted  his  business,  year 
after  year  adding  to  his  profits  and  as  his  financial  resources  increased  he 
made  purchases  of  land  from  time  to  time  until  he  was  the  owner  of  eight 


^i  * 

•i 


ff, 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
cocrry  op  I 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  459 

hundred  acres  of  as  fine  land  as  could  be  found  in  Illinois,  all  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  devoted  the  latter  part  of  his  life  to  scientific  farming  and  kindred 
pursuits.  He  studied  closely  the  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  and  plant 
food,  made  experiments  and  proved  his  theories  to  be  practical  ideas.  He  was 
not  only  interested  in  the  conditions  of  the  country  as  seen  at  the  present 
time,  but  also  in  the  study  of  geology — the  construction  of  the  earth's  surface 
and  those  periods  known  in  scientific  parlance  as  the  coal,  glacial  and  other 
periods.  He  was  always  a  student,  carrying  his  investigations  far  and  wide 
into  various  realms  of  knowledge.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Horticultural  Society  and  thoroughly  informed  himself  concerning  the 
cultivation  of  fruit,  the  soil  required  for  its  propagation  and  the  climatic 
conditions  necessary  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  He  believed  in  progress  and 
realized  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  standing  still — that  one  must  either 
advance  or  go  backward — and  his  course  was  ever  forward.  He  was  always 
willing  to  give  a  bit  of  advice  or  speak  a  word  of  encouragement  when  the 
opportune  moment  came  and  his  broad  scientific  as  well  as  practical  knowl- 
edge made  his  counsel  of  recognized  worth  in  the  community. 

Dr.  Pennington  also  figured  prominently  in  community  affairs  as  a 
public-spirited  citizen  who  withheld  his  support  from  no  measure  or  move- 
ment calculated  to  prove  of  public  benefit.  In  1861  he  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors  and  acceptably  filled  that  posi- 
tion for  a  number  of  years. 

In  1837  Dr.  Pennington  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  P.  Barnett,  a  daughter 
of  John  Barnett,  of  Brighton,  Illinois.  She  died  in  1866.  On  the  1st  of 
September,  1868,  Dr.  Pennington  was  married  to  Mrs.  Ruth  A;  Morrison, 
widow  of  Dr.  William  Morrison,  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Ann  (Thomas)  Gait.  Her  first  husband  had 
died  in  1867.  Mrs.  Pennington  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
was  reared  to  womanhood  in  that  state  and  was  married  there  the  first  time. 
In  March,  1866,  she  came  to  Sterling  and  has  made  her  home  in  Whiteside 
county  to  the  present  time.  Her  education  was  largely  acquired  in  the 
academy  at  Strasburg,  Pennsylvania.  Her  father,  William  Gait,  died  when 
she  was  but  three  years  of  age,  while  her  mother  afterward  came  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Pennington,  to  Whiteside  county  in  1866  and  died  in  Sterling 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

The  parental  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Pennington  were  James  and  Mary 
(Martin)  Gait.  The  family  is  an  old  one  in  this  country,  dating  its  con- 
nection with  America  from  1710.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Pen- 
nington was  Zaddock  Thomas,  who  married  Ruth  Thomas.  They  were 
natives  of  Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  lived  in  Norristown.  The 
Thomas  family  traces  the  ancestry  back  through  several  generations  in  Penn- 
sylvania. 

In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Gait  were  ten  children,  six  sons 
and  four  daughters,  of  whom  four  are  now  living:  Thomas  A.;  Mrs.  Amanda 
Crawford,  of  Sterling;  Azeriah,  of  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Ruth  Pennington. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Pennington  occurred  July  21.  1906,  when  he  had 
attained  the  remarkable  old  age  of  ninety-three  years  and  eight  month?.  He 


460  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

was  one  of  the  most  honored  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  prominent  in  the  early 
devlopment  of  the  community.  The  first  house  which  he  erected  was  a  little 
log  cabin  on  the  Elkhorn  creek  and  there  he  lived  in  true  pioneer  style, 
courageously  facing  all  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  the  settle- 
ment of  the  frontier.  He  purchased  his  farm  from  the  government  and  the 
land  came  into  his  possession  a  wild  and  unbroken  tract,  upon  which  not  a 
furrow  had  been  turned  or  a  rod  of  fence  built.  The  place  is  pleasantly 
situated  about  four  miles  from  Sterling  in  Jordan  township.  With  char- 
acteristic energy  he  began  to  clear  the  land,  break  the  sod  and  cultivate  the 
fields.  This  involved  much  arduous  labor,  but  his  work  was  soon  manifest 
in  the  changed  appearance  of  the  place,  which  was  converted  into  an  excellent 
farm.  As  the  years  passed  he  not  only  cultivated  his  land  with  good  success 
but  also  opened  a  stone  quarry  upon  his  place,  using  the  stone  for  the  build- 
ing of  foundations,  many  of  which  are  the  support  for  substantial  homes  in 
Sterling.  As  the  years  passed  his  labors  overcame  all  the  privations  and 
hardships  of  pioneer  life  and,  as  stated,  he  became  one  of  the  extensive  land- 
owners of  the  county  and  one  of  its  most  prominent  and  resourceful  farmers, 
whose  agricultural  interests  were  carried  on  in  accordance  with  the  most 
scientific  methods  as  well  as  in  accord  with  the  knowledge  that  he  had  gained 
through  practical  experience.  For  several  years  prior  to  his  death  he  was 
blind.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  which  Mrs.  Pen- 
nington  also  belongs.  While  a  man  of  strong  character  and  marked  indi- 
viduality, he  possessed  also  a  most  kindly  disposition  and  long  ranked  with 
the  most  prominent  residents  of  Sterling  and  of  Whiteside  county.  As  the 
day,  with  its  morning  of  hope  and  promise,  its  noontide  of  activity,  its  even- 
ing of  completed  and  successful  effort,  ending  in  the  grateful  rest  and  quiet 
of  the  night — so  was  the  life  of  this  good  man.  Full  of  years  and  honors 
have  passed  away,  but  many  more  years  will  be  added  to  the  cycle  of  the 
centuries  ere  he  will  cease  to  be  remembered  by  those  among  whom  he  lived 
and  labored. 


ROBERT    E.  JOHNSTON. 

Robert  E.  Johnston,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Johnston  Lumber 
Company,  doing  business  at  Rock  Falls,  was  born  near  Galva,  Henry  county, 
Illinois,  April  21,  1877.  His  father,  John  S.  Johnston,  was  born  in  October, 
1827  in  Draperstown,  Londonderry,  Ireland,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  being 
a  son  of  Robert  and  Jane  Johnston,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  on  the  Emer- 
ald isle.  They  were  farming  people  and  were  among  the  peasant  landholders 
of  northern  Ireland,  poor  with  little  hope  of  betterment. 

When  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age  John  S.  Johnston  came  to 
America  to  seek  his  fortune,  the  voyage  bjeing  made  on  a  sailing  vessel  which 
was  five  weeks  in  reaching  New  York,  where  he  landed  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land  with  only  fourteen  dollars  in  his  possession.  On  two  different  occasions 
in  later  years  he  returned  to  his  native  land  to  visit  his  mother.  After  living 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  461 

for  some  time  in  Connecticut,  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1854  and  located  near 
Galva  in  Henry  county.  He  subsequently  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  two 
and  a  half  miles  north  of  that  city,  it  being  the  nucleus  of  the  present  home- 
stead, on  which  he  continued  to  reside  until  called  to  his  final  rest  May  6, 
1889.  After  coming  to  this  state  he  married  Miss  Lucy  Maria  Sellon,  who 
was  born  at  Frakers  Grove,  Stark  county,  Illinois,  November  1,  1843,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Phebe  (Stoddard)  Sellon.  Her  father  was  born  in 
London,  England,  and  was  about  three  or  four  years  of  age  when  brought 
to  the  United  States  by  his  parents,  the  family  locating  at  Skaneateles,  New 
York.  His  father  had  left  the  pulpit  of  St.  Paul's  cathedral,  London,  to 
come  to  America,  several  generations  back  having  held  that  position.  Henry 
Sellon  married  Phebe  Stoddard,  who  was  born  in  Goshen,  Litchfield  county, 
Connecticut,  June  11,  1820,  and  died  in  Round  Grove,  Henry  county,  Illinois, 
August  7,  1846.  His  death  also  occurred  at  that  place.  Her  parents  were 
Israel  and  Irene  (Frigbie)  Stoddard,  and  the  latter  was  a  daughter  of  Phile- 
mon and  Rhoda  (Butler)  Frisbie.  The  father  of  Rhoda  Butler  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  Frisbie  family  were  Quakers.  Mrs.  Lucy 
(Sellon)  Johnston  still  survives  her  husband.  Unto  them  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, five  sons  and  one  daughter:  Thomas  H.,  who  is  living  in  Kewanee, 
Illinois,  and  is  president  of  the  Johnston  Lumber  Company  of  Rock  Falls; 
Edward  I.,  of  Kewanee;  Phebe  J.,  who  is  living  in  the  same  city;  William  J., 
a  resident  of  Toulon,  Illinois;  Robert  E.,  of  this  review;  and  George  E.,  also 
of  Kewanee. 

Robert  E.  Johnston  was  reared  upon  the  farm  in  Henry  county,  Illinois. 
No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  for 
him  during  the  period  of  his  boyhood  and  youth.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  and  afterward  became  a  pupil  in  the  Galva  high  school,  while  subse- 
quently he  continued  his  studies  in  the  Brown  Business  College  at  Galesburg, 
Illinois.  In  1892  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Galva, 
where  he  continued  his  education. 

After  pursuing  his  commercial  course  Mr.  Johnston  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  bookkeeper  for  the  Houghton  Lumber  Company,  with  whom  he  con- 
tinued for  a  year  in  that  capacity,  while  later  he  became  yard  manager  at 
Victoria,  Illinois,  where  he  spent  one  year,  and  for  three  years  he  represented 
the  firm  at  Altona,  Illinois.  In  November,  1902,  he  came  to  Rock  Falls  and 
was  elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Johnston  Lumber  Company,  con- 
ducting a  general  retail  lumber  and  coal  business.  He  is  a  young  man,  alert 
and  enterprising,  watching  every  detail  pointing  to  success  and  as  the  years 
have  gone  by  his  capable  control  of  this  enterprise  is  'making  it  one  of  the 
profitable  business  concerns  of  the  city. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  1905,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Robert  E.  John- 
ston and  Miss  Alda  H.  Born,  who  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  November  1, 
1883,  was  graduated  from  the  Decatur  high  school  in  1901  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  in  1904.  She  is  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Fides  (Hal- 
dermann)  Born,  also  natives  of  Lancaster,  Ohio.  Her  paternal  grandparent", 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Lemp)  Born,  were  born  in  Niederpipp,  Switzerland, 
while  her  maternal  grandparent.-,  Levi  and  Marthictte  (Littlefield)  lT;ilrler- 


462  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

mann,  were  both  natives  of  Ohio.  Levi  Haldermann  was  a  son  of  George 
and  Jennie  (Williamson)  Haldermann,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  Marthiette  Littlefield  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Amelia  (Dixon) 
Littlefield,  natives  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  respectively.  Mrs.  Johnston's 
parents  are  still  living.  Her  father  was  for  many  years  a  railroad  bridge 
builder  and  coal  mine  contractor,  taking  contracts  for  sinking  shafts  and 
building  superstructures  in  connection  with  coal  mines  in  West  Virginia  and 
Ohio.  Coming  to  Illinois  he  settled  first  at  Decatur,  but  for  the  past  seven 
or  eight  years  has  made  his  home  in  Champaign.  His  family  numbers  five 
children :  Alda  H.,  Ora,  Russell,  Ray  and  Katherine. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  has  been  blessed  with  one  daugh- 
ter, Virginia  K.  The  family  residence  is  at  No.  302  East  Second  street  in 
Rock  Falls  and  the  young  couple  have  many  warm  friends  there,  while  the 
hospitality  of  their  own  home  is  greatly  enjoyed  by  those  who  know  them.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Johnston  is  a  republican  and  in  religious  faith  Mrs. 
Johnston  is  a  Methodist.  His  business  career  has  been  characterized  by  a 
measure  of  success  that  can  only  come  through  close  application  and  un- 
faltering diligence,  and  working  along  modern  lines  he  has  developed  an 
excellent  trade  for  the  Johnston  Lumber  Company. 


JUDGE  HENRY  C.  WARD. 

The  judiciary  of  Illinois  has  numbered  in  its  ranks  many  distin- 
guished and  able  men  but  none  of  those  who  have  sat  upon  the  state  or 
federal  bench  have  been  more  faithful  in  service,  constant  in  honor  or  stain- 
less in  reputation  than  Judge  Henry  C.  Ward,  who  is  now  serving  the  fourth 
term  as  judge  of  the  county  court.  He  mantains  his  residence  in  Sterling, 
where  he  has  lived  from  early  manhood.  His  birth  occurred  in  Hendrysburg, 
Belmont  county,  Ohio,  November  16,  1850. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Philip  Ward,  was  a  native  of  Cecil  county, 
Maryland,  and  was  of  English  lineage.  In  his  youth  he  was  trained  in  the 
work  of  shoemaking  but  later  became  a  farmer  and  for  many  years  car- 
ried on  general  agricultural  pursuits.  He  married  Margaret  Brown,  who 
died  in  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  His  death  occurred  ten  years 
later  when  he  was  also  about  eighty-nine  years  of  age. 

Their  family  included  John  B,  Ward,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
throughout  his  entire  businesss  life  followed  merchandising.  He  came  from 
Ohio  to  Illinois  about  1874  and  settled  in  Sterling,  where  three  of  his  chil- 
dren were  then  residing,  living  retired,  until  his  death.  In  early  manhood 
he  wedded  Mary  A.  Mumma,  whose  surname  was  originally  spelled  Muma. 
Her  father  was  John  Mumma,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  was  accidentally 
killed  in  Ohio  when  forty-two  years  of  age  so  that  little  is  known  concerning 
his  early  history.  His  wife,  however,  survived  him  to  the  very  advanced  age 
of  ninety-one  years.  Their  children  included  Mary  A.  Mumma,  who  became 
the  wife  of  John  B.  Ward.  By  this  marriage  there  were  born  three  sons  and 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  463 

two  daughters:  Eber  B.,  deceased;  Chattie  L.,  the  widow  of  John  G.  Mana- 
han,  of  Sterling;  Eowena  V.,  the  deceased  wife  of  John  F.  Barrett,  who  has 
also  passed  away;  W.  Scott,  of  Sterling;  and  Henry  C.  The  father  died 
August  5,  1899,  at  the  very  venerable  age  of  eighty-nine  years  and  seven 
months,  and  his  wife  passed  away  about  three  years  later  when  about  ninety 
years  of  age.  Both  were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  Mr.  Ward  was  interested  in  community  affairs  to  the  extent  of 
giving  hearty  cooperation  to  many  movements  for  the  public  good.  He  held 
a  number  of  township  offices  but  preferred  rather  to  remain  in  private  life 
and  leave  the  office  holding  to  others. 

Judge  Ward  was  reared  in  his  native  village  of  Hendrysburg  and  mas- 
tered the  elementary  branches  of  learning  there.  He  afterward  enjoyed  the 
advantage  of  instruction  in  McNeely  College  of  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  and 
was  graduated  in  1871.  Prior  to  that  time  he  had  assisted  his  father  in  the 
store  and  following  his  graduation  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  one 
winter.  He  has  made  his  home  in  Sterling  since  October,  1872,  at  which 
time-  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Kilgour  &  Manahan  as  a  student.  His  thor- 
ough preliminary  training  was  followed  by  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1877 
and  here  he  practiced  until  his  elevation  to  the  bench.  For  four  different 
terms  he  served  as  city  attorney  and  his  efficient  professional  service  and  his 
private  practice  both  indicate  the  scope  of  his  judicial  knowledge  and  his 
correctness  in  the  analysis  of  a  cause.  In  1894  he  was  elected  county  judge 
and  at  each  regular  election  since  that  time  has  again  been  called  to  the  office 
by  popular  suffrage,  so  that  he  is  now  serving  for  the  fourth  term.  No 
higher  testimonial  of  his  fidelity  and  ability  could  be  given  than  this  en- 
dorsement at  the  polls,  which  bespeaks  his  marked  ability  and  his  per- 
sonal popularity.  His  opinions  are  characterized  by  the  utmost  fairness,  no 
personal  prejudice  entering  in  as  a  disturbing  force.  Aside  from  his  ju- 
diciary duties,  Judge  Ward  has  business  interest  in  that  he  is  a  stockholder 
and  director  in  the  Sterling  Manufacturing  Company  and  in  the  Charter 
Gas  Engine  Company. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  1877,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Judge  AVard 
and  Miss  Mary  C.  Anthony,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Julius  P.  and  Martha  J. 
(Park)  Anthony.  Seven  children  were  born  of  this  union:  Martha  W.,  the 
wife  of  H.  A.  Sowles,  a  resident  of  Des  Moines,  by  whom  she  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Dorothy;  Alice  M.,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Arthur  H.  Harms,  a  practicing  phy- 
sioian  of  Sterling,  by  whom  she  has  one  son,  Henry  Ward  Harmes;  John  A., 
a  lawyer  of  Sterling,  who  married  Florence  A.  Munson,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Elizabeth  M.  and  Henry  Munson;  Julius,  who  died  in  infancy;  Frank 
A.,  a  student  in  the  University  of  Illinois ;.  Philip  IT.,  who  is  attending  the 
Sterling  high  school;  and  Mary  Helen,  yet  a  student  in  the  grammar 
schools. 

Judge  Ward  has  always  been  deeply  and  helpfully  interested  in  the 
cause  of  education  and  for  many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
the  Wallace  schools  while  for  about  fifteen  years  he  was  secretary  of  the 
Sterling  library  board.  His  aid  and  influence  are  given  to  further  any  meas- 
ure or  movement  promising  to  prove  of  public  value.  Politically  he  has 


464  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

always  been  a  republcan  but  his  political  allegiance  is  in  no  way  allowed  to 
interfere  with  the  performance  of  his  official  duties.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  consistent  and  exemplary  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Sterling  as  are  the  members  of  their  family  with  the  exception  of  their 
youngest  daughter.  The  Judge  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity since  1871  and  is  a  past  eminent  commander  of  the  Knight  Temp- 
lars. He  affiliates  with  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Sterling 
Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.;  and  Sterling  Commandery  No.  57,  K.  T.  The 
family  residence  is  at  No.  807  Avenue  B.  For  thirty-five  years  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Sterling  and  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  has  been  an 
active  member  of  the  bar,  while  throughout  this  part  of  the  state  he  is  ac- 
counted one  of  the  strongest  county  judges.  His  decisions  indicate  strong 
mentality,  careful  analysis  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law  and  an  un- 
biased judgment. 


HAMLIN  A.  STURTEVANT. 

Hamlin  A.  Sturtevant,  whose  recent  death  on  the  7th  of  February,  190S, 
removed  from  Whiteside  county  one  whom  the  community  could  ill  affo.d 
to  lose,  was  one  of  the  popular  and  best  known  citizens  of  Prophetstown, 
respected  and  honored  by  all  who  knew  him  and  most  by  those  who  knew 
him  best.  He  was  born  in  Peacham,  Vermont,  October  1,  1839,  and  came 
of  German  and  Scotch  extraction.  His  paternal  grandfather  became  a  resi- 
dent of  this  county  and  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Josiah  Sturtevant,  in 
Coloma  township,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  Both  he  and  his  son 
Josiah  were  farmers.  The  latter  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  June  16,  1804, 
and  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  east.  He  wedded  Mary  Ann  Robbing 
who  was  born  in  Vermont  and  in  1843  they  removed  westward  to  Illinois, 
settling  first  in  Sterling.  They  afterward  took  up  their  abode  at  Como,  where 
they  remained  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  father  purchased 
a  farm  in  Coloma  township,  where  for  many  years  he  successfully  carried 
on  general  agricultural  pursuits,  there  making  his  home  until  1893,  when  he 
removed  to  Rock  Falls.  Two  years  later,  on  the  4th  of  October,  1895,  his 
death  there  occurred  as  the  result  x>f  a  fall  which  occasioned  a  broken  hip. 
His  wife  had  died  on  the  home  farm  in  Coloma  township  when  about  sixty- 
five  years  of  age.  Their  family  numbered  seventeen  children,  including 
three  pairs  of  twins.  Eleven  of  the  children  grew  to  years  of  maturity  and 
five  are  yet  living,  namely :  Jonas,  who  resides  in  'Caloma  township ;  Charles. 
a  resident  of  Lyndon ;  Emma  and  Eva,  twins,  the  former  now  the  wife  of 
V.  S.  Gibson;  and  Mrs.  Adeline  Andrews,  residing  in  Sterling. 

Hamlin  A.  Sturtevant  was  only  four  years  of  age  when  the  family 
removed  from  Vermont  to  Illinois.  He  accompanied  them  on  their  different 
removals,  being  practically  reared  upon  the  home  farm  in  Coloma  township, 
where  he  was  early  trained  to  habits  of  industry  and  economy,  thus  laying 
the  foundation  for  his  success  in  later  life.  On  attaining  his  majority  he 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
iycDQijy  OF  IL'J.SCI: 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  467 

took  up  his  abode  in  Sterling,  where  he  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
cattle  and  hogs,  remaining  in  that  city  for  about  seven  years.  He  continued 
in  the  same  line  of  business  to  the  time  of  his  demise  and  during  the  war  he 
also  bought  and  shipped  horses  for  the  government,  being  associated  with 
James  A.  Pattison,  of  Sterling,  a,  pioneer  in  the  business  and  the  only  stock 
man  in  Sterling  at  that  day.  In  his  business  interests  Mr.  Sturtevant  dis- 
played marked  enterprise  and  keen  sagacity.  In  connection  with  his  brother 
Newton  he  purchased  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Coloma  township,  the 
brother  conducting  the  farm  while  Hamlin  A.  Sturtevant  traveled  over  the 
country  buying  stock.  About  forty  years  ago  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Prophetetown,  where  he  made  his  home  until  called  to  his  final  rest,  being 
connected  with  agricultural  and  stock-raising  interests  throughout  the  entire 
period.  As  he  saw  opportunity  for  judicious  investment  he  added  to  his 
possessions  until  he  owned  over  two  thousand  acres  and  also  gave  four  hun- 
dred acres  to  his  son  Burt.  They  were  associated  in  the  stock  business,  con- 
stituting one  of  the  strong  firms  of  the  county.  They  shipped  over  fifty 
carloads  of  cattle  in  1907,  which  they  fed,  and  between  July,  1907,  and 
January,  1908,  placed  upon  the  market  more  than  five  hundred  head  of 
cattle  which  they  fed.  The  extent  of  the  business  is  more  than  double  that 
of  any  other  shippers  of  the  county  and  the  business  was  developed  through 
the  enterprise  and  unwearied  industry  of  Mr.  Sturtevant,  who  for  many  years 
figured  as  a  most  prominent  and  prosperous  stock  man  of  this  part  of  the 
state.  He  carried  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertook, 
allowing  no  obstacles  to  bar  his  path  if  they  could  be  overcome  by  determined 
and  honorable  effort.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  and  for  two  years 
a  director  in  the  Farmers  National  Bank  of  Prophetstown.  "He  had  a  fine 
home  and  four  acres  of  land  in  the  western  part  of  the  village,  purchasing 
this  place  ten  years  ago  and  residing  upon  it  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  1869  Mr.  Sturtevant  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Annis,  who  was  born 
in  Prophetstown,  November  2,  1849,  and  died  January  19,  1899,  leaving  a 
son,  Burt  A.  He  also  reared  the  daughter  of  his  wife's  sister,  Annie  Keene, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  Paul  June,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  In  1.901 
Mr.  Sturtevant  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mi?s  Jennie 
Cleveland,  a  native  of  Tampico  township  and  a  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Mary 
Cleveland,  of  Prophetstown.  They  were  married  at  Raton,  New  Mexico, 
where  Mrs.  Sturtevant  was  sojourning  for  her  health.  There  is  one  child  of 
the  second  marriage,  Aubrey  C.,  born  March  17,  1903. 

In  politics  Mr.  Sturtevant  was  a  life-long  democrat  and  a  personal  friend 
of  Hon.  William  J.  Bryan.  He  held  a  number  of  the  local  offices,  but  while 
undoubtedly  he  was  not  without  that  ambition  which  is  so  powerful  and 
useful  as  an  incentive  to  activity  in  public  affairs,  he  regarded  the  pursuits 
of  private  life  as  being  in  themselves  abundantly  worthy  of  his  best  efforts. 
He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  was  master  of  the  lodge  of 
Prophetstown  for  twenty-two  consecutive  years,  a  fact  which  stands  as  incon- 
trovertible proof  of  his  popularity  with  his  brethren  of  the  craft.  He  also 
belonged  to  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Prophetstown  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Knight  Templar  Commandery  at  Sterling.  Without  invidious  distinc- 


468  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

tion  he  may  be  termed  one  of  Prophetstown's  most  prominent  and  valued 
citizens.  In  manner  he  was  social  and  genial  and  his  circle  of  friends  was 
very  extensive.  In  his  business  career  there  was  much  that  is  worthy  of 
admiration  and  emulation.  He  always  followed  strictly  honorable  business 
principles  and  it  was  through  close  application,  well  directed  energy  and 
unfaltering  perseverance  that  he  gained  success.  His  labors,  too,  contributed 
in  no  small  degree  to  the  expansion  and  material  growth  of  the  county,  while 
he  himself  derived  substantial  benefits  therefrom. 


EDWARD  S.  HOOVER. 

Edward  S.  Hoover,  editor  of  the  Gazette  of  Sterling,  his  native  city,  was 
born  October  1,  1863.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Hoover,  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  that  party  of  German  Mennon- 
ites  who  were  picked  up  by  William  Penn  in  London  and  brought  to  this 
country  in  1717,  colonizing  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  original 
head  of  the  family  was  Hans  Hoover,  a  devout  Mennonite,  and  the  family 
continued  in  that  religious  faith  until  the  time  of  Samuel  Hoover,  who  drifted 
into  Methodism  and  became  an  exhorter  of  that  church.  Samuel  Hoover  was 
also  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  but  his  ancestors,  in  accordance  with  their 
religious  faith  and  teachings,  were  non-combatants.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Sprecher,  and  both  died  when  well  advanced  in  years,  their  graves  being  made 
in  Sterling  cemetery.  They  had  become  early  settlers  of  Whiteside  county 
and  had  aided  in  its  pioneer  development  and  improvement.  Samuel  Hoover 
was  quite  well-to-do  and  brought  with  him  to  Whiteside  county  considerable 
money,  which  earned  for  him  the  sobriquet  of  "Cash  Hoover."  Upon  him  the 
Methodist  church  of  Sterling  depended  largely  for  its  financial  support,  and 
he  gave  and  loaned  considerable  money  to  the  Methodist  society. 

His  son,  George  S.  Hoover,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  came  to  Sterling  in 
1855,  and  for  a  few  years  carried  on  merchandising,  bat  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  followed  the  occupation  of  farming,  carefully  conducting  his 
agricultural  interests  so  that  he  derived  a  good  income  therefrom.  He  held 
various  township  offices,  including  that  of  supervisor,  and  was  active  and 
influential  in  his  community.  He  married  Christiana  Grafius,  who  still  sur- 
vives him,  the  death  of  Mr.  Hoover  having  occurred  September  15,  1903, 
when  he  was  eighty  years  of  age.  Both  were  consistent  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  Their  family  numbered  four  children:  Edward  S. ;  Henry 
G.,  a  veterinary  surgeon  of  Sterling;  Martin  G.,  a  resident  of  Chicago;  and 
Frank  W.,  a  farmer  of  Minburn,  Iowa. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Edward  S.  Hoover  was  Jacob  Grafius,  a 
native  of  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  French  descent.  .  His  ances- 
tors were  religious  refugees,  who  settled  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  later  lived 
at  Huntingdon.  All  escaped  to  York  at  the  time  of  the  Utah  massacre  save 
one,  Rosanna,  who  was  captured  and  held  in  captivity  until  the  exchange  of 
the  prisoners  at  Pittsburg  during  the  French  and  Indian  war.  Jacob  Grafius 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  489 

was  a  merchant  at  Martinsburg,  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania,  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  antebellum  days  he  was  a  radical  abolitionist  and  became  a  stal- 
wart republican  when  that  party  was  formed  to  prevent  the  further  extension 
of  slavery.  In  1860  he  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  republican  national  conven- 
tion at  Chicago,  which  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  presidency.  He 
was  a  man  of  considerable  culture  and  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church 
at  Martinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  father  and  son  served  as  elders  through 
succeeding  generations  for  a  hundred  years.  Jacob  Grafius  married  Margaret 
Glazier,  and  died  in  Martinsburg,  at  an  advanced  age,  while  his  wife  passed 
away  in  middle  life.  They  were  the  parents  of  one  son  and  three  daughters. 

Edward  S.  Hoover  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Hans  Hoover.  In  his  boy- 
hood days  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  lived  upon  a  farm,  where  his 
lime  and  attention  were  given  to  the  work  of  field  and  meadow.  He,  how- 
over,  early  developed  a  taste  for  books  and  newspaper  work,  and  thinking  to 
find  other  pursuits  more  congenial  than  farming  he  became  a  newspaper 
reporter,  being  connected  at  different  times  with  papers  in  Rockford,  Belvi- 
dere  and  Sterling.  In  1904  he  became  editor  of  the  Sterling  Gazette,  a  repub- 
lican paper  published  daily.  It  is  the  oldest  journal  in  the  city  of  Sterling, 
having  been  established  in  1855  and  it  has  the  largest  circulation  of  any  news- 
paper in  the  thirty-fifth  congressional  district.  It  likewise  has  an  extensive 
advertising  patronage  and  the  business  is  a  profitable  one.  Its  newspaper 
editorials  are  attractive  by  reason  of  their  clear  and  concise  statement  of  facts 
and  discussion  of  issues.  The  paper  in  its  mechanical  construction  is  neat 
and  pleasing,  and  its  extensive  patronage  is  well  merited. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  1903,  Mr.  Hoover  was  married  to  Miss 
Jane  Ruth  Parker,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Catherine  (Spies)  Par- 
ker. They  have  one  daughter,  Christiana.  Mrs.  Hoover  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church.  Politically  Mr.  Hoover  is  a  stalwart  cham- 
pion of  republican  principles.  With  his  family  he  now  lives  on  the  old  home- 
stead of  his  father  and  grandfather,  a  property  which  has  long  been  in  pos- 
session of  the  family.  The  name  of  Hoover  has  for  several  decades  figured 
conspicuously  in  connection  with  the  history  of  Whiteside  county  and  Edward 
S.  Hoover  is  carrying  forward  the  work  of  his  father  and  grandfather  in 
upholding  all  interests  which  work  for  the  county's  development  apd  growth. 


JOHN  FRANKLIN  SEAVEY. 

John  Franklin  Seavey,  who  was  formerly  actively  connected  with  the 
agricultural  life  of  Whiteside  county,  is  now  practically  living  retired  on  his 
valuable  property  comprising  one  hundred  and-  sixty-five  acres,  situated  on 
section  8,  Mount  Pleasant  township.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Illinois,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Lee  county,  October  23,  1842.  His  parents,  Jesse  and 
Sarah  J.  (Norris)  Seavey,  were  both  natives  of  New  Hampshire,  the  former 
born  August  11,  1810,  and  the  latter  March  11,  1812.  On  his  removal  to 
the  west,  Jesse  Seavey  located  first  in  Whiteside  county  and  worked  on  the 
old  Jaoobstown  mill  for  Jonathan  Ilayncs.  Tn  1840  he  .settled  in  Lee  county, 


470  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

where  he  was  engaged  in  farming,  owning  nearly  four  hundred  acres  of  land. 
The  father,  who  was  familiarly  called  "Squire"  Seavey,  passed  away  Novem- 
ber 25,  1882,  while  the  wife  and  mother  survived  for  many  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  April  18,  1905,  when  she  had  reached  the 
very  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years,  being  at  the  time  of  her  death  the 
oldest  member  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  of  the  state  of  Illinois.  Her 
remains  were  interred  in  Palmyra  cemetery  in  Lee  county. 

The  family  of  this  worthy  couple  numbered  nine  children,  namely: 
Charles  H.,  a  resident  of  Hoopeston,  Illinois,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Sixty- 
ninth  Illinois  Regiment  in  the  Civil  war;  Harriet  A.,  the  deceased  wife  of 
John  Stager,  of  Dixon,  her  death  occurring  in  California;  George  E.,  who 
passed  away  in  Whiteside  county  in  the  year  1905;  John  F.,  of  this  review; 
Jefferson,  who  also  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Seventy-fifth 
Illinois  Regiment,  and  who  is  now  deceased ;  Josephine,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Lewis  Whipple  and  passed  away  more  than  twenty-five  years  ago;  Abbie 
M.,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Renchin,  a  resident  of  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa:  Sarah  J., 
the  wife  of  John  Fornof,  former  editor  of  the  Streator  Free  Press  and  now 
postmaster  of  that  city,  by  whom  she  has  six  children ;  and  Luella,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  seven  years. 

John  F.  Seaver  was  reared  in  Lee  county  and  acquired  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  During  the  period  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  he  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  and  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  when  he  started 
out  upon  an  independent  business  venture,  choosing,  however,  the  work  to 
which  he  had  been  reared.  For  one  year  he  followed  farming  in  Carroll 
county,  after  which  he  went  to  Madison  county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  which  he  operated  for  a  like  period.  He  believed,  however,  that  his 
native  state  offered  better  advantages  and  accordingly  returned  to  Whiteside 
county  and  purchased  land  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  this  constituting  a 
portion  of  his  present  home  place,  which  now  embraces  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  acres.  He  has  made  many  improvements  on  his  place,  including  good 
barns  and  outbuildings,  so  that  he  now  has  a  valuable  property.  Locating  on 
this  farm  in  February,  1870,  he  was  for  many  years  thereafter  actively  en- 
gaged in  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  in  later  years  raised  considerable 
fctock.  He  is  now  practically  living  retired,  the  actual  work  of  the  farm  being 
conducted  by  a  son-in-law,  Albert  Bills. 

Mr.  Seavey  served  as  a  member  of  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  Lee  county 
as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Fifteenth  Illinois  Infantry.  He  had  twice  previ- 
ously attempted  to  join  the  army,  but  was  restrained  from  doing  so  on  account 
of  his  youth.  Another  important  event  in  his  life  occurred  when  in  1867  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Phoebe  Dodd,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  April  1,  1847.  Mrs. 
Seavey  was  a  little  maiden  of  nine  years  when  she  acocmpanied  her  parents, 
Josephus  and  Sarah  (Rines)  Dodd,  to  this  state,  and  five  years  later,  in  1861. 
the  family  home  was  established  in  Whiteside  county,  where  the  daughter 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Seavey.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed 
with  two  daughters,  but  both  are  now  deceased.  The  elder,  Sarah  Ann,  died 
in  1870,  in  infancy.  Lillie  L.,  the  younger  daughter,  born  in  1874,  was 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  471 

married  in  1894  to  Albert  Bills,  by  whom  she  had  one  son,  John  H.,  now 
eleven  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Bills  passed  away  January  1,  1906,  at  the  early  age 
of  thirty-one  years.  Mr.  Bills  and  his  son  reside  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seavey 
and  he  is  managing  the  farm  for  Mr.  Seavey. 

Mr.  Seavey  has  always  given  stanch  support  to  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  republican  party,  but  has  always  declined  to  accept  public  office,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his  private  business  affairs. 
Mrs.  Seavey  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  at  Morrison,  to  which 
her  daughter  also  belonged.  Mr.  Seavey  and  his  estimable  wife  are  highly 
respected  in  the  community  where  they  have  so  long  made  their  home  and 
their  friends  are  numbered  by  the  score. 


A.  E.  PARMENTER. 

A.  E.  Parmenter  is  one  of  the  successful  merchants  of  Lyndon,  where 
he  is  conducting  business  under  the  firm  style  of  Parmenter  Brothers.  He 
was  born  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  near  Reynolds,  on  the  20th  of 
December,  1853,  his  parents  being  John  G.  and  Harriett  R.  (Waite)  Par- 
menter. They  were  natives  of  the  east,  but  in  childhood  became  residents  of 
Rock  Island  county,  being  among  the  pioneer  people  of  that  locality.  There 
they  were  reared  and  married  and  made  their  home  for  a  considerable  period, 
but  at  length  removed  to  Lyndon,  where  their  remaining  days  were  passed. 
The  father  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,while  the  mother  reached  the 
age  of  sixty-nine.  In  their  family  were  four  children:  George  H.,  now 
deceased ;  Charles ;  Mrs.  Sophia  Brewer,  who  has  also  passed  away ;  and  A.  E., 
of  this  review. 

The  last  named  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  county  until  January, 
1880.  He  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  early  becoming  familiar  with  the 
duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  He  is  indebted  to 
the  public-school  system  for  the  educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed  and 
to  his  parents  for  good  home  influences  which  made  him  early  recognize  the 
value  of  integrity  and  industry  in  the  active  affairs  of  life.  In  January, 
1880,  removing  to  Lyndon,  he  established  a  general  mercantile  store  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother-in-law,  A.  M.  Bruner.  This  association  was  con- 
tinued for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  George  H.  Parmenter  pur- 
chased Mr.  Bruner's  interest  and  the  firm  of  Parmenter  Brothers  was  then 
organized.  They  continued  together  in  business  until  three  years  ago,  when 
George  H.  Parmenter  died,  since  which  time  A.  E.  Parmenter  has  been  alone 
in  business,  although  he  continues  under  the  old  firm  style.  While  upon  the 
farm  he  not  only  tilled  the  soil  but  also  became  connected  with  live-stock 
interests  and  is  now  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  live  stock  with  Echel- 
barger  Brothers.  He  has  been  connected  with  this  line  of  business  during 
almost  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  Lyndon  and  has  derived  a  good 
income  from  it,  as  well  as  from  his  mercantile  interests.  The  store  is  well 
stocked  with  a  large  line  of  goods,  for  which  he  finds  a  ready  sale,  owing  to 
his  reasonable  prices  and  honorable  methods. 


472  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

In  1883  Mr.  Parmenter  was  married  to  Miss  Mattie  A.  Smith,  a  daughter 
of  Jabez  and  Adaline  Smith.  The  father  is  now  deceased,  while  the  mother 
resides  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parmenter.  Three  children  have  been  added  to 
this  family:  Sophia,  Harriet  and  Elbert,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Lyndon 
and  are  yet  under  the  parental  roof. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Parmenter  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  republican 
since  he  first  went  to  the  polls  and  deposited  the  ballot  to  which  his  age  gave 
him  right.  He  became  supervisor  of  Lyndon  township  in  1897  and  has 
served  continuously  since,  being,  six  times  chosen  to  the  office.  His  capability 
is  indicated  in  his  frequent  election  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he 
displays  a  public  spirit  which  is  most  commendable.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodman  camp  for  the  past  twenty  years  and  for  ten  years 
has  been  affiliated  with  the  Mystic  Workers  of  Lyndon.  His  religious  faith 
is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  the 
work  of  which  he  is  actively  interested  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  he  has 
served  as  one  of  the  church  trustees.  The  village  finds  in  him  a  stalwart 
supporter  of  all  her  progressive  interests  and  while  devoted  to  the  public  wel- 
fare he  is  also  deriving  substantial  benefit  from  his  private  business  interests. 


EDMUND  JACKSON. 

Edmund  Jackson,  widely  known  in  fraternal  circles,  is  numbered  among 
(hose  whose  executive  ability  and  powers  of  organization  have  had  direct 
bearing  upon  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  fraternal  interests,  not  only  in 
the  place  of  his  residence  but  throughout  the  country.  He  is  today  supreme 
secretary  of  the  Mystic  Workers  of  the  World  and  in  this  connection  his 
acquaintance  is  a  very  wide  one.  He  is  also  associated  with  other  organiza- 
tions based  upon  mutual  helpfulness  and  brotherly  kindness  and  his  thor- 
ough sympathy  with  their  object  makes  him  an  affective  working  force  for 
their  growth. 

Mr,  Jackson  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Greenbush,  now  Rensselaer,  May  3,  1853.  His  parents  were 
Edmund  and  Ann  (Adams)  Jackson,  the  former  born  in  Staffordshire, 
August  26,  1820,  and  the  latter  in  Herefordshire,  England,  August  28,  1823. 
Through  the  period  of  their  youth  they  remained  residents  of  their  native 
land  and  were  there  married  August  22,  1841.  Five  children  had  been  added 
to  the  family  circle  ere  they  left  England  for  the  new  world,  the  father  hoping 
to  find  better  opportunities  for  providing  for  his  family  in  the  lines  of  both 
financial  and  intellectual  development.  Accordingly,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
in  March,  1851,  and  after  establishing  a  temporary  home  at  Greenbush,  New 
York,  sent  for  his  family  and  in  August  of  that  year  was  joined  by  his  wife 
and  children.  Two  years  were  passed  in  the  Empire  state  and  then  again 
the  family  started  westward,  this  time  with  Illinois  as  their  destination. 
Favorable  reports  had  reached  them  concerning  conditions  in  this  state,  where 
land  sold  at  a  low  figure  and  homes  might  therefore  be  secured  easily.  Mr. 


LIBRARY 
OF  TH€ 

jTTV  Qf  ['JJ.MC 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  475 

Jackson  located  in  Kankakee  county  and  purchased  a  farm  near  Manteno, 
where  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock-raising.  As  the 
years  passed  he  brought  his  fields  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  con- 
ducted his  farm  in  accordance  with  the  most  progressive  ideas  of  modern 
agriculture.  He  won  success  as  the  years  passed  and  with  a  comfortable 
competence  he  retired  from  active  life,  establishing  his  home  in  the  village 
of  Manteno,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  remaining  days.  They  had 
traveled  life's  journey  happily  together  for  fifty-six  years  ere  they  wers 
separated  by  the  hand  of  death,  Mrs.  Jackson  dying  in  1902.  Mr.  Jackson 
survived  for  three  years  and  passed  away  in  1905.  Plis  study  of  the  political 
situation  of  this  country  and  the  issues  before  the  people  led  him  to  give 
loyal  support  to  the  republican  party,  for  he  believed  its  platform  most  con- 
ducive to  good  government.  His  religious  faith  was  that  of  the  Episcopalian 
church.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born  nine  children:  Joseph,  who  fol- 
lows farming  near  Wolcott,  Indiana;  Thomas,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grain 
and  stock  business  in  Wolcott;  Stephen,  deceased;  David,  a  traveling  sales- 
man located  at  Oakland,  California;  Lucy  M.,  of  Manteno,  Illinois;  Edmund; 
William  W.,  who  occupies  the  family  homestead  in  Kankakee  county ;  An- 
drew, who  has  departed  this  life;  and  George  W.,  who  owns  and  conducts  a 
store  in  Manteno. 

In  his  infancy  Edmund  Jackson  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Illinois 
and  the  usual  experiences  of  the  farm  boy  were  his  during  his  youthful  days. 
He  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Manteno  township  to  the 
age  of  eighteen  years,  when  he  began  teaching,  devoting  the  succeeding  five 
years  to  that  profession  in  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Kansas.  Turning  his  atten- 
tion to  commercial  pursuits,  he  conducted  a  store  for  two  and  a  half  years  in 
Searsboro,  Iowa.  He  then  removed  his  stock  to  What  Cheer,  Iowa,  where 
he  carried  on  business  successfully  until  the  fall  of  1881.  On  withdrawing 
from  commercial  lines  he  established  a  real-estate  and  insurance  office  at 
What  Cheer,  where  he  continued  in  that  business  for  nine  years.  He  next 
entered  the  field  of  banking,  as  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  What 
Cheer,  remaining  at  the  head  of  the  institution  for  three  and  a  half  years. 
Disposing  of  his  stock  in  the  bank,  in  March,  1894,  he  removed  to  Fulton 
and  again  opened  a  real-estate  and  insurance  office.  In  the  meantime,  how- 
ever, he  was  giving  considerable  attention  to  mutual  benevolent  and  fraternal 
organizations,  realizing  the  possibilities  for  general  benefit  in  these  lines.  In 
the  spring  of  1895,  therefore,  he  became  interested  with  Dr.  Clendennen  in 
the  organization  of  the  Mystic  Workers  of  the  World  and  from  that  time 
forward  has  given  his  undivided  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  organization, 
which  has  made  substantial  growth  until  it  now  has  a  large  membership. 
He  is  supreme  secretary  and  his  executive  force,  keen  discrimination  and 
capable  management  have  been  strong  elements  in  the  successful  control  and 
development  of  this  society.  Since  1900  he  has  also  become  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Brotherhood  of  America,  the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen,  the 
American  Stars  of  Equity,  the  Fraternal  Tribunes,  the  Home  Guard  of 
America,  the  Woodmen's  Modern  Protective  Association,  and  the  National 
Protective  Legion,  all  of  which  have  strongly  pronounced  benevolent  and 


478  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

fraternal  features.  He  is  likewise  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  order  and  has 
attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  rite  in  Freeport  Consistory. 
Of  Fulton  City  Lodge,  No.  189,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  he  is  a  past  master,  and  of 
Fulton  Chapter,  No.  108,  R.  A.  M.,  is  a  past  high  priest.  He  is  likewise  past 
patron  of  Merton  Chapter,  No.  356,  0.  E.  S.,  and  in  1902  was  elected  grand 
patron  of  the  grand  chapter  of  the  Eastern  Star  of  the  state  of  Illinois.  He 
belongs  to  Holy  Cross  Commandery,  No.  10,  K.  T.,  of  Iowa  and  Kaaba 
Temple  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  His  membership  relations  also 
extend  to  other  orders,  including  Abou  Ben  Adhem  Lodge,  No.  148,  I.  0. 
O.  F.,  of  which  he  is  a  past  grand,  and  Sylvia  Lodge,  No.  112,  K.  P.,  of 
Iowa.  In  all  of  these  orders  he  has  taken  a  more  or  less  active  part  and  is 
in  thorough  sympathy  with  their  principles,  for  they  are  based  upon  mutual 
helpfulness  and  brotherly  kindness.  Since  1900  he  has  continued  in  the 
position  of  supreme  secretary  of  the  Mystic  Workers  of  the  World  and  in 
1904  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  equalization  for  the  thir- 
teenth congressional  district.  In  March,  1901,  he  was  elected  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Associated  Fraternities  of  America,  serving  until  1903,  when 
he  was  elected  president  and  filled  the  position  for  one  term,  there  being  a 
rule  in  the  organization  against  re-election  to  that  office. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  married  on  the  21st  of  March,  1877,  to  Miss  Emma 
G.  Bennett,  of  Eureka,  Kansas,  who  was  born  near  Xenia,  Ohio,  the  daughter 
of  Ralph  and  Rebecca  (Hamilton)  Bennett.  They  have  one  daughter,  Una 
G.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  E.  Leroy  Meade,  of  Oklahoma. 

Mr.  Jackson  in  his  political  views  is  a  republican,  having  been  associated 
with  the  party  since  age  conferred  upon  him  the  right  of  franchise.  He  has 
filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  in  different  places  where  he  has  resided 
and  his  decisions  have  ever  been  strictly  fair  and  impartial.  While  residing 
in  What  Cheer  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  was  mayor  of 
the  city  for  one  term,  his  service  indicating  clearly  his  fidelity  to  duty  and 
his  loyalty  to  the  interests  of  the  municipality.  In  1906  he  was  elected  police 
magistrate  of  Fulton.  No  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever  been  betrayed  in  the 
slightest  degree  and  he  is  widely  recognized  as  a  man  of  broad  humanitarian 
principles  and  views,  who  recognizes  individual  obligation  and  responsibility 
and  who  works  for  that  spirit  among  his  fellowmen  that  prompts  mutual 
helpfulness  and  kindliness.  He  is  himself  a  worthy  exemplar  of  the  orders 
which  have  such  qualities  as  their  basic  element,  and  in  his  official  relations 
with  different  societies  he  has  become  very  widely  and  favorably  known. 


LEOPOLD  STOECKLE. 

Leopold  Stoeckle,  now  deceased,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany.  Novem- 
ber 11,  1832,  and  of  that  country  his  parents,  Ludwig  and  Eliza  Stoeckle, 
were  also  natives.  Their  family  numbered  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two 
daughters,  but  all  are  probably  now  deceased.  The  father  was  a  stone-cutter 
by  trade  and  came  to  America  in  1845,  settling  first  at.  Cleveland.  Ohio.  He 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  477 

afterward  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  lived  for  several  years  and  there  the 
death  of  his  wife  occurred.  He  next  returned  to  Cleveland,  .where  he  spent 
his  remaining  days  with  several  of  his  children,  being  more  than  seventy 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  demise. 

Leopold  Stoeckle  was  only  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  made  the  long 
voyage  across  the  Atlantic  with  his  parents.  He  had  begun  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Germany.  His  later  youth  was  passed  in  Chicago  and  he 
learned  and  followed  the  barber's  trade  there.  As  a  companion  and  helpmate 
for  life's  journey  he  chose  Miss  Katherine  Bergman;  whom  he  married  on 
the  5th  of  January,  1852.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Johan  August  and  Katherine 
(Stefjan)  Bergman.  Her  father  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  who  followed 
his  trade  in  Chicago  after  his  emigration  with  his  family  to  the  new  world. 
There  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death.  His  wife  survived  him  for 
about  ten  years  and  died  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  seven  sons  and  six  daughters,  which  number  in- 
cluded Mrs.  Stoeckle,  who  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in  1845.  She 
was  then  a  young  lady  of  about  fourteen  years,  having  been  born  in  Prussia, 
Germany,  February  15,  1831.  She  grew  to  womanhood  in  Chicago  and  was 
there  married  to  Leopold  Stoeckle. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoeckle  were  born  thirteen  children,  ten  sons  and 
three  daughters,  as  follows:  John  Lee,  who  was  born  November  26,  1852, 
wedded  Maria  Sheppard,  and  his  death  occurred  October  8,  1903.  Rosa  and 
Katie,  twins,  born  December  15,  1853,  are  deceased.  Emil  Albert,  who  was 
born  April  5,  1855,  wedded  Alice  O'Dair  and  makes  his  home  in  Sterling. 
James,  who  was  born  November  27,  1856,  died  in  infancy.  Mary  Ann,  who 
was  born  February  11,  1858,  is  the  wife  of  William  Perkins,  their  home  being 
in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.  She  has  one  son,  Walter.  Eugene,  the  next 
member  of  the  family,  was  born  December  14,  1859,  and  died  in  infancy. 
Edward  Eugene,  who  was  born  December  17,  1860,  is  a  barber  in  Stafford, 
Kansas.  He  wedded  Miss  Bess  Gilbert,  by  whom  he  has  two  daughters,  Pearl 
and  Jeannette.  Walter  Julian,  who  was  born  October  2,  1862,  is  a  mail 
carrier  in  Sterling.  He  wedded  Mary  Baer,  by  whom  he  has  three  children, 
Leopold  Walter,  Fern  J.  and  F.  Louis.  Julius,  who  was  born  January  5, 
1865,  died  in  infancy.  William  was  born  October  24,  1866,  and  died  in 
1868  at  the  age  of  nineteen  months.  William  August,  who  was  born  October 
6,  1868,  is  employed  in  the  Dillon-Griswold  wire  mill  at  Sterling.  He  wedded 
Ilattie  Schmoeger,  by  whom  he  has  three  children,  Arthur  Adam,  George 
William  and  Katharine.  George  Ludolph,  who  was  born  October  10,  1871, 
was  drowned  when  he  had  almost  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  year*. 

Leopold  Stoeckle  arrived  in  Sterling  in  1859,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty-seven  years.  Here  he  followed  the  barber's  trade  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  June  1,  1881.  He  was  an  excellent  workman  and  his  genial, 
cordial  disposition  and  unfailing  courtesy  made  him  popular  with  the  gen- 
oral  public  and  gained  him  many  patrons.  He  was  a  prominent  Mason  and 
Odd  Fellow.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  most  loyal  to  the  interests 
of  the  Union  and  helped  to  recruit  soldiers  for  the  northern  army.  No  native- 
born  son  of  America  was  more  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  community  than 


478  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

was  Leopold  Stoeckle  to  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  county,  and  his  many 
friends  and  acquaintances  esteemed  him  as  a  gentleman  of  genuine  worth. 
Mrs.  Stoeckle  still  survives  her  husband  and  has  a  beautiful  home  which 
she  built  in  1892.  She  also  owns  a  brick  business  block  at  No.  1  East  Third 
street,  now  occupied  by  Martin  Brothers,  and  also  the  business  block  now 
occupied  by  the  E.  &  W.  clothing  house,  together  with  several  good  residence 
properties  in  the  city.  She  has  lived  in  Sterling  for  forty-eight  years  and 
since  her  husband's  death  'has  shown  excellent  business  traits  in  the  care  of 
her  financial  and  invested  interests.  Moreover,  she  is  a  lady  of  intelligence 
and  refinement  and  a  model  wife  and  mother. 


HON.  CALEB  C.  JOHNSON. 

Hon.  Caleb  C.  Johnson,  closely  associated  with  the  legal  and  political 
history  of  Sterling  and  Whiteside  county,  his  course  reflecting  credit  upon 
the  district  which  knows  him  as  a  progressive,  public-spirited  and  honored 
citizen,  was  born  May  23,  1844,  in  one  of  the  pioneer  log  houses  of  the  town- 
ship of  Ustick,  about  four  miles  northeast  of  Fulton. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Johnson,  was  born  in  England  and  came 
to  this  country  with  his  two  brothers,  Elias  and  -  — .  The  two  brothers 

both  went  south  and  all  trace  of  them  has  been  lost.  John  Johnson  married 
first,  Sarah  Conke,  a  native  of  Holland,  and  had  six  children:  Sarah,  Per- 
melia,  Abigail,  Betsy,  Jesse  and  Elias.  He  married,  second,  Rebecka  Os- 
trander,  by  whom  he  had  one  boy,  John.  He  practiced  law  in  Troy,  New 
York,  and  won  a  reputation  as  a  noted  criminal  lawyer,  being  a  man  of 
marked  eloquence  and  oratorical  power.  He  served  his  country  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age. 

His  son,  Jesse  Johnson,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Troy,  New 
York,  April  2,  1798,  and  when  a  small  child  lost  his  mother.  His  father 
having  married  again,  he  left  home  at  the  early  age  of  twelve,  and  never 
again  saw  any  of  his  people.  He  sailed  on  the  lakes  for  some  time  and  then 
returned  to  Lewis  county,  New  York,  settling  near  Lowville,  where  he  met 
and  married  Miss  Mary  Webb,  of  West  Hadley,  New  York,  she  being  a 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Gilbert)  Webb,  both  natives  of  the  Empire 
state.  Her  mother  lived  tot  be  ninety-seven  years  of  age. 

Following  his  marriage,  which  took  place  in  the. year  1822,  Jesse  John- 
son engaged  in  farming  and  in  clearing  land.  About  1835  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Indiana,  settling  at  Mishawaka,  near  South  Bend,  where  a  con- 
tract to  dig  a  mill  race  was  let  to  him.  He  was  engaged  as  a  contractor  there 
for  about  two  years.  In  1838  he  came  to  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  his 
objective  point  being  Plainville.  But  he  learned  that  a  man  by-  the  name  of 
Wing,  who  owed  him  a  thousand  dollars,  was  at  Fulton.  He  therefore  made 
his  way  to  Fulton,  and  in  the  course  of  time  effected  a  settlement,  accepting 
pay  principally  in  town  lots.  He  was  there  just  before  the  land  came  into 
market  and  made  a  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he 


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OF  THE 

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HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  481 

entered  and  improved,  continuing  the  cultivation  and  development  of  that 
property  until  1853.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  stone  in  the  bluffs  and  with 
some  of  this  he  built  a  -fine  house.  He  had  one  of  the  most  beautiful  farms 
for  stock  to  be  found  anywhere. 

In  1853,  however,  he  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Fulton,  purchasing 
the  ferry  franchise  across  the  Mississippi  river,  and,  in  company  with  his 
son-in-law,  William  Knight,  putting  on  the  first  steam  ferry  that  was  ever 
operated  on  the  Mississippi  north  of  St.  Louis.  The  boat  was  a  nice  side- 
wheeler  called  the  "Sarah,"  named  after  his  daughter,  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Knight,  and  was  built  for  Mr.  Johnson  at  the  large  steamboat  yards  at 
New  Albany,  Indiana.  He  brought  her  down  the  Ohio  to  Cairo  and  thence  up 
the  Mississippi  to  Fulton.  After  operating  the  ferry  for  two  or  three  years, 
he  invested  his  means  in  town  lots,  which  rose  continuously  in  value  until 
Clinton  was  made  the  division  town  on  the  railroad. 

Mr.  Johnson  resided  in  Fulton  until  his  death,  which  occurred  October 
12,  1876.  His  widow  died  April  18,  1879.  He  was  the  father  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  reached  maturity  with  the  exception  of  Cornelia  P.,  who 
died  in  infancy.  Five  of  the  children  are  now  living.  Cornelia  P.  (second) 
is  the  widow  of  Richard  Green,  of  Fulton,  and  is  now  living  there;  Hen- 
rietta, the  widow  of  Charles  A.  Davidson,  is  now  living  in  Kansas  City, 
Missouri ;  Eliza  N.,  the  widow  of  Samuel  Dennison,  is  also  living  in  Kansas 
City,  Missouri;  Anna  M.,  the  widow  of  William  Reed  of  Fulton,  is  now  living 
with  her  son,  George,  in  Louisiana;  and  Caleb  C. 

One  son,  Charles  J.  Johnson,  went  to  Morrison,  Illinois,  about  1856,  and 
practiced  law  there  for  a  number  of  years,  after  which  he  went  to  Rock 
Island  and  later  to  Chicago,  but  eventually  returned  to  Whiteside  county  and 
located  in  Sterling,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  Caleb 
C.,  and  continued  in  the  practice  of  law  until  he  had  attained  an  advanced 
age.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  sister,  Mary  Ware,  near  Fulton,  in  July, 
1899.  At  one  time  he  was  judge  of  the  county  court  of  Whiteside  county 
and  was  long  regarded  as  a  most  powerful  and  eminent  attorney. 

Another  son,  Edward  L.  Johnson,  served  throughout  the  Civil  war, 
enlisting  in  the  First  Nebraska  Infantry  as  a  private,  but  died  before  he 
reached  home,  while  his  regiment  was  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri. 

Cornelia  P.  (second)  and  Harriet  married  brothers,  Richard  and  Wil- 
liam C.  Green,  respectively,  both  prominent  residents  of  Fulton. 

Caleb  C.  Johnson  was  reared  in  this  county,  spending  the  first  eight 
years  of  his  life  on  the  home  farm  and  then  accompanying  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Fulton.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at 
the  Military  Academy  at  Fulton,  and  entered  from  there  into  the  life  of  the 
volunteer  soldier,  enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Sixty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  re-enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and 
Fortieth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war.  The  regi- 
ment was  principally  engaged  in  guarding  railroads  and  was  badly  cut  to 
pieces  by  guerrillas. 

His  military  service  ended,  Mr.  Johnson  returned  to  Fulton,  and  in 
1866  went  to  Morrison,  Illinois,  where  he  began  reading  law  in  his  brother's 


482  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

office.  In  1867  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1868  he  accepted  a  position 
as  clerk  on  one  of  the  large  boats  belonging  to  the  Diamond  Joe  line  and 
found  this  a  very  delightful  occupation.  But,  in  March,  1869,  he  came  to 
Sterling,  where  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Major  Mile?  S.  Henry. 
They  opened  a  law  office  in  the  building  where  Mr.  Johnson  is  now  located 
and  remained  together  until  Mr.  Henry's  death  in  1878.  He  was  then 
joined  by  his  brother  in  a  partnership  under  the  firm  style  of  C.  J.  &  C.  C. 
Johnson,  continuing  together  until  1893,  at  which  time  he  went  to  North 
Dakota,  having  been  appointed  receiver  of  a  national  bank  at  Jamestown, 
North  Dakota,  by  James  H.  Eckels,  comptroller  of  the  currency.  In  1896, 
after  settling  up  the  affairs  of  the  bank,  he  returned  to  Sterling  and  again 
became  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law. 

His  name  is  familiar  to  all  those  who  are  at  all  acquainted  with  the 
legal  history  of  Whiteside  county.'  He  has  been  retained  by  either  the  de- 
fense or  the  prosecution  in  a  great  many  of  the  important  cases  tried  in  the 
courts  of  the  district.  He  never  fails  to  prepare  his  cases  thoroughly  for 
trial,  and  the  presentation  of  them  indicates  a  mind  trained  in  the  severest 
school  of  investigation,  and  to  which  close  reasoning  has  become  habitual 
and  easy.  His  deductions  follow  in  logical  sequence,  and  his  marked  ability 
is  demonstrated  by  the  many  notable  forensic  victories  he  has  won. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  1871,  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Jo- 
sephine E.  Worthington,  a  daughter  of  Eliphalet  Bulkeley  Worthington, 
long  deputy  clerk  of  Whiteside  county  circuit  court,  and  Sarah  (McShane) 
Worthington.  They  have  one  son,  Jesse  W.,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Wisconsin.  He  is  now  reading  law  in  his  father's  office,  having  spent  two 
years  in  the  graduate  Law  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  married 
Miss  Jessie  L.  Sharpe,  of  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and  they  have  one  son,  Wil- 
liam S. 

Caleb  C.  Johnson  is  an  exemplary  member  of  Rock  River  Lodge,  No. 
612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Sterling  Chapter/No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Sterling  Com- 
mandery,  No.  57,  K.  T.,  of  which  he  was  the  first  eminent  commander,  serv- 
ing for  two  and  one-half  years.  And  he  was  also  an  officer  in  the  grand  com- 
mandery  of  Illinois. 

Politically,  he  is  a  democrat  and  has  been  honored  by  a  number  of 
official  positions.  At  one  time  he  served  on  the  board  of  supervisors  and 
was  a  member  of  the  building  committee  that  had  in  charge  the  erection  of 
the  clerk's  office  at  Morrison.  He  served  as  city  attorney  for  a  number  of 
terms,  first  in  1869.  In  1885  he  was  elected  to  the  Illinois  legislature  and 
re-elected  for  the  sessions  of  1887,  1893,  1897  and  of  1903,  he  being  at  that 
time  the  nestor  of  house  democrats.  He  also  served  in  one  or  two  special 
sessions.  He  was  at  every  session  a  leader,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  pro- 
ceedings at  all  times.  His  complete  knowledge  of  parliamentary  law  and 
usages,  together  with  his  natural  ability  as  a  political  tactician  and  party 
leader,  won  for  him  in  the  session  of  1893  the  position  of  temporary  speaker 
and  organizer  of  the  house,  and  afterward  the  chairmanship  of  some  of  the 
most  important  committees  in  the  house.  Under  Cleveland's  first  adminis- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  483 

tration  Mr.  Johnson  was  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue,  and  in  1888 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  democratic  national  convention  at  St.  Louis. 

At  present  Mr.  Johnson  is  out  of  politics,  devoting  himself  entirely  to 
his  law  practice,  but  performing  faithfully  the  duties  and  demands  made 
upon  him  incident  to  good  citizenship.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wallace 
school  board,  president  of  the  library  board  and  a  trustee  of  the  Illinois 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Quincy.  A  few  years  ago  he  was  associated 
with  C.  L.  Sheldon  in  an  attempt  to  induce  the  government  to  change  the 
proposed  line  of  the  feeder  for  the  Hennepin  canal  so  that  it  would  join  Rock 
river  at  Sterling  instead  of  at  Dixon.  These  two  gentlemen  were  sent  to 
Washington  for  this  purpose  and  succeeded  in  their  mission,  and  Sterling  is 
today  consequently  entering  upon  an  industrial  era  of  great  promise. 

Mr.  Johnson  has  always  been  a  close  student  of  those  questions  which 
are  to  the  statesman  and  to  the  man  of  practical  affairs  of  deep  interest.  His 
labors  and  efforts  have  been  an  essential  factor  in  promoting  the  best  inter- 
ests of  Sterling  and  Whiteside  county  and  have  borne  fruit,  not  only  in 
legislative  halls  but  through  the  wider  contact  and  friendship  with  men  of 
the  state. 


JOHN  M.  GOLTMAN. 

John  M.  Goltman,  who  has  earned  the  right  to  live  retired,  having 
for  many  years  been  a  factor  in  Whiteside  county's  business  activities  now 
makes  his  home  in  Sterling.  He  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  6,  1833.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war — a  scout — during  the  operations  near  Wyoming,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  sharpshooter.  He  lost  his  wife  when  comparatively  young, 
while  he  lived  to  an  old  age. 

Their  children  included  Thomas  Goltman,  a  native  of  the  Keystone 
state,  who  became  a  mechanic,  'building  wagons,  plows,  and  doing  other  me- 
chanical work.  The  broad  west  with  its  limitltss  advantages  and  opportunities 
attracted  him  and  about  1844  he  arrived  in  Illinois,  while  in  1848  he  took 
up  his  abode  near  Mount  Carroll,  in  Carroll  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  He  had  wedded  Mary  Beck,  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Brenner)  Beck,  who  were  natives  of  Penn- 
slyvania.  The  father  was  of  Holland  descent  and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade. 
The  mother  reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Her  father 
was  a  wagonmaster  in  Washington's  army  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The 
ancestral  history  of  John  M.  Goltman  thus  entitles  him  to  membership 
with  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  Following  the  removal  of  his 
parents  to  Illinois  the  father  continued  farming  in  Carroll  county  until  the 
health  of  his  wife  necessitated  their  return  to  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  the  death  of  Mrs.  Goltman  occurred  in  1856  when  she  was 
fifty-five  years  of  age.  The  husband  and  father  survived  for  only  two  years, 
passing  away  in  1858.  Both  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church.  They 


484  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

had  a  large  family  of  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  reached  adult  age, 
while  three  are  yet  living:  John  M. ;  Sarah,  the  widow  of  Thomas  Buck; 
and  Benjamin,  who  is  living  near  Center  Point  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa. 

John  M.  Goltman  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  county  until  fifteen 
years  of  age  and  was  reared  to  farm  life.  He  attended  the  district  schools 
and  later  continued  his  studies  in  the  Covenanter  Academy  in  Franklin 
county.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  west  but  because  of  his 
mother's  ill  health  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  When  in  his  twenty-second 
year  he  began  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Nill  at  Chambersburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858.  Soon  after  he  was  married 
and  in  1860  he  came  again  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Carroll  county,  where  he 
lived  until  1861,  when  he  came  to  Whiteside  county.  For  four  years  he 
followed  farming  in  Genesee  township  and  then  took  up  his  abode  in  Ster- 
ling, since  which  time  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Sterling  and  Rock  Falls, 
while  through  his  active  business  career  he  continued  a  member  of  the  bar 
and  was  accorded  a  good  clientage. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1860,  Mr.  Goltman  was  married  to  Miss  Susan 
Keefer,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Maria  (Grove)  Keefer,  who  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Barbara  (Burkholder) 
Keefer,  the  former  a  farmer  by  occupation.  The  wife  died  when  about 
forty  years  of  age  and  Jacob  Keefer  afterward  married  Mrs.  Anna  Funk, 
while  his  death  occurred  when  he  was  seventy-six  years  of  age.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather  of  Mrs.  Goltman  was  George  Grove,  who  was  likewise 
born  in  the  Keystone  state  and  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  life 
work.  He  wedded  Catharine  Knoftzker  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years,  while  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children. 

John  Keefer,  father  of  Mrs.  Goltman,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
was  twice  married.  He  first  wedded  Hannah  Price  and  they  had  four  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  reached  adult  age  but  only  one  is  now  living — John  P. 
Keefer,  who  resides  at  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania.  After  the  death  of  his 
first  wife  he  wedded  Maria  Grove.  He  followed  farming  throughout  his  en- 
tire life  and  died  near  Marion,  Pennsylvania,  in  1863.  His  widow  still  sur- 
vives and  is  living  in  Sterling  in  her  eighty-ninth  year.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children,  of  whom  the  following  are  living:  Mrs.  Goltman; 
George  G.  Keefer,  of  Sterling;  Jacob  F.,  who  resides  near  Marshalltown, 
Iowa;  Samuel  S.,  of  Muskegon,  Michigan;  Emma  C.,  the  wife  of  Benjamin 
Goltman,  who  makes  her  home  near  Center  Point,  Iowa;  Anna  M.,  who  is 
the  widow  of  William  Manahan  and  resides  in  Sterling;  David  M.,  living  in 
Marshalltown,  Iowa;  and  Christian  A.,  of  Chicago. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goltman  have  been  born  four  sons  and  a  daughter: 
Thomas  Winchester,  who  married  Jessie  Rutland  and  is  living  in  Los 
Angeles,  California;  John  Keefer,  who  wedded  Agnes  Jackson  and  is  a  trav- 
eling salesman  residing  in  Clinton,  Iowa;  Clarence  Edward,  who  is  general 
buyer  and  foreman  of  the  John  Harpham  harness  factory  of  Sterling  and 
who  married  Elizabeth  Williams,  by  whom  he  has  three  children,  Susan  E., 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  485 

Ruth  J.  and  John  T. ;  Anna  Grace;  and  Harry  Herbert,  who  is  a  civil 
engineer  and  is  now  superintending  bridge  building  and  dredging  in  north- 
ern Iowa.  He  was  a  member  of  Company  I,  Seventh  Cavalry  Regiment  in 
the  Spanish-American  war. 

The  parents  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  are  prominent 
socially,  their  hospitable  home  at  No.  412  Third  avenue  being  a  favorite 
resort  with  their  many  friends.  Politically  Mr.  Goltman  is  a  democrat  and 
for  twenty  years  served  as  police  magistrate  of  Sterling  and  for  four  years 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  his  decisions  being  strictly  fair  and  impartial,  while 
his  capablity  is  indicated  by  his  long  retention  in  office.  He  is  now  living 
retired  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  a  well  spent  life  has  gained  him 
the  uniform  regard  of  those  who  know  him. 


STACY  B.  DIMOND,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Stacy  B.  Dimond,  the  leading  physician  and  druggist  of  Albany, 
with  a  large  and  profitable  business  in  both  lines  of  undertaking,  was  born 
near  Belvidere,  Boone  county,  Illinois,  January  5,  1864.  His  parents  were 
Josiah  and  Fanny  (Lytle)  Dimond,  the  former  a  native  of  Canada  and  the 
latter  of  New  Jersey,  but  lived  in  Canada  a  few  years.  They  were  married  in 
Illinois,  becoming  pioneer  settlers  of  Boone  county.  The  Dimond  family  had 
removed  from  Canada  across  the  country  with  teams,  Richard  Dimond,  the 
grandfather,  bringing  his  family  in  this  way,  while  his  son,  Josiah  Dimond, 
rode  a  horse  all  the  way.  While  en  route  they  passed  through  Chicago,  which 
was  then  a  very  small  place,  giving  little  promise  of  the  almost  phenomenal 
growth  which  was  to  make  the  city  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Indians  were  still  quite  numerous  in  this  state  and  many 
evidences  of  pioneer  life  were  seen,  indicating  that  the  seeds  of  civilization 
had  scarcely  been  planted.  Josiah  Dimond  became  a  farmer  and  was  reared 
to  agricultural  pursuits  upon  the  old  homestead  in  Boone  county.  He  was 
one  of  a  family  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters  and  like  the  others  of  the 
household  pursued  his  education  in  the  district  schools.  His  brother,  Stephen 
Dimond,  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  enlisted  as  a  defender  of  the  Union 
cause  and  served  for  three  years  and  six  months  with  official  rank.  About 
the  time  of  the  close  of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  south  Josiah  Dimond 
removed  to  Iowa,  settling  there  in  the  spring  of  1865.  He  purchased  an  im- 
proved farm  in  Delaware  county,  where  he  made  his  home  for  thirty  years 
and  was  one  of  the  prominent  and  valued  agriculturists  of  the  community. 
For  a  long  period  he  filled  the  office  of  school  commissioner  and  advocated  all 
progressive  measures  for  the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  community.  In 
1903  he  retired  from  active  farm  life  and  located  at  Earlville,  Iowa,  where 
he  still  resides,  but  in  1901  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife. 
Their  family  numbered  six  children,  who  reached  years  of  maturity:  Richard, 
who  is  now  living  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  Gertrude,  the  wife  of  W.  S.  Mid- 
land, of  Hartley,  Iowa;  Stacy  B. ;  Emma  J.;  Fannie;  and  Josiah,  a  drug- 
gist of  Altoona,  Iowa. 


486  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Dr.  Dimond  acquired  his  literary  education  in  the  schools  of  Earlville, 
completing  the  high-school  course  by  graduation.  Consideration  of  the  vari- 
ous avenues  of  life  open  to  young  men  led  him  to  the  determination  to  enter 
the  field  of  'medical  practice  and  to  this  end,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years, 
he  became  a  student  in  the  medical  department  of  the  State  University  at 
Iowa  City,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1889.  Immediately  following  his  gradu- 
ation he  located  at  Albany,  where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  having  now  a  liberal  patronage.  He  is  today 
one  of  the  best  known  physicians  in  the  county  and  his  success  is  due  in  large 
measure  to  the  fact  that  he  has  kept  in  close  touch  with  the  progress  made  by 
the  medical  fraternity  and  is  thoroughly  up  to  date  in  all  of  his  methods  of 
practice.  He  owns  and  conducts  the  only  drug  store  in  Albany,  having  been 
its  proprietor  since  1894:  He  is  likewise  engaged  in  the  banking  business. 
Associated  with  Cyrus  Brinker,  Charles  E.  Peck  and  Harvey  Senior,  he  organ- 
ized the  First  National  Bank  of  Albany,  of  which  he  was  elected  president. 
He  has  thus  been  closely  associated  with  the  financial  interests  of  the  county 
and  his  efforts  have  been  a  factor  in  the  business  development  of  Albany, 
contributing  to  general  prosperity  as  well  as  to  individual  success. 

In  1891  Dr.  Dimond  was  married  to  Miss  Edith  H.  Olds,  a  daughter 
of  Ezekiel  and  Sarah  (Pease)  Olds.  Her  parents  were  representatives  of  two 
of  the  oldest  families  of  Whiteside  county  and  were  among  its  most  promi- 
nent citizens.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dimond  have  but  one  living  child,  Dorothy  S. 
In  his  fraternal  relations,  Dr.  Dimond  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Albany 
Lodge,  No.  566,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  likewise  affiliates  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  at  Albany  and  in  politics  is  a  republican.  He  has  filled  several 
minor  offices,  but  is  not  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking.  In  the 
line  of  his  profession  he  is  connected  with  the  State  Medical  and  the  County 
Medical  Societies,  the  American  Medical  Association  and  the  Clinton  County 
Medical  Society.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  successful  and  enterpris- 
ing business  men  of  Whiteside  county  and  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  his 
labors  have  been  a  strong  element  in  public  progress.  He  is  honored  and 
respected  by  all  who  know  him  for  his  business  success,  his  professional  skill 
and  his  personal  traits  of  character,  which  have  won  for  him  warm  and  last- 
ing friendships. 


CHARLES  FRANKLIN  SEIDEL. 

Charles  Franklin  Seidel,  who  follows  farming  on  section  11,  Hopkins 
township,  was  born  July  27,  1866,  in  the  same  township  in  which  he  make? 
his  home.  He  is  descended  from  German  ancestry  and  in  his  life  exemplifies 
many  of  the  sterling  traits  of  the  Teutonic  race.  His  parents  were  Charles 
G.  and  Mary  Ann  (Feighner)  Seidel,  natives  of  Germany  and  Pennsylvania, 
respectively.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1844  and  established  his  home 
in  Columbus,  Ohio.  He  was  then  a  youth  of  fourteen  years.  He  crossed  the 
Atlantic  with  his  parents,  Charles  and  Barbara  (Zeiser)  Seidel.  John  Seidel 


HISTOKY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  487 

had  formerly  been  a  hostler  in  the  king's  stables  in  Germany  and  later  did 
teaming  and  staging.  After  crossing  the  Atlantic  he  lived  for  seven  years 
in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  then  removed  to  Whiteside  county  with  his  wife  and 
several  of  his  children,  taking  up  his  abode  upon  a  farm  in  Hopkins  town- 
ship. It  was  thus  that  Charles  G.  Seidel  became  identified  with  the  agricul- 
tural interests  of  Whiteside  county. 

Charles  F.  Seidel,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Hopkins  township  and  remained  at  home  until  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  farm  as  the  work  of 
plowing,  planting  and  harvesting  was  carried  on  year  by  year.  He  thus 
received  ample  and  practical  training  in  all  departments  of  farm  work  and 
was  well  qualified  to  take  charge  of  a  farm  of  his  own  when  he  started  out  in 
life  for  himself. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  1891,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Charles 
F.  Seidel  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Loretta  Regan,  a  daughter  of  Cornelius  and 
Bridget  (Mannion)  Regan.  Her  father  came  from  Ireland  to  America  in 
1854  and  settled  in  Whiteside  county.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seidel  have  been 
born  six  children,  Marie,  Loretta,  Josephine,  Francis,  Charles  and  George. 

Mr.  Seidel  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  supervisor  about  nine  years  ago.  He  was  also  tax  col- 
lector for  two  years  previous  to  his  election  to  the  office  of  supervisor,  in 
which  office  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  No  higher  testimonial  of 
faithful  service  could  be  given  than  his  long  retention  in  this  position.  He 
has  also  been  school  director  for  several  terms  and  is  the  present  incumbent 
in  the  office.  His  duties  are  discharged  with  promptness,  accuracy  and  fidel- 
ity, and  no  trust  reposed  in  him  was  ever  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree.  He 
belongs  to  Emerson  Camp,  No.  9934,  M.  W.  A.,  and  has  many  friends  both 
in  and  out  of  the  order.  As  a  representative  agriculturist  he  is  widely  known, 
being  now  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  It  is  improved  with  a  comfortable  modern 
residence  and  all  the  accessories  and  conveniences  of  a  model  farm.  His  busi- 
ness interests  are  capably  directed  and  have  brought  him  gratifying  success. 
He  is  also  popular  with  his  many  friends  and  he  holds  friendship  inviolable. 


THOMAS  PFUNDSTEIN. 

Thomas  Pfundstein  is  now  living  in  honorable  retirement  from  labor  in 
a  pleasant  home  at  No.  722  Wallace  street.  He  was  for  many  years  identified 
with  industrial  and  manufacturing  interests  of  Sterling,  but  in  the  evening  of 
his  days  is  now  enjoying  well-earned  rest.  He  has  passed  the  seventy-fourth 
milestone  on  life's  journey,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many, on  the  9th  of  December,  1833.  His  parents  were  Andreas  and  Mar- 
garet (Daller)  Pfundstein,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  fatherland, 
where  also  lived  Thomas  Pfundstein,  the  grandfather,  who  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  died  well  advanced  in  years.  The  maternal  grandfather, 


488  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Alois  Daller,  was  a  school  teacher,  and  both  he  and  his  wife,  Gressens  Daller, 
lived  to  advanced  years.  They  had  a  family  of  four  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters. Andreas  Pfundstein  was  a  miller  of  Germany,  where  he  died  about 
1861  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  His  wife  survived  him  for  twenty  years 
and  was  eighty-seven  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Both  were  communicants  of 
the  Catholic  faith.  Their  family  numbered  five  children,  but  only  two  are 
now  living,  the  sister  of  our  subject  being  Miss  Anna  Pfundstein,  of  Dun- 
ingen,  Germany. 

Thomas  Pfundstein  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
country  and  afterward  worked  upon  a  farm  for  three  years.  He  then  learned 
the  miller's  trade  and  for  twelve  years  was  a  soldier  in  the  German  army. 
The  favorable  reports  which  he  heard  concerning  the  opportunities  offered 
by  America  led  him  to  seek  a  home  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  the  year  1886 
witnessing  his  arrival.  He  settled  in  Sterling,  where  for  nineteen  years  he 
worked  in  the  distillery,  after  which  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Keystone 
Manufacturing  Company,  with  which  he  held  a  good  position  until  his  retire- 
ment from  active  business  life.  Careful  expenditure  in  his  earlier  years  now 
enables  him  to  enjoy  a  well-earned  rest  amid  the  comforts  of  life. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  1875,  Mr.  Pfundstein  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Augusta  Braun,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Braun,  and  they  now  have  five 
children:  Anna,  Thomas,  Jacob,  Emma  and  Henry,  all  of  whom  are  yet 
at  home.  Thomas  and  Jacob  are  machinists  employed  in  Sterling. 

Mr.  Pfundstein  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  while  his  wife  be- 
longs to  the  Lutheran  church.  They  have  a  wide  acquaintance  in  Sterling, 
which  has  now  been  their  home  for  forty-two  years,  and  Mr.  Pfundstein  has 
always  been  known  as  a  man  of  industry  and  reliability,  meriting  the  trust 
and  respect  of  his  fellow  townsmen. 


ARTHUR  McLANE. 

No  history  of  Erie  would  be  complete  without  mention  of  Arthur  Mc- 
Lane,  whose  name  is  now  on  the  list  of  honored  dead.  He  passed  away  on 
the  18th  of  June,  1906,  and  thus  was  ended  a  life  of  well-directed  and  hon- 
orable activity.  He  was  for  many  years  closely  associated  with  the  business 
interests  of  the  town  and  his  labors  were  of  a  character  that  promoted  public 
prosperity  while  advancing  individual  success.  Wherever  known  he  was 
esteemed  and  honored  and  most  of  all  where  he  was  best  known. 

Mr.  McLane  was  born  near  Richmond  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  May 
30,  1827,  his  parents  being  Jesse  and  Emily  (Neuman)  McLane.  The 
father,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  largely  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  Virginia  and  in  early  life  engaged  in  dealing  in  horses.  In  later 
years,  however,  he  turned  his  attention  to  general  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
the  Old  Dominion  he  met  and  married  Miss  Neuman,  who  was  a  native  of 
that  state.  They  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  only  one  is 
now  living,  Dr.  Jesse  N.  McLane,  of  De  Funiak  Springs,  Florida,  who  is  yet 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
Y  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNT Y  491 

practicing  medicine  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Five  of  the  family  lived 
to  be  over  eighty  years  of  age,  while  one  died  some  younger  and  four  died  in 
childhood. 

Arthur  McLane  was  reared  in  the  usual  manner  of  farm  lads  upon  the 
frontier  of  Indiana,  his  environments  in  youth  being  those  which  one  natur- 
ally meets  in  pioneer  life.  He  attended  the  primitive  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood until  twenty  years  of  age  and  in  the  summer  months  was  busily 
engaged  with  the  work  of  plowing,  planting  and  harvesting.  He  afterward 
engaged  in  teaching  school  for  several  winters  and  was  also  employed  as  a 
clerk.  Later  he  took  up  carpentering,  following  the  builder's  trade  during 
the  summer  seasons,  while  in  the  winter  months  he  continued  teaching  until 
his  removal  westward. 

While  still  a  resident  of  Indiana,  Mr.  McLane  was  married  in  La  Porte, 
on  the  19th  of  April,  1851,  to  Miss  Emeline  Barney,  who  was  born  in  New 
York,  October  28,  1830,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Ruth  Barney. 
In  the  year  1854  Mr.  McLane  removed  from  Indiana  to  Whiteside  county, 
Illinois,  and  made  investment  in  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Fenton 
township.  After  cultivating  that  property  for  a  year  he  sold  out  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  acres  in  Newton  township,  whereon  he  made  his  home 
until  1859.  He  then  again  disposed  of  his  land  and  next  bought  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres  in  Fenton  township,  whereon  he  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  As  the  years  passed  and  his  financial  resources 
increased  he  added  to  his  property  from  time  to  time  until  he  became  the 
owner  of  three  hundred  and  three  acres,  all  in  one  body,  and  in  partnership 
with  James  Hubbard  owned  about  two  hundred  acres.  He  continued  the 
active  management  of  his  farming  interests  until  1870,  when  he  established 
his  home  in  Erie  and  began  buying  and  shipping  grain  and  live  stock  and 
also  handling  coal  and  building  materials.  In  1877  he  built  an  elevator  with 
a  capacity  of  twelve  thousand  bushels.  He  continued  to  deal  in  grain,  live 
.stock,  lumber,  coal  and  seeds  until  about  three  years  prior  to  his  death,  when 
he  retired  from  that  field  of  business.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Erie  he  became  one  of  its  stockholders,  a  director  and  its 
A'ice  president  and  continued  in  the  office  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  when 
he  was  succeeded  in  the  directorate  by  his  son  Charles. 

In  1883  Mr.  McLane  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  first  wife, 
who  died  on  the  22d  of  June,  leaving  one  son,  Charles,  of  Erie,  who  is  a 
retired  capitalist  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  First  National  Bank,  deriving 
his  income  also  from  many  other  invested  interests.  He  married  Mrs.  Elli  I. 
Rouse,  a  daughter  of  James  Pratt,  who  died  a  year  and  five  months  after 
their  marriage.  On  the  19th  of  February,  1890,  Mr.  McLane  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Mary  0.  Middlebrook,  who  was 
born  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  January  1,  1833.  She  resided  there  until 
after  the  death  of  her  parents,  David  and  Hettie  (Beardsley)  Middlebrook, 
who  were  natives  of  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut.  About  thirty  years  ago 
Mrs.  McLane  came  to  Whiteside  county,  where  she  has  since  made  her  home. 

Mr.  McLane  was  very  prominent  in  community  affairs  and  Erie  owed 
her  advancement  and  improvement  in  substantial  measure  to  his  cooperation 


492  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

with  movements  for  the  public  good.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
becoming  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  at  Erie,  in  which  he  held  all  of  the 
offices  and  served  as  master.  He  also  served  as  treasurer  for  many  years, 
became  likewise  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  of  Sterling  and  joined  the  con- 
sistory at  Clinton.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Eastern  Star. 
In  politics  he  was  a  stalwart  republican  and  capably  filled  a  number  of  offices. 
For  three  years  he  was  supervisor  of  Fenton  township,  was  also  assessor  and 
was  largely  instrumental  in  extending  the  drainage  system  of  Fenton  and 
Newton  townships,  acting  as  drainage  commissioner  for  some  time.  He  was 
likewise  president  of  the  village  of  Erie  and  gave  a  public-spirited  adminis- 
tration, characterized  by  needed  reform,  progress  and  improvement.  The 
death  of  Mr.  McLane  occurred,  as  stated,  on  the  18th  of  June,  1906,  and  was 
the  occasion  of  deep  and  wide-spread  regret  to  many  friends  who  had  learned 
to  esteem  and  honor  him  for  his  loyalty  and  progressiveness  in  citizenship, 
for  his  honor  in  business  and  his  faithfulness  in  friendship.  He  had  lived 
in  this  county  from  pioneer  times  and  wherever  known  was  respected  and 
esteemed. 


ASHER  LINCOLN  RICHMOND. 

Asher  Lincoln  Richmond,  editor  of  .the  Sterling  Daily  Standard  and 
president  of  the  Sterling  Standard  Publishing  Company,  was  born  in 
Brighton,  Ontario,  Canada,  May  18,  1876.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Syl- 
vester Richmond,  was  a  native  of  New  York  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
Following  his  removal  to  Canada  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits 
and  also  operated  a  sawmill.  There  his  death  occurred  when  he  had  reached 
the  venerable  age  of  eighty-four  years.  His  wife  was  Dorothy  (Strevol) 
Richmond,  who  lived  to  the  extreme  old  age  of  ninety-six  years.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather  of  Mr.  Richmond  was  William  McGuire,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  became  a  farmer  of  Trenton,  Ontario,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  were  well  advanced  in  years  when  called  to  their  final  rest.  The  parents 
of  A.  L.  Richmond  were  Ichatod  and  Mary  (McGuire)  Richmond,  both 
natives  of  Ontario,  and  throughout  his  business  career  the  father  followed 
farming  and  milling  at  Brighton.  His  life  span  covered  more  than  seventy- 
three  years.  Following  his  demise  his  widow  went  to  Rochester,  New  York, 
where  her  last  days  were  passed.  Both  were  devoted  members  of  the  Method- 
ist church.  Their  family  numbered  two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Alfred  G.,  of 
Rochester,  New  York ;  Asher  L. ;  and  Edna,  also  of  Rochester. 

Upon  the  home  farm  in  Ontario,  Canada,  A.  L.  Richmond  remained  to 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  in  the  summer  months  aided  in  the  work  of 
the  fields.  He  at  first  attended  the  country  schools  and  later  the  high  school 
of  Brighton,  while  subsequently  he  continued  his  education  in  the  summer 
sessions  of  Rochester  University  and  also  by  attending  night  schools.  He 
entered  business  life  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store,  where  he  remained  for  a 
year  and  a  half  and  then  took  up  newspaper  work  on  the  Rochester  (New 
York)  Herald,  being  connected  with  the  business  department  for  seven  or 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  493 

eight  years.  During  this  time  he  also  completed  a  two  years'  college  course 
with  the  correspondence  department,  University  of  Chicago.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  made  his  way  westward  to  Chicago  and,  realizing  the 
advantage  and  value  of  educational  training  and  desiring  to  finish  his  college 
work,  he  spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  the  Chicago  University. 

In  1905  he  came  to  Sterling  and  was  business  manager  of  the  Sterling 
Daily  Standard  in  connection  with  Thomas  Diller,  the  founder  of  the  paper. 
In  1906  he  purchased  Mr.  Diller's  interest  in  the  business  and  is  now  presi- 
dent of  the  Sterling  Standard '  Publishing  Company.  He  likewise  edits  the 
paper,  which  was  established  in  1868.  It  is  an  excellent  journal,  well  merit- 
ing its  liberal  circulation  and  advertising  patronage.  It  is  conducted  along 
lines  of  modern  journalism  and  for  years  has  been  a  good  income-paying 
property.  In  connection  with  the  publication  of  the  Standard  the  company 
also  conducts  the  largest  job  office  in  this  section  of  the  state  and  turns  out 
work  of  the  finest  class.  The  paper  is  published  in  the  interests  of  the  repub- 
lican party  and  its  editorials  are  not  without  weight  in  influencing  public 
opinion. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1902,  Mr.  Richmond  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret 
Powers,  a  daughter  of  John  J.  and  Katherine  (Mellville)  Powers,  of  Roches- 
ter, New  York.  Mr.  Richmond  belongs  to  the  Baptist  church,  while  his  wife 
is  an  Episcopalian.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Rochester  Lodge,  No. 
660,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  the  Sterling  Club;  and  with  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He 
is  yet  a  young  man,  alert,  energetic  and  progressive,  and  his  business  enter- 
prise and  capacity  are  indicated  in  the  success  which  is  attending  the  paper. 


BENJAMIN  F.  EBERSOLE. 

Benjamin  F.  Ebersole  has  passed  beyond  the  point  which  renders  further 
labor  a  necessity  and  through  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil  is  now  enjoying 
the  comforts  of  life  in  well  earned  retirement  in  a  pleasant  home  in  Sterling. 
He  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  30,  1845,  and  is 
a  representative  of  old  families  of  that  state.  His  paternal  grandparents 
were  Jacob  and  Magdalena  (Rutt)  Ebersole.  The  former,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  of  German  descent  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years, 
while  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

Their  son,  Michael  Ebersole,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  devoted  his  life  to 
farming,  and  in  February,  1876,  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Jordan  town- 
ship, Whiteside  county,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  giving  his  time  and  energies  to  its  further  development 
and  improvement  until  his  death  in  1892,  when  he  was  seventy-four  years 
of  age.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1884.  Both  Avere  members  of  the  Men- 
nonite  church.  Mrs.  Ebersole  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Anna  Frey  and  was 
also  born  in  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Maria  (Overholser) 
Frey.  who  were  farming  people  of  the  Keystone  state  and  had  a  family  of 
four  sous  and  two  daughters.  Her  father  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years 


494  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Michael  Ebersole  were  born  four  sons  and  two  daughters, 
but  the  only  ones  now  living  are  Benjamin  F.  and  William  Henry,  the 
latter  a  resident  of  Sonoma,  California. 

Benjamin  F.  Ebersole  was  reared  to  farm  life  in  Franklin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  at  the  usual  age  entered  the  district  schools.  Through  the 
summer  months  he  worked  in  the  fields,  assisting  in  the  task  of  plowing, 
planting  and  harvesting  until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  started 
out  in  life  on  his  own  account,  working  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand.  Hop- 
ing to  benefit  his  financial  condition  in  the  middle  west  he  came  to  Sterling 
in  1876,  and  for  three  years  thereafter  was  employed  in  the  shops  of  the 
Eureka  Manufacturing  Company.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
resumed  farming  and  for  several  years  cultivated  his  father's  farm  on 
shares.  He  afterward  purchased  the  property  and  made  his  home  thereon  for 
twenty-one  years,  his  carefully  directed  labors  bringing  him  good  success 
year  by  year  until  from  his  earnings  he  saved  a  very  desirable  competence. 
After  twenty-one  years  spent  upon  the  original  farm  he  sold  that  property 
and  removed  a  mile  and  a  half  farther  south,  where  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-two  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  made  his  home  for  two 
years.  In  1902  he  disposed  of  that  property  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Ster- 
ling, purchasing  a  good  home  at  No.  50P>  Fifth  avenue.  Here  he  has  since 
lived  retired,  his  financial  resources  permitting  him  to  enjoy  all  of  the 
comforts  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1874,  Mr.  Ebersole  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
Goshert.  who  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  the  others  being:  Christian 
E.,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war;  Benjamin  F. ;  Jacob  D. ;  Amanda  E. ; 
Samuel  F.,  and  Sarah  Elizabeth.  The  parents  of  these  children  were  Jacob 
and  Frances  (Ebersole)  Goshert,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Franklin 
county,  Pennsylvania.  The  death  of  the  father  occurred  in  1861,  when 
he  was  forty-two  years  of  age,  and  in  1876  the  mother  came  to  Whiteside 
county,  where  she  died  in  1896,  aged  seventy-one  years. 

Mrs.  Ebersole's  paternal  great-grandfather  was  Dietrich  Goshert,  a  sol- 
dier in  the  patriot  army  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Her  grandfather,  Jacob 
Goshert,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  miller  by  occupation.  He 
married  Eve  Burkholder,  who  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  while  his  death 
occurred  when  he  was  about  seventy  years  old.  Their  children  were  Manuel, 
Mary,  Jacob,  Elizabeth,  Henry,-  Sarah,  Joseph,  Carrie,  Samuel,  Anna,  George 
and  Susan.  The  only  one  now  living  is  Mrs.  Sarah  Moravey,  a  resident  of 
Chambersburg,  Penns3"lvania.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Ebersole 
was  Christian  Ebersole,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  in  early  life  followed 
the  weaver's  trade,  and  afterward  became  a  farmer.  He  wedded  Anna  Frey, 
who  died  in  middle  life.  By  that'  union  he  had  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  Mrs.  Goshert  was-  one.  For  his  second  wife  Christian  Ebersole 
wedded  Mary  Bmbaker,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Daniel. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benjamin  F.  Ebersole  has  been  blessed 
with  three  children:  Elsie  Amanda,  now  the  wife  of  George  Babcock,  a 
resident  farmer  of  Jordan  township,  by  whom  she  has  five  children,  Glen 
E.,  Gladys  Loraine,  Merle  G..  Mertie  Frances  and  Robert  Sterling  Bab- 
cock;  Katie  Frances,  the  wife  of  Archie  J.  Maxwell,  Jr.,  a  resident  of  Jordan 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  495 

township;  and  Mertie  Elizabeth,  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ebersole  also  reared 
Anna  Blanche  and  Daniel  Benjamin  Ebersole,  the  children  of  Daniel  Eber- 
sole. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  consistent  Christian  people,  holding  mem- 
bership in  St.  John's  Lutheran  church,  and  his  political  allegiance  is  given 
to  the  republican  party.  Viewed  from  any  standpoint,  his  life  may  be  said 
to  be  a  successful  one,  for  he  has  achieved  success  in  business  and  has 
gained  the  unqualified  respect  of  his  fellowmen  by  reason  of  honorable 
methods  which  neither  seek  nor  require  disguise.  He  has  lived  in  this 
county  for  almost  a  third  of  a  century  and  is  greatly  esteemed  by  thosa 
with  whom  business  or  social  relations  have  brought  him  in  contact. 


MRS.  THERESE  LITZRODT. 

Mrs.  Therese  Litzrodt,  residing  in  Genesee  township,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, August  8.  1854,  and  is  the  widow  of  Henry  Litzrodt,  who  was  a 
native  of  Saxony,  Germany,  his  natal  day  being  September  4,  1825.  His 
parents  were  also  of  German  birth  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  father- 
land. Their  family  numbered  seven  children,  of  whom  Mr.  Litzrodt  was 
the  second  son.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  entered  upon  an  apprentice- 
ship and  learned  the  locksmith's  trade  under  the  supervision  of  W.  Demmer, 
in  Eisenach,  Germany.  With  the  aid  of  fifty  dollars  received  from  his  father 
he  completed  his  two  and  a  half  years'  apprenticeship,  and  during  the  suc- 
ceeding eight  years  followed  his  trade  on  his  own  account. 

When  twenty-six  years  of  age  Mr.  Litzrodt  came  to  America,  hoping  to 
enjoy  better  business  opportunities  in  the  new  world.  He  made  his  way  to 
Sterling,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  that  city  began  work  as  a  farm  hand  in  the 
employ  of  a  Mr.  Sox.  He  continued  in  this  work  for  several  years  and  in  the 
meantime,  with  the  capital  acquired  through  his  industry  and  economy, 
he  was  enabled  to  purchase  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  a  few  improve- 
ments had  been  made.  It  was  located  in  Genesee  township  and  was  orig- 
inally covered  with  timber.  At  length  Mr.  Litzrodt  took  up  his  abode  upon 
this  farm  and  began  its  improvement  and  development. 

For  a  year  he  lived  alone  and  was  then  married  in  Chicago  on  the 
12th  of  May,  1868,  to  Miss  Sophia  E.  Wilcken,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Sophia  (Swart)  Wilcken.  Mrs.  Litzrodt  was  born  in  Mecklenburg,  Ger- 
many, February  17,  1834,  and  her  parents  were  both  natives  of  that  country. 
They  reared  a  family  of  four  children,  but  the  father  and  mother  are  both 
now  deceased,  Mrs.  Litzrodt  being  thirteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
father's  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Litzrodt  traveled  life's  journey  together  for 
about  twenty-eight  years  and  were  then  separated  by  the  hand  of  death  in 
1890,  the  wife  passing  away  in  that  year.  Later  Mr.  Litzrodt  made  a  trip 
to  the  fatherland,  where  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Mrs.  Therese  Appold, 
who  came  to  America  in  January,  1891,  at  which  time  Mr.  Litzrodt  returned 
to  this  country.  They  were  married  on  the  12th  of  June  of  that  year.  By 


496  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

her  first  husband  Mrs.  Litzrodt  had  one  daughter,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  with  her  mother  and  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  M.  Winkey. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Litzrodt  occurred  on  the  30th  of  January,  1905.  For 
many  years  he  had  successfully  followed  farming  and  had  added  to  his 
original  holdings  until  he  was  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
acres  of  rich  and  productive  land.  His  life  was  one  of  industry  and  enter- 
prise and  the  success  which  he  enjoyed  was  attributable  entirely  to  his  own 
labors.  He  enjoyed  the  respect  and  confidence  of  those  who  knew  him,  and 
at  his  death  left  many  friends  in  this  county.  Mrs.  Litzrodt  still  surviving 
her  husband,  occupies  the  residence  upon  the  home  farm  but  rents  her  land. 
She  owns  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  and  from  this  property  derives 
a  gratifying  income.  She  is  well  known  in  Genesee  township,  where  she 
has  now  lived  for  seventeen  years,  and  her  good  qualities  have  gained  for 
her  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  all  who  know  her. 


D.  S.  DIGBY. 

D.  S.  Digby  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
on  sections  33  and  34,  Mount  Pleasant  township.  The  place  is  splendidly 
improved  as  the  result  of  the  labors  and  intelligently  applied  energy  of  Mr. 
Digby,  who  is  justly  classed  with  the  progressive  agriculturists  of  this  com- 
munity. In  the  midst  of  the  farm  stands  a  commodious  and  pleasing  resi- 
dence which  he  completed  in  August,  1905.  It  is  built  in  modern  style  of 
architecture,  heated  by  furnace  and  supplied  with  many  twentieth  century 
conveniences. 

This  farm  was  the  birthplace  of  Mr.  Digby,  his  natal  day  being  in  De- 
cember, 1863.  His  parents  were  George  and  Hannah  (Symonds)  Digby, 
who  came  to  Whiteside  county  in  early  life.  The  father  was  born  in  Lin- 
colnshire, England,  April  6,  1828,  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  with 
his  parents,  John  and  Lucy  Digby,  about  1850.  Establishing  his  home  in 
Illinois,  he  purchased  a  land  warrant  from  Margaret  A.  Merklein  and  there- 
with secured  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  comprising  the  west  half 
of  the  southeast  quarter  and  the  east  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
34,  Mount  Pleasant  township.  He  likewise  became  owner  of  a  forty-acre 
tract,  comprising  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
34,  and  with  characteristic  energy  began  the  development  of  his  farm.  How- 
ever, he  sold,  eighty  acres  of  his  land  to  his  father,  who  resided  thereon  for 
a  time,  carrying  on  general  farming.  At  length  John  Digby  disposed  of  the 
place  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Lyndon,  where  he  died  in  1887.  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Lucy  Digby,  passed  away  many  years 
before,  about  the  time  of  the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  In  their  family  were 
six  children,  of  whom  four  are  yet  living:  Mary  Jane,  who  was  born  in  1836, 
married  a  Mr.  Lewis,  and  now  resides  at  Omaha,  Nebraska;  John,  who  was 
born  in  1839,  and  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  is  now 
living  at  Grand  Island,  Nebraska;  Betsy,  who  was  born  in  1842,  is  the  wife  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  497 

William  Richardson,  a  resident  of  Morrison,  Illinois;  Thomas,  born  in  1845, 
died  in  Como  township,  this  county,  about  1877,  and  his  widow  still  resides 
here.  Sarah,  who  was  born  in  1849,  married  Thomas  Swan  and  resides  in 
or  near  Morrison. 

George  Digby,  the  other  member  of  the  family,  made  his  home  in 
Mount  Pleasant  and  Lyndon  townships  throughout  his  active  business  life. 
He  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  in  his  business  af- 
fairs was  quite  successful.  In  addition  to  the  first  property  which  he  owned 
he  bought  another  farm  in  Lyndon  township  and  made  his  home  in  the 
village  of  Lyndon.  However,  he  continued  to  carry  on  general  agricultural 
pursuits  and  his  livestock  interests  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  October,  1894.  His  political  views  were  in  accord  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  republican  party,  and  in  matter?  of  citizenship  he  stood  for 
advancement  and  improvement.  In  early  manhood  he  wedded  Hannah 
Symonds,  who  was  born  in  Cambridgeshire.  England,  in  1828,  a  daughter 
of  William  Symonds.  With  her  two  brothers,  Robert  and  David  Symonds, 
she  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  came  to  Whiteside  county  about  1858  or  1859. 
Both  of  her  brothers  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  David  died  at  the  front,  while  Robert  passed  away  in  Kansas  in 
1907.  Mrs.  Digby  also  had  several  sisters,  and  her  half-sister,  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Martin,  came  to  Whiteside  county,  where  she  lived  for  a  number  of 
years.  It  was  about  1861  that  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Digby 
was  celebrated,  and  unto  them  were  born  three  children,  but  the  eldest 
daughter  died  in  infancy.  The  youngest,'  Jessie  May,  is  now  the  wife  of 
William  Barber  and  resides  just  south  of  her  brother  in  Lyndon  township. 

David  S.  Digby,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  upon 
the  old  homestead  farm  and  was  early  trained  to  the  work  of  field  and  meadow. 
He  attended  the  district  schools  and  also  the  schools  of  Lyndon  and  as  the 
years  have  gone,  by  reading,  experience  >and  observation  have  greatly  broad- 
ened his  knowledge.  He  has  always  followed  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
has  been  very  successful.  When  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  removed  to  his 
present  home,  having  here  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  sections 
33  and  34,  Mount  Pleasant  township.  His  labors  have  wrought  a  marked 
change  in  the  appearance  of  the  place,  for  he  has  added  to  his  farm  many 
substantial  improvements  and  modern  equipments  which  indicate  a  progres- 
sive spirit  and  practical  methods. 

On  the  22d  of  December,  1888,  Mr.  Digby  was  married  to  Miss  Dora 
Kaier,  who  was  born  in  Fenton  township,  November  1,  1870,  a  daughter  of 
A.  B.  and  Louisa  Kaier,  who  were  early  residents  of  this  county  and  now 
make  their  home  in  Morrison.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Digby  have  three  children: 
Roy  J.,  who  is  attending  the  business  college  at  Sterling,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years;  Lavina.  who  at  the  age  of  sixteen  is  a  student  in  the  schools  at 
Morrison ;  and  Nina,  thirteen  years  of  age,  attending  the  district  schools. 

Since  reaching  manhood  Mr.  Digby  has  given  unfaltering  support  to 
the  republican  party,  but  has  never  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for 
office,  preferring  to  concentrate  hi.*  time  and  energies  upon  his  business 
affairs,  in  which  he  has  met  with  well  merited  success.  Socially  he  is  con- 


498  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

nected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camp  and  with  the  Mystic  Workers  at 
Morrison.  Having  .spent  his  entire  life  in  this  locality  he  is  well  known 
and  the  strongly  marked  traits  of  his  character  are  such  as  commend  him 
to  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact. 


CHARLES  N.  RUSSELL. 

There  is  nothing  more  inspiring  than  to  see  a  man  come  to  old  age 
crowned  with  the  respect  and  honor  which  are  the  world's  tribute  to  his 
worth  and  to  the  integrity  and  uprightness  of  his  life.  Such  a  position  does 
Charles  N.  Russell  hold  'in  the  opinion  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  Sterling  and 
of  Whiteside  county.  For  many  years  he  was  identified  with  mercantile 
interests  in  the  city,  but  is  now  living  retired. 

He  claims  Massachusetts  as  the  state  of  his  nativity,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Greenfield,  on  the  3d  of  February,  1826.  His  parents  were 
Charles  and  Adeline  (Nash)  Russell,  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  Vermont, 
respectively.  The  family  was  founded  in  New  England  in  colonial  days. 
The  grandfather,  Hezekiah  Russell,  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  served 
as  a  second  lieutenant  in  the  Third  Northampton  Company  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  is  mentioned  as  captain  of  the  Second  Company  on  the  pay 
roll  of  1784.  The  Nash  family,  too,  is  also  a  well-known  one  of  New  En- 
gland, and -the  maternal  grandfather -of  Charles  N.  Russell  was  Eben  Nash, 
a  native  of  Vermont  and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  who  made  his  home  at 
Duxbury  in  the  Green  Mountain  state.  The. great-grandfather,  Daniel  Nash, 
was  born  January  18,  1780,  and  was  married  September  9,  1802,  to  Mary 
Marshall,  who  was  born  May  9,  1782.  They  settled  permanently  at  Dux- 
bury,  Vermont. 

Charles  Russell,  father  of  our  subject,  engaged  in  business  as  a  tailor  in 
Greenfield  and  afterward  at  Colerain,  Massachusetts,  dying  at  the  latter  place 
May  6,  1871,  when  about  seventy-four  years  of  age,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred May  26,  1797.  His  wife,  who  was  born  February  12,  1805,  died  Sep- 
tember 23,  1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  and  seven  months.  Both 
were  Methodists  in  religious  faith  and  were  earnest,  consistent  Christian 
people.  Their  family  numbered  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  reached  years 
of  maturity,  while  four  are  ^ow  living,  namely :  Charles  N.,  of  this  review ; 
William,  a  resident  of  Westfield,  Massachusetts;  Le  Roy,  also  of  Westfield; 
and  Henry,  who  makes  his  home  in  Carroll,  Iowa.  One  daughter,  Mary  J. 
Russell,  died  November  25,  1907,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years  and  eight 
months. 

Following  tha  removal  of  the  family  from  Greenfield,  Massachusetts, 
Charles  N.  Russell  remained  a  resident  of  Colerain,  Massachusetts,  to  the  age 
of  sixteen  years  and  then  went  to  New  Salem,  where  he  resided  until  1846. 
In  that  year,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  came  to  Whiteside  county,  Illi- 
nois. When  a  boy  he  worked  in  a  cotton  factory  for  one  dollar  per  week 


LIBRARY 
OF  TH£ 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  501 

and  for  fifteen  hours  per  day — a  condition  which  would  be  appalling  to  the 
organized  labor  movements  of  the  present.  Ambitious  to  better  his  condi- 
tion, he  came  west  to  Illinois  and  for  a  year  after  his  arrival  in  Whiteside 
county  was  employed  at  farm  labor.  He  afterward  engaged  in  teaching 
school  during  two  successive  winter  seasons  and  then  again  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  for  a  short  time.  He  afterward  made  his  way  to  northern  Wisconsin 
with  a  surveying  party,  continuing  there  for  a  few  months,  when  he  again 
came  to  Whiteside  county  and  secured  a  clerkship  at  Como  in  the  employ  of 
Holmes  &  Hapgood,  with  whom  he  continued  for  four  years,  receiving  a 
wage  of  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  for  the  first  year  and  of  three  hundred 
dollars  for  the  last  year,  this  increase  coming  to  him  in  recognition  of  his 
merit,  fidelity  and  worth.  Carefully  saving  his  earnings,  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  on  his  own  account  in  Como,  in  partnership  with  Addison 
Hapgood,  who  conducted  a  department  for  the  sale  of  tinware  in  this  store. 
Later  they  carried  on  a  general  store  and  secured  a  good  patronage.  A  few 
years  afterward  Mr.  Russell  bought  out  his  partner's  interest  and  conducted 
the  business  alone  for  some  time.  He  then  sold  out  and  removed  to  Sterling, 
where  he  dealt  in  dry  goods,  groceries  and  furniture  during  the  year  1863. 
Disposing  of  that  stock,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  clothing  business,  in 
which  he  continued  for  some  time,  and  upon  withdrawing  from  that  depart- 
ment of  commercial  activity  he  put  aside  business  cares  and  has  since  lived 
retired.  By  his  unfaltering  diligence  and  careful  management  in  former 
years  he  gained  the  financial  independence  which  permitted  him  some  years 
ago  to  put  aside  all  business  cares  and  responsibilities. 

On  the  25th  of  December,  1851,  Mr.  Russell  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Julia  T.  Sampson,  whose  parents  were  Henry  B.  and  Nancy  (Turner) 
Sampson,  who  were  natives  of  Massachusetts.  Her  father  followed  the  sea 
for  many  years  and  for  a  long  time  commanded  a  vessel.  In  1836  he  and 
his  wife  removed  westward  to  Tremont,  Illinois,  where  they  resided  until 
1839,  when  they  became  residents  of  Como,  the  father  there  conducting  a 
hotel  for  many  years.  His  name  was  originally  Henry  Briggs  and  he  was 
master  of  the  vessel  called  the  brig  Sampson.  On  account  of  the  confusion 
of  his  own  name  with  that  of  his  ship  he  changed  his  name  to  Henry  B. 
Sampson.  His  parents  were  Captain  Job  and  Betsy  (Winsor)  Sampson. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Sampson  occurred  December  30,  1865,  when  he  had 
reached  tlie  age  of  seventy-eight  years  and  six  months,  while  his  wife  died 
in  November,  1863,  when  about  seventy-three  years  of  age.  Their  family 
numbered  eight  children,  including  Mrs.  Russell,  who  by  her  marriage  be- 
came the  mother  of  four  children,  but  the  firstborn  died  in  infancy.  The 
others  are:  Annie,  who  is  now  acting  as  her  father's  housekeeper;  Charles, 
who  wedded  May  C.  Hubbard;  and  John,  who  died  in  infancy.  The  wife 
and  mother  passed  away  in  April,  1907,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years  and 
seven  months.  She  belonged  to  the  Congregational  church  and  was  an 
earnest,  consistent  Christian  woman,  whose  many  good  traits  of  character 
won  her  warm  friendships  and  kindly  regards. 

Mr.  Russell  lived  with  a  Unitarian  minister  between  the  aaes  of  sixteen 
and  twenty  years  and  his  religious  views  are  along  that  line.  While  he  has 


502  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

no  active  business  interests  now  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Sterling  National 
Bank  and  he  owns  two  good  store  buildings  on  Third  street  in  Sterling, 
together  with  a  beautiful  home  at  No.  702  Second  avenue,  which  he  erected 
in  1875.  Such  in  brief  is  the  life  history  of  Charles  N.  Russell,  who  has  now 
passed  the  eighty-second  milestone  on  life's  journey,  and  in  whatever  relation 
he  has  been  found — in  social  circles,  in  business  life  and  in  citizenship — he 
has  always  been  the  same  honorable  and  honored  gentleman,  whose  worth 
well  merits  the  high  regard  which  is  uniformly  given  him. 


IRVING  L.  WEAVER. 

The  life  record  of  Irving  L.  Weaver  stands  in  contradistinction  to  the 
old  adage  that  a  prophet  is  never  without  honor  save  in  his  own  country, 
for  in  Sterling,  the  city  of  his  nativity,  he  has  attained  prominence  and 
success  as  an  able  member  of  the  bar,  being  well  known  as  a  leading  repre- 
sentative of  the  profession  which  stands  as  the  conservator  of  human  rights 
and  privileges. 

His  natal  day  was  August  5,  1873,  his  parents  being  John  S.  and  Mary 
A.  (Delp)  Weaver,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Weaver,  was  born  in  the  Keystone  state  and  was  of  Swiss  and 
German  descent.  He  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  was  also  a 
minister  of  the  Reformed  Mennonite  church.  In  1855  he  arrived  in  Ster- 
ling and  purchased  land  east  of  the  town,  securing  about  a  thousand  acres, 
which  he  improved  and  cultivated,  making  his  home  thereon  until  about 
1888,  when  he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  union  being  with  Anna  Snavely,  who  died  when  about  thirty- 
five  years  of  age.  Unto  them  were  born  five  children :  Benjamin  S. ;  Abram 
S.;  John  S.;  Frank  S.,  and  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Levi  R.  Rutt.  For  his 
second  wife  John  Weaver,  Sr.,  chose  Fannie  Hoover,  who  died  when  about 
seventy-five  years  of  age. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Weaver,  of  Sterling,  was  Michael 
Delp,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  German  and  English  descent.  He 
followed  carpentering  and  in  1851  came  to  the  middle  west,  settling  in  Jor- 
dan township,  Whiteside  county,  where  he  purchased  a  farm.  However, 
he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade  for  some  time,  but  later  took  up  general 
agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he  continued  until  1869,  when  he  retired  and 
removed  to  Sterling,  spending  his  remaining  days  in  the  city  in  the  en- 
joyment of  well  earned  ease.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  while  his 
wife,  Julia  A.  Grimm,  lived  to  be  ninety-four  years  of  age.  passing  away  on  the 
28th  of  December,  1904.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  five  daughters, 
of  whom  three  are  yet  living:  Charles  Delp,  Mrs.  Mary  Weaver,  and  Julia 
Delp.  In  the  maternal  line  the  ancestry  of  the  family  can  be  traced  back 
still  farther  to  Michael  Delp,  the  great-grandfather,  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  followed  farming  in  Bucks  county,  that  state.  He  married 
Christiana  Page,  who  was  of  English  lineage. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  503 

John  S.  Weaver  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming.  Like  his  father,  he  arrived  in  Illinois  about  1855 
and  established  his  home  east  of  the  city  of  Sterling,  in  Sterling  township. 
Forty  years  were  there  passed  and  he  was  widely  recognized  as  a  foremost 
representative  of  agricultural  interests.  He  aided  in  reclaiming  wild  land 
for  the  purposes  of  cultivation  and  as  the  years  went  by  transformed  his 
property  into  productive  fields,  adding  thereby  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
county  at  large.  About  thirteen  years  ago  he  removed  to  Sterling,  where 
he  and  his  wife  are  now  living  retired,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former 
toil.  Of  the  eight  children  in  their  family  five  reached  adult  age: 
Irving  L. ;  Agnes,  the  wife  of  John  H.  Byers,  of  Dixon,  Illinois ;  Alice,  the 
wife  of  Charles  A.  Byers,  of  Sterling;  Mary  Dillon;  and  Ada  J.,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  John  L.  Snavely. 

Irving  L.  Weaver  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  and  pursued  his 
education  in  the  district  schools  near  the  home  place  and  in  the  public 
schools  of  Sterling.  Desiring  to  enter  upon  a  professional  career,  he  at- 
tended the  Kent  College  of  Law  in  Chicago,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1896.  Immediately  thereafter  he  opened  an  office  for  practice  in  Sterling, 
where  he  still  remains,  and  his  ability  is  attested  by  the  large  and  dis- 
tinctively representative  clientage  accorded  him.  For  ten  years  he  has  held 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  this  position  renders  decisions  that 
are  strictly  fair  and  impartial.  In  1893  he  was  elected  city  attorney  and 
served  for  two  terms. 

On  the  9th  of  November,  1898,  Mr.  Weaver  was  married  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet L.  Boyer,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Susan  B.  (Dennison)  Boyer. 
Mr.  Weaver  is  a  member  of  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
Politically  he  is  a  stalwart  republican,  giving  loyal  support  to  the  party,  but 
the  only  offices  that  he  has  ever  filled  have  been  in  the  direct  path  of  his 
profession.  He  is  well  known  in  the  county  where  his  entire  life  has  been 
passed  and  where  he  has  so  directed  his  labors  and  energies  as  to  gain  a 
creditable  position  in  professional  circles  and  in  the  public  regard. 


PHILIP  T.  VAN  HORNE. 

Philip  T.  Van  Home,  ,who  as  an  architect  is  conducting  a  successful 
business  in  Sterling,  where  he  is  also  well  known  as  vice-president  of  the 
Whiteside  County  Building  &  Loan  Association,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Columbia,  New  York,  November  3,  1842. 
The  family  home  was  established  in  that  state  in  colonial  days.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Philip  Thomas  Van  Home,  was  a  Holland  Dutchman,  born  in 
New  York,  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  as  a  life  work.  His 
labors,  however,  were  interrupted  by  his  service  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  for 
independence,  and  he  lived  long  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  liberty.  The  original 
American  Van  Home  came  from  Holland  during  the  early  epoch  in  the 
colonization  of  the  new  world. 


504  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Thomas  Van  Home,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  New  York  and 
for  some  time  conducted  a  lumber  mill  in  Otsego  county,  but  was  injured  in 
the  mill  and  his  death  resulted  in  1845.  He  was  then  about  thirty-seven 
years  of  age,  his  birth  having  occurred  February  10,  1808.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  the  Empire  state,  March  19,  1810,  long  survived  him  and  died 
October  28,  1882.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mandana  G-amwell,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Chapin)  Gamwell.  Her  father  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts  and  removed  to  New  York,  settling  in  Otsego  county. 
He  was  an  itinerant  shoemaker,  traveling  from  house  to  house  and  making 
shoes  for  the  family,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days.  He  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age  and  his  wife  was  eighty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  They  reared  a  large  family,  but  all  are  now  deceased.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomas  Van  Home  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  three  yet 
survive:  Harrison,  a  resident  of  Springfield.  New  York;  Philip  T.,  and 
James  W.,  now  living  in  Los  Angeles,  California. 

Philip  T.  Van  Home  was  ^reared  in  Otsego  county,  New  York,  remaining 
upon  the  home  farm  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  he  supplemented  his 
early  education,  acquired  in  the  district  schools,  by  study  in  Springfield 
Academy.  At'  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  he  followed  until  about  1870.  In  the  meantime,  in  1868,  he  removed 
westward  to  Sterling,  and  about  1870  began  doing  contract  work,  being  thus 
identified  with  building  operations  until  1896,  since  which  time  he  has  fol- 
lowed the  profession  of  an  architect  alone.  Seeing  opportunity  for  judicious 
investment,  he  is  now  the  owner  of  several  residence  properties  in  Sterling, 
which  return  him  a  good  rental,  and  he  is  also  vice-president  of  the  White- 
side  County  Building  &  Loan  Association  and  was  one  of  its  organizers. 

In  August,  1862,  Mr.  Van  Home  responded  to  his  country's  call  for 
aid  and  joined  the  boys  in  blue  of  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
first  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  he  lacked  but  one  month  of  serving 
three  years,  remaining  at  the  front  until  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  commissary  sergeant  and  was  wounded  in  front  of  Petersburg  on  the 
2d  of  April,  1865.  He  participated  in  many  important  engagements,  in- 
cluding the  battles  of  Crampton's  Pass,  Rappahannock,  Mine  Run,  the  Wild- 
erness, Spottsylvania  Courthouse,  North  Anna,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg,  Fort 
Stevens,  Summit  Point,  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill,  Newmarket,  Cedar  Creek, 
Hatcher's  Run,  Petersburg  and  the  Siege  of  Petersburg. 

When  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Van  Home  returned  to  his  wife,  whom  he 
had  left  a  bride  of  less  than  a  year  in  order  to  go  to  the  front.  He  had  been 
married  on  the  5th  of  November.  1861,  to  Miss  Fanny  I.  Ray,  a  daughter 
of  Othaniel  L.  and  Lois  (Franklin)  Ray.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  her  mother  of  New  England.  He  conducted  a  hotel  in  the  east, 
dying  in  Hamilton,  New  York,  November  5,  1882,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years,  his  birth  having  occurred  March  28,  1818.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
in  1822,  died  November  5,  1865,  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years.  Their 
family  numbered  four  sons  and  six  daughters:  Franklin  Ray;  Fanny,  who 
became  Mrs.  Van  Home;  George;  Eunice,  the  widow  of  Orville  Wolcott,  of 
Springfield,  Ohio;  Ruby,  who  became  the  wife  of  J.  M.  Reynolds  and  died 
in  Sterling;  Ira,  a  resident  of  Hamilton,  New  York;  James,  a  resident  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  505 

Sterling;  Mary  L.,  who  died  in  girlhood;  Marcella,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
ten  years;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Van  Home  was  William  Ray,  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  who  served  his  country  as 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  married  Eunice  Loos,  who  died  in  middle 
life,  while  he  reached  the  very  venerable  age  of  ninety-two  years.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather  of  Mrs.  Van  Home  was  Edward  Franklin,  a  native  of 
England,  who,  on  coming  to  America,  settled  in  Herkimer  county,  New 
York,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  served  his  adopted 
country  in  the  Mexican  war  and  died  at  a  very  old  age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Plorne  have  one  child,  Edward  Burt,  who  is  time- 
keeper in  the  Dillon-Griswold  wire  mill.  He  married  Miss  Lulu  M.  Kelsey, 
a  daughter  of  Porter  G.  and  Sophia  (Page)  Kelsey.  There  are  two  children 
of  that  marriage,  Philip  B.  and  Edward  Kelsey.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Home 
also  reared  a  niece,  Maude  Ray  Reynolds,  who  came  to  them  when  a  child 
of  ten  years,  and  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Edward  L.  Bierman,  a  resident  of 
Lagrange,  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Home  attend  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  he  is  a 
member  of  Sterling  Lodge,  No.  174,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  the  Knights  of  the  Globe,  while  of  Will  Robinson  Post,  No. 
274,  G.  A.  R.,  he  is  now  the  commander.  His  political  allegiance  is  un- 
swervingly given  to  the  republican  party.  He  and  his  wife  reside  at  No.  510 
Fifth  avenue,  where  he  owns  a  pleasant  home,  which  was  built  in  1872. 
He  has  lived  continuously  in  this  county  for  forty  years,  and  has  been 
closely  associated  with  the  improvement  of  the  city,  especially  along  the 
line  of  architectural  adornment.  Aside  from  business  interests,  too,  he  has 
manifested  a  public-spirited  devotion  to  the  general  good,  and  his  co-opera- 
tion has  been  an  element  in  the  successful  management  of  various  interests 
that  have  proven  beneficial  to  the  city.  He  displays  all  the  elements  of 
what  in  this  country  we  term  a  "square"  man — dependable  in  any  relation 
and  any  emergency.  His  easy  dignity,  his  frankness  and  cordialitv  of  ad- 
dress, with  a  total  absence  of  anything  sinister  or  anything  to  conceal  indi- 
cate a  man  who  is  ready  to  meet  any  obligation  of  life  with  the  confidence 
and  courage  that  come  from  conscience,  personal  ability,  right  conception 
of  things  and  an  habitual  regard  for  what  is  best  in  the  exercise  of  human 
activities. 


CLARENCE  L.  SHELDON. 

Clarence  L.  Sheldon  is  the  senior  partner  of  the  law  firm  of  C.  L.  &  C. 
E.  Sheldon,  of  Sterling,  and  in  a  profession  where  advancement  depends  en- 
tirely upon  individual  merit  has  gained  a  position  of  prominence,  which  is 
positive  proof  of  his  skill  and  ability  as  counselor  and  trial  lawyer.  He  was 
born  at  Sennett,  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  April  21.  1841,  his  parents  being 
Rufus  H.  and  Mercy  E.  (Edmunds)  Sheldon,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 


506  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

the  Empire  state.  The  paternal  grandfather.  Ira  Sheldon,  was  also  born  in 
New  York  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  came  of  English  ancestry  and 
died  in  middle  life.  He  married  a  Miss  Sheldon,  a  third  cousin,  and  she  was 
quite  advanced  in  years  when  called  to  her  final  rest. 

Their  son,  Rufus  H.  Sheldon,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Sennett,  New 
York,  and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  as  a  life  work.  In  1847  he  made  his 
way  westward  to  Illinois,  settling  at  Yorkton,  Bureau  county,  where  he  entered 
a  claim  of  three  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Upon  that  farm  he  resided  until 
1888  and  transformed  the  hitherto  wild  prairie  into  richly  cultivated  fields. 
After  carrying  on  his  farm  work  there  for  twenty-one  years  he  removed  to 
Sterling,  where  he  resided  until  about  1882,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  at 
Rock  Falls  and  there  spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  the 
fall  of  1901  when  he  was  eighty-six  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  two  months 
later,  in  December,  1901.  Mr.  Sheldon  served  as  postmaster  of  Yorktown 
for  a  number  of  years  and  was  also  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  prominent 
and  influential  resident  of  the  community.  The  farm  on  which  he  settled 
on  his  arrival  in  the  county  is  situated  on  the  division  line  between  Bureau, 
Henry  and  Whiteside  counties  and  is  now  owned  by  Clarence  L.  Sheldon.  In 
the  family  were  five  children  who  reached  adult  age  while  four  are  yet  living — 
Irving  W.,  Clarence  L.,  Rufus  Harmon  and  William  Chapman.  A  daughter, 
Ida  M.,  became  the  wife  of  Newton  Petrie  and  is  now  deceased. 

In  the  maternal  line,  Clarence  L.  Sheldon  is  also  of  English  lineage.  His 
maternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York  and  followed 
farming  as  a  life  work.  Both  he  and  his  wife  lived  to  be  more  than  ninety 
years  of  age. 

Clarence  L.  Sheldon,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  but  six 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  upon  the  home  farm  he  was  reared, 
early  becoming  familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
agriculturist.  He  attended  the  district  schools  between  the  ages  of  six  and 
seventeen  years  and  afterward  spent  one  year  as  a  student  in  the  academy  at 
Princeton,  Illinois,  prior  to  entering  the  Western  College  in  Iowa.  There  he 
spent  one  year,  after  which  he  became  a  student  in  the  Lombard  University 
at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  prepared  for  his 
profession  by  two  years'  study  in  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  was  graduated  in  1868. 

On  the  2d  of  January  of  the  following  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  soon  after  began  practice  in  Sterling,  where  he  has  remained  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  covering  a  period  of  thirty-nine  years.  He  has  won  for  himself 
very  favorable  criticism  for  the  careful  and  systematic  methods  which  he  has 
followed.  He  has  remarkable  powers  of  concentration  and  application  and 
his  retentive  mind  has  often  excited  the  surprise  of  his  professional  colleagues. 
As  an  orator  he  stands  high,  especially  in  the  discussion  of  legal  matters  before 
the  court,  where  his  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  law  is  manifest,  while 
his  application  of  legal  principles  demonstrates  the  wide  range  of  his  profes- 
sional acquirements.  The  utmost  care  and  precision  characterize  his  prepara- 
tion of  a  case  and  have  made  him  one  of  the  most  successful  attorneys  in 
Whiteside  county.  He  has  served  as  city  attorney  for  two  years  and  as  mas- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  507 

ter  in  chancery  for  six  years.  He  was  likewise  alderman  for  two  terms  but 
has  preferred  concentrating  his  energies  upon  his  professional  duties  rather 
than  participating  actively  in  political  circles. 

In  1870  Mr.  Sheldon  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Letitia  Crawford,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  H.  and  Amanda  (Gait)  Crawford.  Five  children  have  been 
born  of  this  union.  Leslie  C.,  the  eldest,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war  and  also  saw  military  service  in  the  Philippines,  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-one  years.  Carl  Edmund,  the  second  son,  is  his  father's  partner 
in  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  graduated  in  1899  from  the  College  of  Litera- 
ture and  Arts  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  from  the  law  department  of  the 
university  in  1902.  In  June  of  the  same  year  he  became  a  partner  of  his 
father  under  the  firm  style  of  C.  L.  &  C.  E.  Sheldon  and  in  April,  1907,  was 
elected  city  attorney.  He  is  national  vice  president  of  the  Sigma  Alpha  Epsi- 
]on,  a  college  fraternity,  and  editor  of  one  of  its  magazines.  John  Rufus 
Sheldon  is  a  practicing  physician  at  Muskogee,  Indian  Territory.  He  attended 
the  University  of  Illinois,  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  the  Jefferson  Med- 
ical School  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  the 
South  at  Sewanee,  Tennessee,  in  1904.  He  married  Miss  Maranda  Page  Tur- 
ner and  they  have  two  children,  Edith  and  Clarence.  Edith  Irene  became 
the  wife  of  Robert  S.  Butler,  son  of  E.  K.  Butler,  of  Chicago,  and  they  reside 
in  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  They  have  two  children,  Robert  Sheldon  and  Margaret 
Letitia.  Bertha  died  when  about  two  years  old.  The  wife  and  mother,  Mrs. 
Mary  L.  Sheldon,  died  May  2,  1903,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  1905,  Mr.  Sheldon  wedded  Miss  Annie  McCart- 
ney, a  daughter  of  David  McCartney.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and,  like  Mr.  Sheldon,  has  many  friends  in  Sterling.  Always  a  warm 
friend  of  the  cause  of  education,  Mr.  Sheldon  gave  to  his  children  good  advant- 
ages in  that  direction.  His  daughter,  Edith  L,  having  graduated  from  the 
Wallace  high  school  of  Sterling  and  later  from  the  Sterling-Coloma  township 
high  school,  afterward  became  a  student  in  the  Washington  Seminary,  a  girls' 
school  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  from  which  she  was  graduated  in  1902.  Leslie 
was  a  graduate  of  the  Wallace  high  school  of  1889  and  Carl  E.  an  alumnus  of 
1894. 

Mr.  Sheldon  is  a  member  of  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Sterling  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  and  a  charter  member  of  Sterling  Com- 
mandery,  No.  57,  K.  T.,  of  which  he  is  past  eminent  commander.  He  also 
affiliates  with  Medinah  Temple  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Chicago. 
He  has  always  been  interested  in  matters  of  progressive  citizenship  and  has 
been  a  co-operative  factor  in  many  measures  for  the  public  good.  He  was  the 
first  man  to  suggest  the  location  of  the  feeder  line  of  the  Hennepin  canal  from 
Dixon  to  Sterling  and  was  appointed  on  the  committee  with  C.  C.  Johnson  to 
go  to  Washington,  where  he  made  the  argument  in  support  of  the  line,  which 
was  finally  changed.  Many  other  tangible  proofs  of  his  devotion  to  the  pub- 
lic welfare  might  be  given.  In  his  early  manhood  he  taught  school'at  differ- 
ent times,  thus  practically  earning  his  way  through  college.  The  elemental 
strength  of  his  character  which  he  thus  displayed  gave  proof  of  future  possi- 


508  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

bilities  which  have  been  realized  in  a  successful  career.  The  law  firm  of  C.  L. 
&  C.  E*  Sheldon  is  now  a  prominent  one.  Added  to  the  broader  experience 
and  learning  of  the  father  is  the  zeal,  enthusiasm  and  energy  of  the  young 
man  and  the  combination  is  one  which  works  well  in  legal  circles.  Their 
clientage  is  of  a  distinctively  representative  character  and  they  have  won  many 
honorable  forensic  contests  in  the  courts. 


LEWIS  EDWIN  BROOKFIELD. 

The  specific  and  distinctive  office  of  biography  is  not  to  give  voice  to  a 
man's  modest  estimate  of  himself  and  his  accomplishments,  but  rather  to 
leave  the  perpetual  record  establishing  his  character  by  the  consensus  of 
opinion  on  the  part  of  his  fellowmen.  Throughout  Whiteside  county  Lewis 
Edwin  Brookfield,  now  deceased,  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of  admiration  and 
respect.  His  life  was  so  varied  in  its  activity,  so  honorable  in  its  purposes 
and  so  far-reaching  and  beneficial  in  its  effects  that  it  became  an  integral 
part  of  the  history  of  Sterling  and  this  portion  of  the  state. 

He  was  born  in  Coleta,  Illinois,  June  5,  1860,  the  eldest  son  of  Ephraim 
and  Harriet  (Yeger)  Bnookfieldi,  whose  family,  however,  numbered  two 
daughters:  Helen,  now  the  wife  of  Thomas  Crawford,  of  Clinton,  Iowa; 
and  Dorothy,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Hopkins,  of  Sterling.  The  father,  an  early 
settler  of  this  state,  conducted  a  store  in  Coleta  and  was  afterward  a  banker 
at  Rock  Falls.  While  in  Florida  for  the  benefit  of  his  health  he  died  at 
about  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years.  He  is  still  survived  by  his  wife,  who  has 
since  married  Henry  Green,  of  Sterling. 

Lewis  E.  Brookfield  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  city  and  began 
his  education  there,  while  later  he  attended  the  Edward  Seminary  of  Ster- 
ling, of  which  he  was  an  alumnus.  In  his  business  life  he  began  the  manu- 
facture of  caskets  and  later  extended  his  trade  to  include  the  manufac- 
ture of  hearses.  He  built  up  a  large  business  and  received  several  medals 
at  different  expositions,  including  a  silver  medal  which  was  awarded  him  at 
the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  in  St.  Louis  in  1904.  It  was  at  the  early 
age  of  seventeen  years  that  he  left  school  and  took  charge  of  the  business 
of  the  Rock  Falls  Manufacturing  Company,  which  wa?  organized  in  August, 
1877,  and  which,  directed  by  his  remarkable  ability  and  governed  by  his 
keen  insight,  developed  into  one  of  the  large  enterprises  of  the  kind,  becom- 
ing known  throughout  the  entire  country,  its  output  being  sold  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  States.  The  house  aimed  at  high  standards  in  the  character 
of  its  materials,  in  the  methods  of  manufacture  and  in  its  sen-ice  to  the 
public  and  met  competition  in  the  rivalry  of  merit  rather  than  in  a  war  of 
prices.  Throughout  his  business  career  Mr.  Brookfield  was  notably  reliable 
as  well  as  determined  and  energetic.  He  allowed  no  obstacle  to  bar  hi?  path 
if  it  could  be  overcome  by  determined  and  honorable  labor,  and  in  business 
circles  he  sustained  an  unassailable  reputation  a-  one  whose  word  was  above 
question,  commanding  at  all  times  the  uniform  trust  and  respect  of  his  col- 
leagues and  the  general  public.  As  he  prospered  in  his  undertaking?  he 


t 


LIBRARY 

OF  TH€ 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  511 

made  judicious  investments  in  land  and  became  one  of  the  extensive  holders 
of  farm  property  in  Whiteside  county,  his  possessions  aggregating  about  one 
thousand  acres.  He  managed  his  property  and  in  its  control  showed  excel- 
lent executive  ability  and  marked  foresight. 

Mr.  Brookfield  was  not  unknown  as  a  speaker  of  ability  and  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  to  preside  at  public  meetings,  where  his  dignity  and  his 
tact  made  him  largely  an  ideal  presiding  officer.  In  Masonry  he  attained 
the  Knight  Templar  degree  and  was  a  worthy  exemplar  of  the  craft,  which 
is  based  upon  mutual  helpfulness  and  brotherly  kindness.  His  political 
allegiance  was  given  to  the  republican  party  and  in  1898  he  was  a  candidate 
for  congress.  In  his  citizenship  he  was  public-spirited  and  patriotic,  loyal  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  country  at  large,  while  in  his  home  community  he 
contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  work  of  upbuilding  and  progress. 
Although  not  college-bred,  he  was  a  man  of  broad  education,  wide  knowl- 
edge and  natural  refinement.  He  traveled  extensively,  and  his  letters,  which 
were  published  in  the  papers,  were  read  with  interest,  for  he  brought  vividly 
before  his  readers  the  scenes  upon  which  he  had  looked  or  those  things 
which  had  proven  of  interest  to  him. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1882,  Mr.  Brookfield  was  married  to  Miss 
Helen  J.  Gait,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  A.  and  Catharine  (Anthony)  Gait. 
Mrs.  Brookfield  was  born  and  reared  in  Sterling  and  has  always  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  city.  She  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  prominent  families 
of  the  county,  of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  By  her 
marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  three  children :  Emily,  the  wife  of 
Chauncey  R.  Hardy,  of  Chicago,  by  whom  she  has  one  daughter,  Helen 
Jane;  Fannie,  the  wife  of  Earle  E.  Butler,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Helen  Sarah  and  Edwin  Brookfield;  and  Gait,  who  is  attending 
school. 

Mr.  Brookfield  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  was  very 
active  in  its  work,  doing  much  to  promote  the  cause  of  the  organization  and 
aid  in  its  growth.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  character,  of  marked  individ- 
uality and  of  lovable  disposition,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  a  report  concerning 
the  death  of  any  other  citizen  of  Sterling  has  ever  caused  more  genuine  or 
widely  felt  regret.  His  fellow  townsmen  entertained  for  him  the  most  gen- 
uine friendship  and  admiration.  He  was  a  man  of  splendid  qualities  of 
heart  and  of  mind  and  with  the  passing  of  the  years  developed  a  character 
which  was  the  exemplification  of  honorable,  upright  and  courteous  man- 
hood. In  business  he  met  with  splendid  success  and  yet  there  was  not  one 
esoteric  phase  in  his  career.  His  methods  neither  sought  nor  required  dis- 
guise and  all  knew  him  as  one  who  could  be  thoroughly  trusted  under  all 
circumstances.  He  held  friendship  inviolable,  regarded  it  as  a  privilege  as 
well  as  a  duty  to  aid  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  city  and  to  uphold  the  best 
interests  of  state  and  nation.  His  best  traits  of  character,  however,  were 
reserved  for  his  own  fireside,  and  in  the  family  circle  he  was  ever  a  devoted 
and  loving  husband  and  father.  /He  died  on  New  Year's  day  of  1900  at  the 
age  of  thirty-nine  years,  and  it  will  be  long  before  the  memory  of  Lewis 
Edwin  Brookfield  ceases  to  be  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  him. 


512  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Mrs.  Brookfield,  surviving  her  husband,  still  makes  her  home  in  Ster- 
ling. She  is  a  lady  of  literary  taste  and  culture,  who  entered  the  public 
schools  of  Sterling  and  began  her  education  there,  completing  it  in  the  uni- 
versity at  Lake  Forest,  Illinois.  She  shared  with  her  husband  in  his  deep 
interest  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  city  and  is  much  interested  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  Sterling.  She  has  recently  given  the  beautiful 
home  in  which  she  was  reared  to  the  city  of  Sterling  for  a  hospital,  which 
is  not  conducted  in  the  interest  of  any  church  or  society,  but  is  open  to 
people  of  all  faiths  and  creeds.  It  is  a  beautiful  property,  situated  on  West 
Third  street,  surrounded  by  a  broad  lawn  and  adorned  with  fine  old  trees. 
It  overlooks  the  Rock  river  and  is  most  advantageously  situated  and  will 
ever  be  a  monument  to  its  generous  and  public-spirited  giver.  Mrs.  Brook- 
field  is  recognized  as  a  leader  in  the  social  circles  of  Sterling  and  her  influ- 
ence is  an  element  in  the  intellectual  and  esthetic  culture  as  well  as  moral 
development  of  the  city. 


ROBERT  L.  BURCHELL. 

Among  the  energetic,  far-seeing  and  successful  business  men  of  White- 
side  county  is  numbered  Robert  L.  Burchell,  whose  business  interests  have 
largely  been  of  a  nature  that  have  promoted  the  general  development  of  his 
town  while  advancing  individual  success.  He  is  today  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Erie,  and  proprietor  of  the  largest  mercantile  establishment 
of  the  town.  He  has  been  closely  associated  with  its  commercial  and  finan- 
cial interests  since  1868,  and  bears  an  unassailable  reputation  by  reason  of 
the  straightforward,  honorable  business  principles  that  he  has  ever  followed. 

Mr.  Burchell  was  born  in  Columbus  City,  Iowa,  May  31,  1846.  His 
father,  Robert  C.  Burchell,  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  member  of  the 
legal  profession.  About  1850  he  removed  westward,  settling  in  Columbus 
City,  Iowa,  and  in  1855  became  a  resident  of  Oregon,  Ogle  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  gained  a  position  among  the  prominent  and  influential  residents 
of  that  locality.  His  practice  was  large  and  of  a  distinctively  representa- 
tive character,  connecting  him  with  the  most  important  litigation  tried  in 
the  courts  of  his  district.  He .  was  state  district  attorney  for  eight  years, 
was  one  of  the  electors  on  the  Greeley  ticket  and  later'  was  a  strong  Elaine 
man.  He  also  served  as  mayor  of  Oregon  and  in  public  office  his  loyalty 
was  above  question,  while  his  ability  was  widely  recognized.  He  married 
Miss  Mary  J.  Morris,  a  native  of  New  Albany,  Indiana,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  six  children :  Kate,  the  wife  of  Adolph  Jones,  a  resident  farmer 
of  Iowa;  Henry,  a  merchant  of  Walnut.  Bureau  county,  Illinois;  Nancy; 
Robert-  L. ;  Frank,  a  merchant  of  Oregon.  Illinois;  and  Jennie,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Wales,  of  Savanna,  this  state. 

Robert  L.  Burchell  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  county.  Illinois,  and  made  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world  as  clerk 
in  a  store  in  Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  During  that  time 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  513 

he  largely  acquainted  himself  with  commercial  methods  and,  going  to  Frank- 
lin Grove,  Lee  county,  Illinois,  was  also  employed  as  a  clerk  for  a  time.  Later 
he  occupied  a  similar  position  at  Dixon  but  was  actuated  by  laudable  ambition 
to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account  and  in  1868  came  to  Erie,  where 
he  opened  a  dry  goods  store,  investing  a  capital  of  about  thirty-six  hundred 
dollars.  As  the  years  have  passed  his  business  has  constantly  increased  until 
he  now  owns  three  large  stores  and  carries  a  stock  valued  at  more  than  ten 
times  the  amount  originally  invested.  In  fact  he  has  one  of  the  largest 
stores  in  the  county,  carrying  an  extensive  line  of  general  merchandise. 

A  man  of  resourceful  business  ability,  Mr.  Burchell  has  extended  his 
efforts  into  various  other  lines.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Erie  he  opened  a 
private  bank,  which  he  conducted  until  the  1st  of  October,  1903,  when  he 
discontinued  the  private  banking  business  and  organized  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Erie,  of  which  he  became  president,  while  his  son,  Robert  C.,  became 
cashier.  The  bank  is  capitalized  for  forty  thousand  dollars  and  now  has 
surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  He  owns  valuable 
real  estate,  including  the  building  in  which  he  now  carries  on  business  and 
which  was  erected  by  him  in  1804.  It  is  a  large  brick  block,  two  stories  in 
height  with  basement,  having  a  frontage  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
and  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet.  This  entire  building  is  occupied  by  Mr. 
Burchell  in  his  general  merchandising  interests.  He  is  also  the  owner  of 
a  valuable  farm  property  in  Erie  and  Fenton  townships  and  has  a  number  of 
buildings  in  the  village.  He  also  established  a  creamery  in  Erie,  conducting 
an  extensive  and  constantly  growing  business  in  that  line,  and  in  1870  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  Erie  and  continued  to  fill  the  position  for  many 
years.  This  by  no  means  covers  the  extent  of  his  public  service  in  office,  for 
he  filled  the  position  of  supervisor  for  a  number  of  years  and  was  chairman 
of  the  board  for  two  terms.  He  has  also  been  treasurer  of  the  village  and 
school  treasurer  as  well,  and  whether  in  office  or  out  of  it  he  gives  loyal 
support  to  every  movement  or  measure  calculated  to  benefit  the  community. 

Mr.  Burchell  was  married  on  the  18th  of  November,  1866,  in  Chicago,  to 
Miss  Margaret  Victoria  Jones,  a  daughter  of  Augustus  and  Mary  Jones  and 
a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  born  November  18,  1847.  Their  children 
are :  Robert  C.,  who  is  cashier  of  the  bank ;  Mrs.  Mary  Shoecraft,  a  resident  of 
Clinton,  Iowa;  George,  who  has  charge  of  his  father's  store;  and  Ruth  and 
Margaret,  in  school.  The  eldest  son,  Robert  C.,  born  June  16,  1870,  in  Erie, 
has  resided  here  throughout  his  entire  life  with  the  exception  of  the  period 
between  1887  and  1895,  which  he  spent  in  Chicago  in  the  wholesale  grocery 
house  of  W.  M.  Hoyt  &  Company.  In  the  latter  year  he  returned  to  Erie 
and  has  since  been  associated  with  his  father  in  business.  He  was  first  con- 
nected with  the  private  bank  and  the  store  and  upon  the  organization  of  the 
First  National  Bank  became  its  cashier  and  has  since  practically  been  its 
manager.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie  and  also  spent  two 
years  as  a  student  at  Lake  Forest,  Illinois.  He  is  today  one  of  the  representa- 
tive, enterprising  business  men  of  the  town,  a  worthy  successor  of  his  father 
who,  though  still  active  in  the  management  of  his  business  affairs,  largely 
leaves  the  work  of  the  bank  and  the  store  to  his  sons.  Robert  C.  Burchell 


514  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

was  married  in  1896  to  Miss  Vinnie  G.  Gilleland,  a  native  of  Evansville, 
Indiana,  but  a  resident  of  Chicago  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Her  father 
was  the  Rev.  Leland  A.  Gilleland,  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  church  but 
now  deceased.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  C.  Burchell  have  been  born  three 
children:  Robert  Lawrence,  Richard  Gilleland  and  Leland  C.  The  father 
is  a  stalwart  Republican  in  his  political  views,  is  connected  socially  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  regarded  as  a  representative,  enterprising  citizen  of 
Erie,  standing  stanch  in  support  of  all  interests  for  the  public  good,  while 
in  his  business  affairs  he  manifests  keen  discernment  and  unfaltering  dili- 
gence. 

Robert  L.  Burchell  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  joining  the 
Erie  lodge  at  its  organization.  He  belongs  to  Prophetstown  Chapter  and 
Sterling  Commandery.  He  is  always  loyal  to  the  teachings  of  the  craft  and 
his  life  record  is  one  which  has  gained  for  him  the  high  respect  and  confidence 
of  his  fellowmen.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  endeavored  to  make  all  of 
his  acts  and  commercial  moves  the  result  of  definite  consideration  and  sound 
judgment.  There  have  never  been  any  great  ventures  or  risks.  On  the  con- 
trary he  has  practiced  honest,  slow-growing  business  methods  and  has  sup- 
plemented them  by  energy  and  good  system. 


JAMES  SMITH. 

James  Smith,  a  successful  agriculturist  and  also  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent raisers  of  fine  stock  in  Whiteside  county,  was  born  in  Albany,  Illinois, 
September  20,  1863,  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  A.  (Graves)  Smith,  natives 
of  England.  About  1855  they  removed  from  New  York  to  Whiteside  county, 
Illinois,  locating  in  Albany,  where  the  father  was  first  employed  for  a  year 
by  the  firm  of  Quick  &  Mcllvane  as  a  wagonmaker.  Subsequently  he  engaged 
in  business  on  his  own  account  and  for  thirty-five  years  carried  on  a  most 
profitable  trade.  His  work  was  all  done  by  hand  and  he  received  from  seventy- 
five  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  for  each  wagon  and  some  of  these 
vehicles  are  still  in  daily  use,  James  Smith  having  three  at  the  present  time 
which  are  yet  in  good  condition.  In  the  conduct  of  his  business  interests  he 
met  with  a  gratifying  and  well  merited  measure  of  success  and,  having  now 
attained  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  is  living  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of 
well  earned  rest.  His  wife,  who  is  also  yet  living,  is  seventy-two  years  of  age. 
This  worthy  couple  became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  still 
survive:  Mary,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Corbett,  of  Fenton;  James,  of  this  review; 
Luella,  the  wife  of  S.  W.  Huff,  of  Lost  Nation,  Iowa;  Sabina,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Fred  Miller,  of  Albany;  and  William,  who  likewise  resides  io  Lost 
Nation,  Iowa. 

James  Smith  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Albany,  and  when 
nineteen  years  of  age  rented  land  in  Garden  Plain  township,  successfully  car- 
rying on  his  agricultural  interests  on  this  tract  for  nineteen  years.  In  1894  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  at  fifty-seven  dollars  and  a  quarter 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  515 

per  acre,  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  The  land  was  well  improved  at  the 
time  he  bought  it  and  his  unremitting  industry  and  capable  management  in 
its  further  development  and  cultivation  are  indicated  by  the  fact  that  it  is 
now  worth  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  In  connection  with  the  conduct  of 
his  farming  interests  he  is  likewise  extensively  and  successfully  engaged  in  the 
stock  business,  making  a  specialty  of  fine  hogs  and  thoroughbred  draft  horses. 
He  raised  one  horse  for  which  he  received  two  thousand  dollars  and  often  has 
draft  horses  weighing  from  nineteen  hundred  to  twenty-one  hundred  pounds. 
Plis  stock  has  taken  the  blue  and  red  ribbon?  at  the  Morrison  Fair,  while  his 
sheep,  which  he  has  raised  for  a  number  of  years,  have  taken  the  first  and 
second  and  even  the  sweepstake  prizes.  He  is  widely  recognized  as  one  of 
the  prosperous  and  enterprising  citizens  of  the  county,  whose  success  has 
come  to  him  as  the  direct  result  of  his  own  untiring  labor  and  sound  business 
judgment. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1888,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma 
Winona  Storer,  a  daughter  of  W.  H.  and  Nancy  (Gallaher)  Storer,  natives 
of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  married  in  Ohio,  Mrs.  Storer  passing  away  in 
that  state.  In  1884  Mr.  Storer  came  to  Whiteside  county  and  purchased  the 
farm  upon  which  our  subject  now  resides.  His  family  numbered  six  chil- 
dren, namely :  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Parson  B.  Egbert,  of  Tacoma,  Washing- 
ton; Mrs.  Smith;  Harry  S.,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania;  William,  deceased, 
whose  wife  is  now  Mrs.  Amos  Fletcher,  of  Albany;  Martha  A.,  the  wife  of 
Lee  Abbott;  and  Thomas  J.,  who  resides  in  Tacoma,  Washington.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  been  born  two  children,  Boyd  W.  and  Miles  Standish. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Smith  is  independent,  casting  his  ballot  for  the 
men  whom  he  deems  best  qualified  for  office,  regardless  of  party  ties.  A  native 
son  of  this  county,  he  is  well  and  favorably  known  as  a  representative  agri- 
culturist and  stock-raiser  and  as  a  citizen  whose  aid  can  always  be  counted  upon 
to  further  any  movement  instituted  for  the  general  welfare  and  for  the  de- 
velopment and  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  state. 


THOMAS  WORMELL. 

Nature  seems  to  have  intended  that  man  shall  enjoy  a  period  of  rest  in  the 
evening  of  life.  In  youth  one  is  full  of  energy  and  bright  hopes  and  in  more 
mature  manhood  his  labors  are  performed  by  a  sound  judgment  that  results 
from  experience  and  observation.  If  his  work  is  therefore  persistently  car- 
ried on  he  cannot  fail  to  achieve  a  measure  of  success  that  will  enable  him 
to  enjoy  the  necessities  at  least  and  some  of  the  comforts  of  life  in  the  evening 
of  his  days  without  recourse  to  further  labor.  Such  has  been  the  history  of  Mr. 
Wormell,  who  in  former  years  was  actively  engaged  in  farming  but  is  now  liv- 
ing retired. 

He  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  September  15,  1833.  His  par- 
ents were  John  and  Ann  (Roland)  Wormell,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
that  country.  The  father  followed  various  occupations  and  to  some  extent 


516  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

engaged  in  contracting.  He  died  in  middle  life,  his  wife  surviving  him  for 
a  number  of  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom 
four  daughters  are  yet  living. 

Thomas  Wormell,  the  only  surviving  s'on,  was  reared  in  the  county  of  his 
nativity  as  a  farm  boy,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors 
incident  to  the  cultivation  and  development  of  the  fields.  His  youth  was  large- 
ly a  period  of  strenuous  toil,  for  when  very  young  he  was  put  to  work  at  herd- 
ing cattle. 

As  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life  he  chose  Miss  Ann 
Turgoose,  whom  he  wedded  on  the  23d  of  May,  1854.  She  died  leaving  one 
son,  George,  who  has  also  passed  away.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Wormell 
chose  Miss  Diana  M.  Young,  and  they  had  one  son,  Frank  T.,  now  thirteen 
years  of  age.  The  wife  and  mother  died  in  1901,  and  in  January,  1907,  Mr. 
Wormell  married  Mrs.  Hester  Barnes,  the  widow  of  Charles  Barnes,  a  soldier 
of  the  Civil  war,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Priscilla  (Rapp)  Thoman. 
Mrs.  Wormell  was  born  and  reared  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
married  there  to  Charles  Barnes,  by  whom  she  had  twelve  children:  Mary 
Ellen,  who  died  in  childhood;  Franklin  Pierce;  Stella  May;  Rosanna;  Samuel; 
Elizabeth;  Joseph;  Sarah;  Stafford;  Charles;  Isabel;  and  Katie.  Of  these 
Franklin  P.  and  Stella  May  died  in  childhood.  Rosanna  became  the  wife  of 
Milton  Culver,  a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  three  children,  Sidney  and 
Josephine.  Samuel  Barnes,  living  in  Kansas,  married  Elizabeth  Corcoran, 
who  is  now  deceased  and  they  had  four  children,  William,  May,  Roy  and 
Pearl.  Elizabeth  married  William  Russell,  by  whom  she  had  four  children, 
Tabitha,  Annie,  George  and  Clarence,  and  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband 
she  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Jones,  with  whom  she  is  now  living  in  Canada. 
Joseph  Barnes,  a  molder  of  Rock  Falls,  wedded  Cora  Myers,  of  Tampico,  and 
they  have  seven  children,  Maude,  Joseph,  Ruby,  Viola,  Nettie,  Lillian  and 
Zera.  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Eli  Kewley,  had  one  daughter,  Esther,  and  after  the 
death  of  her  first  husband  she-married  Frank  Burke,  and  had  five  children, 
Albert,  Frank,  Katie,  Byron  and  Annie.  Stafford  married  Sedate  Blair  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Lenora.  Charles  Barnes  is  married  and  his  children 
are  Nellie,  Irene,  Frank  and  Walter.  Isabel  is  the  wife  of  George  Hulett,  of 
Morrison.  Katie  became  the  wife  of  Henry  William  Adams,  by  whom  she  has 
a  daughter,  Edna  Loraine  Adams,  and  her  second  husband  was  Egbert  Wilson, 
by  whom  she  has  one  daughter,  Dorothy  Wilson. 

Mr.  Wormell  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  country  until  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  when  in  1857  he  came  to  America,  accompanied  by  his 
brother  Robert,  who  died  the  same  fall  on  the  eighteenth  anniversary  of  his 
birth.  Following  his  arrival  in  America  Thomas  Wormell  began  farming  in 
Hume  township,  Whiteside  county.  Illinois,  working  by  the  day  the  first  year. 
In  1858,  desirous  that  his  labors  should  more  directly  benefit  himself,  he  rented 
a  farm  and  in  the  ensuing  years  cultivated  several  rented  farms  until  his  un- 
tiring diligence,  economy  and  perseverance  brought  him  capital  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  purchase  a  farm.  In  1866  he  bought  one  hundred  and  seven- 
teen acres  of  land  in  Hume  township,  which  he  still  owns,  and  there  he  lived 
until  about  1877,  when  he  removed  to  Sterling  and  engaged  in  dealing  in 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  517 

horses  for  twelve  years,  or  until  1889,  when  he  came  to  Rock  Falls.  Here  he 
built  a  fine  residence,  which  he  still  occupies,  and  is  now  living  retired,  for  his 
activity  in  former  years  'brought  him  well  merited  rest,  while  the  desirable 
competence  which  he  gained  enables  him  to  enjoy  well  earned  ease. 

Mr.  Wormell  has  always  been  interested  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his 
community  and  his  co-operation  could  ever  be  counted  upon  to  further  pro- 
gressive public  interests.  He  was  road  commissioner  in  Hume  township  for 
one  year  at  an  early  day  and  put  in  the  first  gravel  road  there.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church  and  their  lives  are  in  harmony 
with  their  professions,  while  their  good  qualities  have  gained  for  them  the 
devotion  of  many  warm  friends. 


FRANK  WELLINGTON  WHEELER. 

Frank  Wellington  Wheeler,  special  agent  for  Union  Pacific  Railroad  lands, 
was  born  in  Keene,  New  Hampshire,  September  15,  1850.  The  family  was 
an  old  one  of  the  Granite  state.  His  great-grandparents  lived  there  and  it  was 
the  birth  place  of  his  grandfather,  Aaron  Wheeler,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  was  captain  of  a  training  company  in  the  days  of  the  old  state 
militia.  He  married  Dolly  Gleason  and  they  reared  a  large  family,  including 
Almon  Wheeler,  who  was  likewise  born  in  New  Hampshire.  He  became  a 
school  teacher  of  that  state  and  resided  in  New  England  until  his  removal  west- 
ward to  Belvidere,  Illinois,  at  a  very  early  day.  He  afterward  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Cherry  Valley,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  1856. 
Several  years  later  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Mendota,  where  he  also  conducted 
business  as  a  lumber  merchant,  and  thence  came  to  Rock  Falls,  where  he 
again  established  a  lumberyard,  becoming  one  of  the  representative  business 
men  of  the  city.  He  wedded  Miss  Eliza  J.  Wellington,  also  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire  and  a  daughter  of  Erastus  Wellington,  who  traced  his  lineage 
back  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  the  celebrated  hero  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Almon  Wheeler  were  Congregation  alists  in  religious 
faith  and  were  people  of  prominence  in  the  various  communities  in  which 
they  lived.  Mr.  Wheeler  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  municipal 
affairs  in  Rock  Falls,  where  he  served  for  several  terms  as  mayor,  giving  the 
city  a  public-spirited,  businesslike  and  efficient  administration.  He  was  one 
of  the  promoters  and  director  for  several  terms  of  the  Rock  River  branch  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  His  family  numbered  two  sons  and 
two  daughters:  Susan  M.,  the  widow  of  W.  W.  Brown,  of  Rock  Falls,  Illinois; 
Frank  Wellington,  of  Sterling,  Illinois;  Jennie  A.,  the  deceased  wife  of  F.  H. 
Geyer  of  Rock  Falls;  and  Dana  A.,  who  died  in  early  childhood. 

Frank  Wellington  Wheeler  was  only  about  four  years  old  when  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Illinois.  He  obtained  his  early  education  at  Cherry  Valley 
and  afterwards  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  learned  the  business  of  inspecting 
lumber,  becoming  an  expert.  Later  he  bought  and  sold  lumber  on  the  whole- 
sale market  for  a  number  of  years,  after  which  he  took  charge  of  a  retail 


518  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

lumberyard  at  Mendota.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he  came  to  Rock  Falls  and 
established  a  lumberyard  for  his  father,  who  later  took  up  his  abode  there, 
conducting  the  business  for  a  time,  after  which  F.  W.  Wheeler  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  W.  W.  Brown,  purchased  the  business,  which  they  conducted  for  sev- 
eral years  under  the  firm  style  of  Wheeler  &  Brown.  The  yard  is  now  owned 
by  the  Johnston  Lumber  Company.  For  the  past  twelve  years  Mr.  Wheeler 
has  been  with  the  land  department  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 
Thoroughness  characterizes  him  in  everything  he  undertakes  and  his  enter- 
prise is  one  of  his  strong  and  salient  characteristics. 

On  the  2d  of  February,  1881,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  F.  W. 
Wheeler  and  Miss  Louisa  M.  Coe,  a  daughter  of  Marcus  L.  and  Sarah  Kirk 
Coe,  and  they  have  two  children,  Arthur  Wellington  and  LeRoy  Coe.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  Mr.  Wheeler  belongs 
to  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.- 612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Politically  he  is  an  earnest 
republican  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  township  high  school  board  since 
its  organization.  He  served  on  the  building  committee  for  the  school  build- 
ing also  the  Masonic  Temple,  was  vice  president  of  the  soldiers  monument 
association  and  many  other  committees  of  importance,  including  the  Henne- 
pin  canal.  For  forty  years  a  resident  of  Whiteside  county,  his  circle  of  friends 
is  very  extensive,  and  he  has  always  been  known  here  as  a  reliable,  enterpris- 
ing business  man. 


HENRY  REEDY. 

That  Henry  Reedy  occupies  a  notable  position,  both  in  business  and 
agricultural  circles,  in  Whiteside  county  is  a  uniformly  accepted  fact,  and 
that  his  labors  have  been  of  a  character  that  have  contributed  to  general 
progress  and  prosperity  as  well  as  to  individual  success  is  also  known.  He 
is  one  of  the  largest  landowners  in  this  section  of  the  state,  his  home  prop- 
erty comprising  seven  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  situated  in  Albany 
township,  and  he  also  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  situated 
in  Newton  township,  in  addition  to  two  tracts  of  land,  one  of  thirty-seven 
acres  and  a  second  of  twenty-five  acres,  located  on  Cedar  creek,  this  being 
known  as  Prospect  park,  one  of  the  most  attractive  places  in  this  part  of 
Whiteside  county. 

Mr.  Reedy  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  27,  1846,  a 
son  of  George  and  Sallie  (Troutman)  Reedy,  representatives  of  old  German 
families  of  the  Keystone  state.  The  father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  followed 
that  occupation  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  also  owned  a 
farm  in  Pennsylvania  and  on  that  place  spent  the  later  years  of  his  life. 
This  property  is  still  in  possession  of  the  Reedy  family.  Both  the  parents 
are  now  deceased,  the  father  having  passed  away  in  1883,  while  the  mother's 
death  occurred  in  1888.  Their  family  numbered  six  children,  of  whom 
Henry,  of  this  review,  is  the  eldest,  the  others  being:  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Adam  Klee,  who  resides  near  the  old  homestead  in  Pennsylvania;  Amelia; 


U3RARY     - 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  521 

Philip ;  Emma,  the  wife  of  Ezra  Leis,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  their  home 
being  on  the  old  Reedy  farm  in  the  east ;  and  Frank,  who  is  married  and  has 
seven  children,  his  home  also  being  in  that  state. 

Henry  Reedy  was  reared  under  the  parental  roof,  his  education  being 
acquired  in  the  common  schools  of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  years  he  secured  employment  at  farm  labor  by  the  month,  receiv- 
ing for  his  services  three  dollars  per  month.  He  was  thus  employed  for 
several  years  during  the  summer  months,  but  during  the  winter  seasons 
returned  to  his  home  and  continued  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
Being  a  young  man  of  ambitious  and  energetic  spirit  and  having  heard 
favorable  reports  concerning  the  opportunities  to  be  enjoyed  in  the  west,  he 
decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  other  fields,  and  accordingly  in  1864  made  his 
way  to  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  being  employed  by  a  farmer  named  Peter 
Emrick,  near  Wooster,  from  whom  he  received  a  salary  of  twenty  dollars 
per  month  for  his  labor.  The  following  year,  however,  he  made  his  way  to 
Saginaw,  Michigan,  but  not  being  pleased  with  that  country  he  remained  but 
three  weeks,  thence  making  his  way  to  Whiteside  county,  the  time  of  his 
arrival  here  being  March  1,  1867.  He  first  secured  employment  with 
Stephen  Slocumb,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  this  county,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  a  time,  and  later  was  employed  by  John  Lutz  by  the  day  during 
the  harvest  season.  At  the  end  of  the  season  he  hired  to  Mr.  Lutz  for  a 
year,  at  three  hundred  dollars.  In  the  meantime  he  contracted  with  Mr. 
Lutz  for  corn  at  thirty  cents  per  bushel  and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  service  with  that  gentleman,  Mr.  Reedy  invested  his  capital  in  cattle  and 
in  this  way  he  made  his  start  in  the  business  world,  his  net  profits  being 
between  six  and  seven  hundred  dollars. 

In  1870  he  was  married,  after  which  he  took  up  his  abode  upon  a  rented 
farm,  but  the  following  year  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  in  Newton  township.  He  made  many  improvements  on  that  property 
and  there  made  his  home  for  eight  years.  He  then  disposed  of  that  farm 
and  rented  the  Leander  Smith  place,  now  known  a^  the  Harry  Smith  farm, 
making  his  home  thereon  for  twenty-three  years.  As  time  passed  he  pros- 
pered in  his  undertakings  and  he  has  made  purchases  of  land  until  he  is 
now  one  of  the  largest  landowners  in  Whiteside  county.  His  home  farm 
comprises  seven  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  good  land  in  Albany  township, 
three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  this  being  covered  with  timber,  while  the 
remainder  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  improved  the  place 
with  good  buildings  and  everything  about  the  farm  is  kept  in  a  good  state  of 
repair.  He  is  here  engaged  in  raising  the  various  cereals  adapted  to  soil  and 
climate  and  each  year  harvests  good  crops  as  a  reward  for  the  care  and  labor 
which  he  bestows  upon  the  fields.  In  addition  to  his  home  property  he  also 
owns  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres,  situated  in  Newton 
township,  on  which  stands  one  of  the  finest  country  residences  in  this  section 
of  the  state.  It  contains  eight  rooms  and  is  modern  in  its  equipments  and 
appointments.  Mr.  Reedy  also  owns  two  tracts  of  land  on  Cedar  creek,  one 
containing  thirty-seven  acres  and  the  other  twenty-five  acres,  this  being 
known  as  Prospect  park.  This  has  been  subdivided  into  lots,  and 


522  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

to  the  fact  that  it  borders  the  creek  is  one  of  the  attractive  building  sites  of 
this  section  of  the  country. 

Agricultural  interests  have  not  alone  claimed  the  time  and  attention  of 
Mr.  Reedy,  for  he  is  actively  and  financially  interested  in  various  other  enter- 
prises. Associated  with  Frank  Dailey,  he  is  conducting  a  canning  factory, 
handling  mostly  tomatoes.  This  is  proving  a  successful  venture  and  adds 
not  a  little  to  the  industrial  progress  of  the  community.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  a  sorghum  factory  and  a  sawmill  in  Albany.  He  also  has  a  cherry 
orchard  and  raises  other  fruit,  three  acres  being  devoted  to  horticultural 
interests.  He  is  very  methodical  in  the  conduct  of  his  various  business  inter- 
ests and  his  sound  judgment  and  executive  ability  are  proving  the  basis  of 
his  success. 

As  above  stated,  Mr.  Reedy  was  married  in  1870,  the  lady  of  his  choice 
being  Miss  Lena  Lutz,  the  wedding  ceremony  being  performed  on  the  28th 
of  May  of  that  year.  Her  parents,  John  and  Mattie  (Meyers)  Lutz,  were 
both  natives  of  Fulton  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  Whiteside 
county  in  1863.  He  was  here  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  finally  removed  to  Kansas,  where  he 
spent  some  time  and  now  makes  his  home  in  Baring,  Missouri.  Their  family 
numbered  nine  children,  as  follows:  John,  who.  resides  in  Dallas  Center, 
Iowa;  Lena,  now  Mrs.  Reedy;  Martin,  a  resident  of  Whiteside  county; 
Henry,  who  was  married  but  is  now  deceased,  his  family  making  their  home 
in  Canada;  Mary,  the  wife  of  A.  Clayton,  of  Amity,  Pennsylvania;  David, 
who  makes  his  home  in  Fowler,  Colorado;  Fannie,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Camp- 
bell, a  resident  of  Kansas;  and  Samuel  and  Jacob,  both  residing  in  Missouri. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lutz  are  still  living  and  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
three  years  are  hale  and  hearty. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reedy  has  been  blessed  with  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Ida,  the  wife  of  George  Renecker,  a  resident  of  Albany;  Wil- 
liam, who  is  engaged  in  farming;  Minnie,  the  wife  of  Louis  Slocumb,  who 
is  engaged  in  farming  and  merchandising;  Burt  A.,  who  wedded  Lillie  Gra- 
ham, by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Teddy  H.  W.,  who  was  the  first  grandchild 
in  the  Reedy  family;  Edward,  who  wedded  Helen  Naftzger,  of  Albany,  by 
whom  he  has  a  daughter,  Fern  Amelia,  born  in  February,  1908 ;  Bessie,  who 
is  still  with  her  parents;  and  George,  deceased. 

Mr.  Reedy  is  now  living  in  the  village  of  Albany,  where  he  has  thirty- 
seven  acres  divided  into  two  different  places.  Besides  his  own  home  he  has  a 
house  with  ten  lots,  another  with  two,  and  the  third  with  fourteen  lot-,  be- 
sides six  lots  in  one  place  and  another  lot.  He  also  owns  a  house  and  lot  in 
Clinton,  Iowa.  Politically  he  is  a  republican  with  independent  tendencies, 
voting  for  men  and  measures  rather  than  party.  Religiously  he  i-  identified 
with  the  German  Reformed  church. 

Starting  out  in  early  youth  in  the  humble  capacity  of  a  farm  hand, 
Mr.  Reedy  has,  through  his  own  industry  and  laudable  ambition,  gradually 
worked  his  way  upward  until  today  he  is  justly  classed  among  the  well-to-do 
and  honorable  citizens  of  Whiteside  county.  For  more  than  four  decades 
he  has  been  identified  with  the  agricultural  and  industrial  interests  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  523 

county  and  throughout  his  career  of  continued  and  far-reaching  usefulness 
his  business  interests  have  been  so  managed  as  to  win  him  the  confidence  of 
the  public  and  the  prosperity  which  should  always  attend  honorable  effort, 
for  in  all  his  relations  with  his  fellowmen,  whether  of  a  business  or  social 
nature,  he  has  never  lost  sight  of  the  principle  of  the  Golden  Rule. 


SAMUEL  E.  McCUNE. 

Samuel  E.  McCune  has  for  thirty  years  resided  on  the  farm  which  is  now 
his  home  and  his  life  of  intense  and  well  directed  activity  has  transformed 
this  tract  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  section  35,  Clyde  township,  into 
a  well  kept  and  well  improved  place,  lacking  none  of  the  accessories  and  conven- 
iences of  a  model  farm  of  the  twentieth  century.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of 
New  York,  of  the  marriage  of  Robert  and  Maria  (Beets)  McCune,  both  of 
whom  died  in  the  east.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  her 
death  occurred  in  that  state.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  be- 
came the  owner  of  quite  extensive  landed  interests  in  New  York,  the  McCune 
family  being  established  in  Sullivan  county,  New  York,  at  an  early  day.  Of 
a  family  of  four  children,  Samuel  E.  McCune  had  a  brother  and  two  sisters: 
Katura,  who  is  residing  at  Rapid  City,  South  Dakota;  Rosalie,  who  died  in 
childhood;  and  John,  who  still  makes  his  home  in  Sullivan  county,  New  York. 

The  early  education  of  Samuel  E.  McCune,  begun  in  the  public  schools 
of  New  York,  was  continued  in  Illinois.  He  enlisted  in  1861  in  the  Twentieth 
New  York  Volunteer  Militia  and  served  for  three  years  with  that  command. 
After  that  war  the  regiment  was  merged  into  what  is  known  as  the  Eightieth 
New  York  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  discharged  with  the  rank  of  corporal 
after  having  participated  in  many  important  engagements,  including  those 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  under  Generals  McClellan,  Hooker,  Burnside 
and  Grant.  He  was  with  the  command  of  the  intrepid  Illinois  general  at  the 
time  he  was  discharged.  He  took  part  in  the  hotly  contested  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Chantilly,  South  Mountain,  An- 
tietam,  Gettysburg  and  Frcdericksburg — sanguinary  conflicts  in  which  the 
shot  and  shell  were  exchanged  for  hours  as  the  two  contesting  armies  fought 
for  possession  of  the  field.  Mr.  McCune  was  mustered  out  on  the  expiration  of 
his  three  years'  term  in  September,  1864,  at  City  Point,  Virginia,  and  with  a 
most  creditable  military  record  returned  to  New  York. 

Removing  westward  to  Illinois  in  1866,  Mr.  McCune  settled  at  Sycamore, 
where  he  lived  for  a  year  and  then  came  to  Whiteside  county.  He  returned, 
however,  to  Sycamore,  where  he  continued  for  a  year  or  two  and  in  1872  again 
came  to  Whiteside  county,  where  he  carried  on  general  farming  for  three 
years  prior  to  his  marriage. 

That  important  event  in  his  life  was  celebrated  on  the  21st  of  September, 
1875,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Mary  A.  Reynolds,  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs,  Chauncey  Reynolds,  of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  Ten  children  have  been  born  unto  them.  Walter,  who  was  born 


524  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

September  3,  1876,  and  is  now  residing  near  Missouri  City,  Missouri,  where 
he  follows  farming,  married  Miss  Minnie  Cassens,  of  Whiteside  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  they  have  two  children,  Leon  Chauncey  and  Hazel  Althea.  Aden 
R.  W.,  born  January  24,  1879,  in  Clyde  township,  was  married  July  2,  1902, 
to  Miss  Cora  Thomas,  of  this  county,  and  they  have  one  child,  Robert  Edward. 
Clyde  L.,  born  November  15.  1880,  died  December  15,  1881.  Ada  Rosalie, 
born  February  15,  1882,  died  the  same  year.  Raymond  A.,  born  April  9, 
1885,  died  February  11,  1896.  Oliver  Ivan,  born  April  4,  1888,  Lorain  Bell, 
born  May  12,  1893,  Althea  M.,  August  13,  1895,  Minnie  Mae,  March  13,  1897, 
and  Kenneth  P.,  January  9.  1902,  are  all  at  home. 

Politically  Mr.  McCune  has  always  voted  the  straight  republican  ticket 
on  national  issues  but  has  never  been  active  in  politics.  He  has,  however, 
filled  a  few  minor  offices  and  has  served  as  school  director.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  camp  of  Morrison  and  he  and 
his  are  also  connected  with  the  Mystic  Workers  of  Malvern,  the  Fraternal 
Tribunes  and  the  Royal  Neighbors,  all  of  Morrison.  Mrs.  McCune  also  be- 
longs to  the  Pythian  Sisters  and  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church  of 
Malvern  and  the  Emersonian  Reading  Circle,  a  beneficial,  social  and  literary 
club  of  Clyde  and  Mount  Pleasant  townships.  They  are  people  of  genuine 
worth,  occupying  an  enviable  position  in  social  circles,  where  culture  and 
refinement  are  received  as  the  passports  into  good  society. 


JESSE  W.  JOHNSON. 

Jesse  W.  Johnson,  who  is  acceptably  filling  the  office  of  police  magistrate 
in  Sterling,  his  native  city,  was  born  March  29,  1877,  and  is  a  son  of  C.  C. 
and  Josephine  (Worthington)  Johnson,  of  whom  further  mention  is  made 
on  another  page  of  this  volume.  The  son  was  reared  in  Sterling  and  at  the 
usual  age  entered  the  public  schools,  where  he  passed  through  successive  grades. 
He  afterward  did  preparatory  work  for  college  in  the  Pennsylvania  Military 
College  at  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  and  then  entered  the  United  States  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  West  Point,  where  he  remained  as  a  cadet  for  two  years. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin for  a  four  years'  course  and  received  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Letters 
in  the  College  of  Letters  and  Science  upon  his  graduation  in  1901.  During 
his  college  days  he  became  a  member  of  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta,  a  national  fra- 
ternity. Following  his  graduation  he  returned  in  the  fall  of  1901  for  post- 
graduate work  under  Dr.  Richard  T.  Ely  and  thus  continued  his  studies  for  a 
year.  He  later  entered  the  graduate  law  school  of  the  University  of  Chicago 
and  since  that  time  has  been  further  prosecuting  his  law  studies  in  the  office 
of  his  father  in  Sterling.  He  has  filled  the  position  of  police  magistrate  and 
is  thoroughly  qualifying  himself  for  the  arduous  and  difficult  profession  of 
the  law,  expecting  to  become  an  active  member  of  the  profession,  while  his  well 
known  abilities  promise  a  successful  future. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  1904,  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie  L. 
Sharpe,  a  daughter  of  F.  L.  and  Nettie  (McKay)  Sharpe,  who  were  natives  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  525 

Illinois,  the  former  of  Pike  county  and  the  latter  of  Carroll  county.  Their 
fnmily  numbered  four  children,  a  daughter  and  three  sons,  including  Mrs. 
Johnson,  who  by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  one  son,  William  S. 
Mrs.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Johnson  gives  his 
political  support  to  the  democracy.  They  are  prominent  socially  in  Sterling, 
the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  being  cordially  extended  them  and  the  circle 
of  their  friends  is  almost  co-extensive  with  the  circle  of  their  acquaintance. 


EPHR41M  M.  EBERSOLE. 

Ephraim  M.  Ebersole,  who  for  some  years  prior  to  his  death  conducted  an 
insurance  and  rental  agency  in  Sterling,  where  he  became  well  known  as  an 
enterprising  citizen  and  trustworthy  business  man,  was  born  in  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  April  29,  1864.  His  parents  were  David  D.  and  Anna  (Mar- 
tin) Ebersole,  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  state.  The  father  devoted  his 
time  and  energies  to  farming  in  the  east  and  after  coming  to  Whiteside  coun- 
ty at  an  early  period  in  its  development  he  settled  in  Sterling  township,  where 
he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  until  hi?  removal  to  Coloma  town- 
ship a  few  years  later.  He  remained  there  for  a  year  and  then  returned  to 
Sterling  township,  where  he  purchased  land  and  carried  on  general  farming 
until  a  few  years  ago.  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Sterling,  where  he  has 
since  lived  retired.  In  his  family  were  two  sons  and  six  daughters,  namely: 
Adaline,  who  resides  in  Newkirk.  Oklahoma;  Fannie,  the  wife  of  Aaron 
Book,  who  resides  near  Prairieville,  Lee  county,  Illinois;  Melinda,  who  is 
matron  of  the  Mennonite  Mission  in  Chicago;  Ephraim  M.,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review;  Anna,  of  Lee  county;  David,  who  resides  in  Newkirk,  Okla- 
homa: Magdalena,  who  became  the  wife  of  Amos  Wise,  but  is  now  deceased; 
.and  Amanda,  who  is  still  at  home. 

Ephraim  M.  Ebersole  was  reared  in  Whiteside  county  from  his  boyhood 
•days  and  attended  East  Science  Ridge  district  school,  while  later  he  became  a 
.student  in  Sterling  Business  College.  Subsequently  he  took  up  the  study  of 
telegraphy  and  was  appointed  to  a  position  as  operator  at  Iron  Mountain, 
Michigan.  Two  years  later  he  was  invited  to  go  into  the  insurance  depart- 
ment of  the  Iron  Mountain  Bank,  where  he  learned  the  insurance  business, 
there  spending  some  time.  In  1894,  however,  he  returned  to  Sterling  and  pur- 
chased the  insurance  and  renting  department  of  Frank  Walzer.  He  then  con- 
ducted business  here  on  his  own  account  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  and  the 
business  circles  of  the  city  sustained  a  distinct  loss  in  his  demise. 

On  the  23d  of  December,  1890.  Mr.  Ebersole  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie 
Mack,  a  daughter  of  Theodore  and  Harriet  (Emmons)  Mack.  Her  paternal 
grandfather  was  Horace  R.  Mack,  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  of  Scotch 
descent,  who  wedded  Mary  Miles.  He  was  born  in  1809  and  died  in  1851, 
while  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  They  had 
four  children:  Theodore,  father  of  Mrs.  Ebersole;  Charles  Miles,  who  was 
born  January  29,  1839.  and  died  in  November,  1907;  Arthur  Le  Roy,  who 


526  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

died  when  ten  years-of  age ;  and  Mary  E.,  who  married  Owen  Bryant,  who  died 
in  1907,  while  she  now  makes  her  home  at  Chippewa  Falls,  Wisconsin.  Hav- 
ing lost  her  first  husband,  Mrs.  Mary  Miles  Mack  became  the  wife  of  Hezekiah 
Windom,  who  died  four  years  later,  while  her  death  occurred  when  she  was 
eighty  years  of  age.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Ebersole  was  Asa 
Emmons,  who  married  Elizabeth  Bartlett.  Both  were  natives  of  the  state  of 
New  York  and  the  former  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  With  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter he  came  west  to  Illinois  in  1839,  settling  in  Sterling,  where  he  followed 
carpentering.  Here  was  born  a  son,  William  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
months.  Asa  Emmons  married  a  second  time,  his  second  wife  being  Nancy 
A.  Booth,  and  they  had  five  children :  Ida,  who  was  born  in  1845  and  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  M.  Hewitt,  of  Rock  Falls ;  Samuel  and  Lucinda,  who  died  in 
infancy;  William  L.,  who  was  born  in  1855  and  died  in  1900;  and  Cora,  the 
wife  of  S.  M.  Mingle,  of  Rock  Falls. 

Theodore  Mack,  father  of  Mrs.  Ebersole,  was  born  October  5,  1836,  in 
Brooklyn.  Pennsylvania,  and  was  married  in  Newton  township,  Whiteside 
county,  Illinois,  December  8,  1859,  to  Harriet  M.  Emmons.  He  returned  to 
Brooklyn,  Pennsylvania,  in  1851,  spending  a  year  and  a  half  in  attending 
school  and  two  years  in  learning  the  cabinet-maker's  trade  in  Montrose,  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1855  he  again  came  to  Sterling,  where  he  followed  his  trade  un- 
til 1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  I),  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, joining  the  army  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  participating  in  the 
war  until  its  close.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Perryville,  and  the  skirm- 
ish at  Lancaster,  Kentucky,  but  escaped  unharmed.  At  Nashville,  however, 
he  became  ill  and  after  six  months  of  suffering  was  honorably  discharged 
June  29.  1863.  Returning  home,  his  health  slowly  came  back  to  him  and  he 
then  followed  his  trade  until  the  spring  of  1868,  when  he  and  his  brother, 
Charles  M.  Mack,  founded  the  Whiteside  Chronicle.  Later  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  his  brother  and  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  to  the  Sterling 
Standard.  It  was  devoted  largely  to  temperance  reform  and  was  a  strong  ele- 
ment in  freeing  the  city  from  whiskey  rule  and  from  the  practice  of  licens- 
ing saloons.  He  thus  did  a  noble  work  for  mankind.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Theodore 
Mack  had  a  family  of  four  children:  Myra,  who  was  born  July  17,  1861,  in 
Sterling  and  won  the  class  honors  upon  her  graduation  from  the  high  school, 
died  in  1881,  when  but  twenty  years  of  age.  Charles  Theodore,  a  printer  of 
New  York  city,  was  born  January  24,  1863,  and  married  Luella  Hill.  Harriet, 
born  April  26,  1866,  in  Sterling,  is  now  Mrs.  Ebersole.  Elizabeth,  born  Janu- 
ary 27,  1868,  died  February  23,  1869. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ebersole  were  born  two  children,  Charles  D.,  born 
January  16,  1892,  and  Florence  Marie,  born  September  8,  1898.  The  death 
of  the  husband  and  father  occurred  November  6,  1903,  and  was  the  occasion  of 
deep  and  wide  spread  regret.  He  was  a  prominent,  influential  member  and 
active  worker  of  the  Congregational  church,  who  served  as  church  clerk  for 
a  number  of  years  and  also  as  trustee,  while  of  the  Sunday  School  he  was 
secretary  and  treasurer.  His  wife  belonged  to  the  same  church  and  shared 
with  him  in  the  good  work.  Mr.  Ebersole  affiliated  with  Sterling  Lodge,  No. 
174, 1.  0.  0.  F.,  was  presiding  officer  of  that  lodge  and  also  of  the  encampment 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  527 

at  the  time  of  his  demise.  He  likewise  belonged  to  Rock  River  Lodge,  No. 
612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  to  Corinthian  Lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  to 
the  Mystic  Workers.  He  was  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  wife  and  children 
and  found  his  greatest  happiness  in  ministering  to  their  comfort.  He  mani- 
fested all  the  traits  of  an  enterprising,  progressive  and  loyal  citizen  and  re- 
liable business  man,  his  life  ever  being  guided  by  high  principles.  Mrs.  Bber- 
sole  still  survives  her  husband  and  in  1907  built  a  fine  residence  at  No.  403-5 
East  Fifth  street,  where  she  is  now  living  with  her  children. 


W.  D.  REYNOLDS. 

W.  D.  Reynolds,  who  for  the  past  fifteen  years  has  operated  the  White 
Pine  stock  farm,  comprising  four  hundred  and  sixty  acres  situated  on  sec- 
tions 2  and  3,  Mount  Pleasant  township,  is  well  known  as  a  stock  raiser  and 
breeder  of  thoroughbred  shorthorn  cattle.  He  was  born  on  this  farm,  January 
20,  1861,  a  son  of  Chauncey  W.  and  Althea  (Dean)  Reynolds.  The  father 
was  born  near  Rutland,  Vermont,  November  12,  1821,  and  there  lived  until 
1851,  when  he  made  his  way  westward,  locating  first  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  where 
for  seven  years  he  was  employed  in  a  sawmill,  although  by  trade  he  was  a 
blacksmith.  He  was  married  in  December.  1856,  to  Miss  Althea  Dean,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1858  made  his  way  to  Whiteside  county  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Mount  Pleasant  township.  As  he  pros- 
pered in  his  undertakings  he  added  to  his  original  holdings  until  he  became 
the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  situated  in  Mount  Pleasant 
and  Clyde  townships.  He  made  many  modern  improvements  upon  the  farm 
and  was  actively  identified  with  general  farming  and  stockraising  throughout 
a  long  period  but  for  the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  lived  retired  in  Morrison. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Westchester,  New  York,  and  in  early  youth  accom- 
panied her  parents  to  Kane  county,  Illinois.  She  is  now  deceased,  her  death 
occurring  in  Morrison,  June  14,  1898,  when  she  was  sixty-five  years  of  age. 
She  was  the  mother  of  five  children,  namely:  Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Samuel 
E.  McCune,  a  resident  of  Clyde  township ;  Walter  Dean,  of  this  review ;  Ray- 
mond A.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  Morrison;  Lydia  L., 
who  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  R.  A.  Moreley,  a  Methodist  minister,  and  passed 
away  February  1,  1899;  and  C.  W.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  at 
Colorado  City,  Colorado. 

Walter  D.  Reynolds,  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  had  reached 
mature  years,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  in  a  furniture  store  in  Sterling 
and  then  went  to  Chicago,  working  in  the  Fair  for  a  similar  period.  In  1892 
he  returned  to  the  farm  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  now  operating  his  father's  property,  known  as  the  White  Pine  stock 
farm.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  stock  feeding  and  raising  and  also  breeds 
thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle.  He  handles  from  one  hundred  to  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  head  of  cattle  annually  and  also  raises  from  one  hnudred 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  hogs  each  year,  finding  this  branch  of  his 
business  a  profitable  one. 


528  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Mr.  Reynolds  was  married  in  \Vhite.side  county  to  Miss  Cora  Belle  Ells- 
worth, who  was  born  in  Mansville,  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  in  1864,  a 
daughter  of  Kneeland  and  Lurissa  Avaline  (Goodenough)  Ellsworth.  Her 
father  was  reared  in  Rochester  and  was  a  tanner  by  trade.  He  was  married  in 
Mansville,  New  York,  and  thereafter  made  his  home  in  that  city,  passing 
away  in  November,  1870,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  forty  years.  After 
the  death  of  the  father,  the  mother  was  again  married,  her  second  union  being 
with  Lemuel  Bent.  Her  death  occurred  on  Christmas  day  of  1900.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellsworth  was  blessed  with  three  children,  the  sisters  of 
Mrs.  Reynolds  'being:  Josephine,  the  widow  of  C.  II.  Van  Schaick,  of  Syracuse, 
New  York;  and  Eva  G.,  the  wife  of  J.  J.  Daly,  now  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles, 
California,  but  who  formerly  resided  in  Sterling. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reynolds  has  been  blessed  with  a  daugh- 
ter and  son ;  Viviene  Lurissa,  who  in  1907  became  the  wife  of  Robert  S.  Mets- 
ker.  and  now  resides  in  Belle  Plaine,  Iowa;  and  Ellsworth,  who  is  attending 
school.  Mr.  Reynolds  gives  his  political  support  to  the  republican  party  and  in 
religious  faith  is  a  Baptist,  now  serving  as  a  deacon  in  the  church.  Socially  he 
is  connected  with  the  Fraternal  Tribunes  and  the  Mystic  Workers.  He  is  a 
man  of  sound  business  judgment,  enterprising  and  progressive  in  his  methods 
and  has  thereby  won  a  gratifying  success  which  now  classes  him  among  the 
prominent  citizens  of  this  section  of  the  state,  while  his  social  qualities  have 
gained  him  many  warm  friends. 


HON.  JOHN  GALT  MANAHAN. 

No  compendium  such  as  this  work  defines  in  its  essential  limitations 
will  serve  to  offer  fit  memorial  to  the  subject  of  this  review,  for  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  measure  the  influence  of  a  life  of  such  diversified  activity  and  interests 
as  that  of  Hon.  John  Gait  Manahan.  Prominent  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  pro- 
moter of  business  concerns,  he  was  likewise  prominent  in  public  service  and 
was  equally  well  known  in  connection  with  his  earnest,  effective  and  far- 
reaching  labors  in  behalf  of  the  moral  development  of  the  community. 
Moreover,  he  is  entitled  to  representation  in  this  volume  as  one  of  its  honored 
pioneer  citizens,  having  come  to  Whiteside  county  in  1846. 

Mr.  Manahan  was  born  in  Concord,  Lancaster  county.  Pennsylvania, 
May  12,  1837,  and  is  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage,  the  family  being  founded  in 
America  by  one  who  came  from  County  Cavan,  Ireland.  The  great-grand- 
father, James  Manahan,  who  was  born  March  16,  1740,  served  as  a  soldier 
under  General  Washington  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  died  February 
17,  1823,  having  lived  for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  to  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  liberty  which  he  had  helped  to  win.  The  grandfather,  James  E.  Mana- 
han, was  born  near  Baltimore,  Maryland,  March  16  or  March  18,  1777,  and 
at  an  early  period  in  the  development  of  Whiteside  county  came  with  his 
wife  to  Illinois,  their  remaining  days  being  here  passed. 

William  Manahan,  known  as  Uncle  Billy,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  25th  of  February,  1806,  and 


ILLINOIS 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  531 

-while  in  the  east  engaged  in  merchandising  and  also  conducted  a  private 
railroad.  Before  leaving  his  native  county  he  was  married  in  1829  to  Miss 
Isabella  Gait,  who  was  also  bom  there,  an  aunt  of  Thomas  A.  Gait,,  of 
Sterling,  and  a  descendant  of  Robert  Gait,  who  emigrated  to  America  in 
1710.  The  year  1846  witnessed  the  arrival  of  William  and  Isabella  Mana- 
han  in  Whiteside  county.  They  located  in  the  town  of  Gait  and  as  the  years 
passed  Mr.  Manahan  became  an  extensive  landowner,  having  property  in 
different  parts  of  the  county  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  this  locality  who  traveled  westward  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  rivers,  driving  thence  across  the  country  to  Fulton.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  upon  his  farm  near  Gait  until  elected  sheriff  of  the  county 
in  1854,  at  which  time  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Sterling,  then  the  county 
seat.  He  aided  largely  in  molding  the  public  policy  and  shaping  the  destiny 
of  the  county  at  an  early  day.  His  opinions  carried  weight  among  his  fellow 
townsmen,  for  it  was  well  known  that  he  had  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity at  heart  and  that  his  efforts  in  its  behalf  were  practical  and  bene- 
ficial. Through  his  agricultural  interests  he  contributed  in  substantial 
measure  to  the  material  development  of  the  county  and  at  all  times  he  cham- 
pioned every  cause  that  tended  to  prove  of  public  good.  When  he  located 
here,  such  was  the  wild  condition  that  he  had  to  go  to  Springfield  to  enter 
his  claim  at  the  land  office  there.  Following  his  removal  to  Sterling  he 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  and  also  owned  an  interest  in  the  R.  B. 
Whitmer  store.  His  carefully  directed  interests,  unflagging  industry  and 
keen  discernment  combined  to  make  him  one  of  the  wealthy  citizens  of  the 
community,  while  his  devotion  to  the  public  good  gained  him  prominence 
as  a  citizen.  He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  prior 
to  the  war  was  a  staunch  advocate  of  the  abolition  movement,  assisting  mate- 
rially in  the  work  of  the  underground  railroad,  whereby  many  a  poor  slave 
from  the  south  was  assisted  on  his  way  to  freedom  in  Canada.  The  death 
of  Mr.  Manahan  occurred  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  his  farm  in  Hopkins 
township  on  the  16th  of  June,  1886,  when  he  was  eighty  years  of  age,  and 
thus  passed  away  one  of  the  most  honored  and  valued  pioneer  settlers. 

John  G.  Manahan  was  a  lad  of  nine  years  when  the  parents  made  the 
trip  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi  to  Whiteside  county.  The  family 
lived  in  true  pioneer  style  and  amid  the  environments  of  the  frontier  his 
youth  was  passed.  It  was  an  age  in  which  every  individual  worked  and 
when  men  were  judged  by  their  personal  characteristics,  ability  and  accom- 
plishments rather  than  by  the  record  of  their  ancestors.  Mr.  Manahan  re- 
mained upon  the  farm  with  the  family  until  1854,  when  they  removed  to 
Sterling.  He  supplemented  his  early  education  by  study  in  Knox  College  at 
Galesburg  and  prepared  for  the  bar  in  Sterling,  beginning  his  reading  in  the 
•office  and  under  the  direction  of  the  law  firm  of  Kirk  &  Ward,  the  latter  an 
older  brother  of  Judge  Ward.  Before  his  admission  to  the  bar,  however, 
events  of  national  importance  interfered  with  the  continuance  of  his  studies. 
His  patriotic  spirit  aroused  by  the  attempt  of  the  south  to  break  asunder  the 
Union,  he  offered  his  services  to  the  government,  joining  Company  B  of  the 
"Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  18f>l.  Fearless  in  defense  of  the 


532  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

old  flag  and  the  cause  it  represented,  he  valiantly  supported  the  Union  cause 
until  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  in  which  he  was  wounded.  His  injuries  neces- 
sitated his  being  sent  to  the  hospital  at  St.  Louis  and  later  he  was  detailed  to 
guard  rebel  prisoners  at  Rock  Island,  taking  the  first  prisoners  to  Governor 
Island.  His  military  service  covered  more  than  three  years  and  was  most 
creditable. 

When  honorably  discharged  Mr.  Manahan  returned  to  Whiteside  county 
and  spent  the  succeeding  three  years  upon  his  father's  farm,  with  the  hope 
that  the  outdoor  life  would  again  build  up  his  health,  which  had  been 
broken  down  through  the  rigors  and  hardships  of  military  experience.  It 
was  during  that  period  that  he  married  and  thus  established  a  home  of  his 
own.  On  Christmas  day  of  1868  was  celebrated  the  wedding  of  John  Gait 
Manahan  and  Miss  Chattie  L.  Ward,  a  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Mary  A. 
(Mumma)  Ward.  The  former  was  a  son  of  Philip  Ward,  a  native  of  Ches- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  who  followed  farming  throughout  the  greater  part 
of  his  life.  He  wedded  Margaret  Brown  and  in  later  years  removed  to  Ohio, 
where  he  died  in  his  eighty-ninth  year,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  her 
eighty-fourth  year.  They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  ten  of  whom 
reached  adult  age.  The  Ward  family  is  of  English  descent.  The  Mummas, 
however,  are  of  German  lineage  and  John  Mumma,  the  maternal  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Manahan,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  where  he  carried  on 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  wedded  Mary  Fox,  who  was  also  born  in  Mary- 
land and  was  likewise  of  German  descent.  When  about  forty  years  of  age 
he  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree  and  his  wife,  long  surviving  him,  died  in  her 
eighty-ninth  year,  being  blind  for  three  or  four  years  prior  to  her  demise. 

John  B.  Ward,  father  of  Mrs.  Manahan,  was  a  native  of  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania,  while  his  wife  was  born  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  In  early 
childhood  they  accompanied  their  respective  parents  to  Ohio,  settling  in 
Belmont  county,  where  they  resided  until  1873,  when  they  came  to  Sterling. 
Here  Mr.  Ward  purchased  a  number  of  lots  and  built  a  comfortable  home 
on  Avenue  B,  where  he  died  in  1899  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years  and 
seven  months.  His  wife  survived  him  until  April,  1903,  and  lacked  but 
twenty-five  days  of  being  ninety  years  of  age.  They  had  three  sons  and 
two  daughters:  Eber  B.,  who  was  captain  of  Company  A,  Thirty-fourth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  died  during  the  war;  Mrs.  Manahan; 
Rowena  V.,  the  deceased  wife  of-  J.  F.  Barrett;  Winfield  Scott  Ward  and 
Judge  Henry  C.  Ward,  both  of  Sterling. 

Following  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Manahan  remained  for  a  year 
upon  the  old  homestead  farm  and  then  removed  to  Sterling,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  ground  on  which  the  beautiful  home  of  his  widow  now  stands. 
There  was  one  daughter  born  to  them  Mary  Isabella,  now  the  wife  of  Fred 
W.  Honens,  a  civil  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  government,  now  residing 
at  Sterling.  They  have  two  children,  John  G.  and  Robert  W. 

In  1868  Mr.  Manahan  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  engaged  in  practice 
in  Sterling,  being  a  partner  of  Colonel  William  Kilgour  for  a  number  of 
years.  A  large  and  distinctively  representative  clientage  was  accorded  him 
and  he  became  especially  prominent  in  the  practice  of  patent  law  before  the 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  533 

federal  courts.  His  preparation  of  cases  was  thorough  and  exhaustive  and 
his  position  was  largely  unassailable.  Aside  from  his  law  practice  he  had 
business  interests  in  Sterling,  having  been  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Ster- 
ling Ga.s  &  Electric  Light  Company  and  financially  interested  in  the  Gas 
Engine  Company. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Manahan  was  ever  known  as  one  loyal  and 
progressive  in  support  of  public  measures  for  the  general  good.  His  aid 
could  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  any  movement  tending  to  benefit 
the  community.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  establishing  the  public 
library  and  advocated  many  interests  which  were  a  matter  of  civic  virtue  and 
civic  pride.  He  served  as  alderman  for  many  terms  and  for  three  terms  was 
mayor  of  the  city,  giving  a  businesslike,  practical  and  beneficial  administra- 
tion. He  was  also  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state  legislature  as 
the  candidate  of  the  republican  party  and  gave  to  each  question  which  came 
up  for  settlement  during  his  term  his  earnest  consideration.  His  support 
or  opposition  were  always  a  matter  of  sincere  belief  and  his  political  integrity 
was  ever  unsullied.  He  served  for  twelve  years,  beginning  in  1879,  as  a 
member  of  the  state  board  of  charities,  and  his  broad  humanitarianism,  com- 
bined with  his  business  dispatch,  well  qualified  him  for  that  office.  He  had 
a  wide  acquaintance  among  the  prominent  political  leaders  of  the  state  and 
enjoyed  the  warm  personal  friendship  of  Governors  Fifer  and  Tanner.  None 
doubted  his  Christianity.  It  was  a  part  of  his  daily  life  as  well  as  Sunday 
church  observance.  He  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  church  and  for  more 
than  twenty-five  years  served  as  one  of  its  deacons,  while  for  a  long  period 
he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  He  contributed  generously  to 
the  support  of  the  church  and  did  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  its 
growth  and  extend  its  influence.  He  died  September  11,  1897,  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years,  and  Whiteside  county  mourned  the  loss  of  one  whom  it  had 
come  to  know  and  honor,  one  who  in  pioneer  days  was  connected  with  its 
early  development,  who  in  his  profession  had  adhered  to  the  highest  standard 
of  legal  ethics,  who  in  public  service  had  discharged  his  duties  with  the 
utmost  fidelity,  who  on  the  fields  of  battle  had  demonstrated  his  loyalty  and 
who  in  the  circle  of  his  acquaintances  held  friendship  inviolable  and  dis- 
played the  utmost  devotion  to  family  ties. 


GEORGE    H.    FADDEN. 

George  II.  Fadden,  president  of  the  village  board  of  Erie,  is  one  of  the 
representative  citizens  whose  efforts  in  behalf  of  public  progress  have  been 
far-reaching  and  beneficial.  He  is  moreover  a  business  man  of  energy  and 
determination,  who  has  gained  a  place  among  the  men  of  affluence  in  White- 
side  county  by  reason  of  his  well  directed  energy  and  unwearied  diligence. 
He  is  owner  of  the  Rock  River  Dairy  Farm  and  is  the  only  milk  dealer  in 
the  village  in  which  he  resides. 

Mr.  Fadden  is  a  native  of  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  having  been 
born  near  Clarenceville,  December  8,  1847.  His  parents  were  Ira  F.  and 


534  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Lucinda  (Patterson)  Fadden,  also  natives  of  that  locality.  They  resided  in 
Canada  until  1889,  when  they  came  to  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  and  Mr. 
Fadden  spent  his  last  days  in  Prophetstown,  where  he  died  in  October,  1906, 
at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-five  years.  His  wife,  who  was  born  February 
26,  1828,  in  Prophetstown,  died  February  17,  1908.  The  Faddens  lived  in 
the  United  States  during  the  colonial  epoch  of  our  country's  history  but 
became  pioneer  settlers  in  Canada  and  cleared  heavy  timber  land,  developing 
that  region  in  which  occurred  the  birth  of  George  H.  Fadden. 

The  eldest  in  a  family  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  eleven  are  yet  living, 
George  II.  Fadden  was  reared  upon  the  home  farm,  about  two  miles  from 
the  town  of  Clarenceville,  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  then  left  home 
and  has  since  provided  for  his  own  support.  Going  to  Vermont,  he  worked 
at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  a  year,  after  which  he  returned  home  to  spend  the 
winter.  He  next  went  to  Marlboro,  Massachusetts,  where  he  worked  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  during  the  succeeding  two  years.  He  then  again 
went  to  Canada,  where  he  continued  until  the  fall  of  1868,  when  he  once 
more  crossed  the  border  into  the  United  States  and  this  time  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Sterling,  where  he  continued  for  a  brief  period.  He  worked  on  the 
dam  the  year  in  which  the  bridge  went  out.  In  September,  1868,  he  came 
to  Erie  and  for  six  years  was  engaged  in  railroad  construction  work  in  this 
state  and  Iowa,  being  thus  engaged  through  the  summer  months,  while  the 
winter  seasons  were  passed  at  Erie.  At  length  he  enterd  the  butchering  and 
live-stock  business  with  William  Guthrie,  a  relation  that  was  maintained  for 
four  years.  He  continued  in  the  butchering  business  altogether  for  about 
ten  years  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing, which  he  followed  for  eighteen  years,  his  farm  buildings  being  within 
the  corporation  limits  of  Erie.  This  was  his  father-in-law's  old  place,  which 
is  now  owned  by  his  wife  and  comprises  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land.  Four  years  ago  he  left  the  farm  and  built  his  present  fine  residence, 
which  he  now  occupies.  He  is  engaged  in  retailing  milk,  running  a  wagon 
for  this  purpose,  and  he  owns  a  valuable  farm  property  of  one  hundred  and 
Jfifty  acres  on  sections  27  and  28,  Fenton  township.  His  farm  in  the  town 
is  conducted  as  a  dairy  farm  and  is  known  as  the  Rock  River  Dairy.  Mr. 
Fadden  has  continued  in  the  dairy  business  for  the  past  seven  years  and 
is  now  the  only  retail  dealer  in  milk  in  Erie.  He  keeps  twenty-five  cows 
and  has  a  liberal  patronage,  conducting  an  extensive  and  profitable  business. 
Aside  from  his  interests  in  that  line  he  is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Erie,  with  which  he  has  thus  been  connected  from  its 
organization.  In  his  business  affairs  he  displays  sound  judgment  and  keen 
sagacity  and  his  well  managed  interests  are  bringing  to  him  gratifying  success. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1875,  Mr.  Fadden  was  married  to  Miss  Geneva 
M.  Gordon,  who  was  born  in  Rushford,  Allegany  county,  New  York,  October 
18,  1852.  and  in  1854  was  brought  to  Erie,  by  her  parents,  Lorenzo  Dow 
and  Oris.sa  (Rawson)  Gordon,  who  drove  across  the  country  from  New  York 
to  Illinois.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Allegany  county,  New  York,  and 
continued  residents  of  the  Empire  state  until  1854,  when  they  came  to  White- 
.side  county.  Her  father  conducted  a  woolen  factory  in  the  east  but  on 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  535 

reaching  Illinois  settled  upon  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Fadden, 
on  section  7,  Erie  township.  Mr.  Gordon  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  which  was  partly  improved  and  which  lies  partly  within  the  corporation 
limits  of  the  village.  There  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
October  22,  1894,  when  he  was  seventy-seven  years  of  age,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  1817.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  1817,  passed  away  May  7,  1884. 
His  father,  William  Gordon,  was  owner  of  a  large  woolen  mill  in  the  east. 
He  was  a  native  of  New  England  and  was  of  Scotch  descent.  His  family 
numbered  twelve  children.  He  was  very  active  in  the  work  of  the  Methodist 
church  and  was  a  local  preacher  of  that  denomination.  The  family  of 
Lorenzo  1).  Gordon  numbered  two  children,  the  older  being  Marion,  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  Robert  Wood. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fadden  have  been  born  three  children :  Lester 
Gordon,  who  wedded  Christina  Michelson  and  resides  upon  his  mother's 
farm  in  Erie  township;  Mabel  Clare,  the  wife  of  Fred  Bleitz,  who  is  living 
upon  her  father's  farm  in  Fenton  township;  and  Hazel  Belle.  Mr.  and  Mrs, 
Bleitz  have  two  children,  Gordon  and  Darrel  Hobart. 

While  Mr.  Fadden  has  long  made  his  home  in  this  county  and  is  well 
known  as  a  representative  business  man,  he  has  been  equally  prominent  in 
public  affairs  and  is  now  serving  for  the  second  term  of  two  years  as  president 
of  the  village  board.  He  has  been  a  life-long  republican  and  a  recognized 
leader  of  his  party  in  this  locality.  He  has  served  on  the  village  board  for 
thirteen  consecutive  years  and  has  done  effective  service  for  the  town  in 
its  development  and  progress.  He  has  also  been  school  director  here  for  ten 
years  and  the  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  stalwart  champion.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge  at  Erie  and  the  chapter  at 
Prophetstown  and  he  is  also  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  of 
Erie.  His  is  a  sturdy  American  character  and  a  stalwart  patriotism  and  he 
has  the  strongest  attachment  for  our  free  institutions,  being  ever  willing  to- 
make  any  personal  sacrifice  for  their  preservation,  while  his  loyalty  to  com- 
munity interests  is  manifest  in  many  tangible  ways. 


JUDGE  AARON  A.  WOLFERSPERGER. 

Judge  Aaron  A.  Wolferaperger,  a  well  known  member  of  the  Sterling  barr 
was  born  in  Jordan  township,  Whiteside  county,  March  22,  1856.  The 
Wolfersperger  family  is  of  German  Swiss  ancestry  and  Avas  established  at  a, 
very  early  clay  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  John  AVolfersperger,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born,  reared 
and  followed  farming.  Later  he  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Margaret  Wolfersperger, 
came  to  Illinois  in  1868,  after  selling  their  property  in  the  east,  and  resided 
on  one  of  the  farms  owned  by  their  son  John  in  Jordan  township.  There 
John  Wolfersperger.  Sr.,  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  while  his  wife  sur- 
vived him  for  a  few  years  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 


536  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Their  son,  John  Wolfersperger,  Jr.,  was  an  only  child.  He  was  born  in 
Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  throughout  his  entire  life  followed  general 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  removed  westward  to  \Vhiteside  county  about  1850, 
settling  in  Jordan  township  when  this  was  a  frontier  district.  He  purchased 
land  from  the  government  and  from  time  to  time  added  to  his  possessions  until 
they  aggregated  about  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  developed 
and  improved,  bringing  his  farms  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Be- 
cause of  his  judicious  investment  and  capable  business  management  he 
prospered,  becoming  one  of  the  wealthy  farmers  of  the  county.  He  resided 
upon  his  place  until  1884,  when  he  removed  to  Sterling,  where  he  lived  re- 
tired, his  death  there  occurring  in  1897  when  he  was  seventy-seven  years. 
In  early  manhood  he  married  Lydia  Kapp,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kapp,  a  na- 
tive of  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  German  descent.  The  history 
of  the  Knpp  family  also  dates  back  for  many  generations  in  that  state,  where 
Jacob  Kapp  followed  farming  as  a  life  work.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died 
there.  Their  daughter,  Mrs.  Wolfersperger,  passed  away  in  1895  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  years,  while  the  death  of  John  Wolfersperger  occurred  in 
Sterling  in  1897  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church  and  its  teachings  constituted  the  guide  of  their  lives.  In 
their  family  were  six  children,  of  whom  four  are  yet  living:  Cassie  W., 
the  wife  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Seidel,  of  Sterling;  Maggie  W.,  the  wife  of  W.  W. 
Davis,  also  a  resident  of  Sterling;  Henry  F.,  who  lives  in  Minneapolis,  Kan- 
sas; and  Aaron  A.,  of  this  review. 

Judge  Aaron  A.  Wolfersperger  spent  his  boyhood  days  quietly  and 
uneventfully  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Jordan  township,  assisting  in  the 
work  of  the  fields  through  the  summer  months  and  attending  the  district 
schools  in  the  winter  seasons.  Ambitious  for  further  educational  privileges, 
he  afterward  attended  the  Carthage  College  at  Carthage,  Illinois,  and  was  grad- 
uated therefrom  in  1876.  Having  determined  upon  a  professional  career, 
he  matriculated  in  the  Union  College  of  Law  in  Chicago  and  after  completing 
the  course  by  graduation  in  1879,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  opened  a  law 
office  in  Sterling,  where  he  has  remained  continuously  since.  He  has  made 
orderly  progression  in  his  profession  and  while  his  devotion  to  his  clients' 
interests  has  been  proverbial,  he  has  never  forgotten  that  he  owes  a  still 
higher  allegiance  to  the  majesty  of  the  law.  He  filled  the  office  of  city  attorney 
from  1883  until  1890  and  in  the  latter  year  was  elected  county  judge  by 
•over  sixteen  hundred  majority.  He  remained  upon  the  bench  for  four 
years  and  his  service  as  a  judge  was  in  harmony  with  his  record  as  a  man 
and  a  lawyer,  distinguished  by  the  utmost  fidelity  and  by  marked  ability 
in  handling  the  work  of  the  court.  His  decisions  were  strictly  fair  and 
impartial,  personal  beliefs  or  prejudices  never  entering  in  as  a  disturbing 
force.  On  his  retirement  from  the  bench  he  resumed  the  regular  practice 
of  law  in  Sterling,  where  he  has  an  extensive  clientage  of  a  most,  important 
character.  He  is  now  attorney  for  and  a  director  of  the  Sterling  National 
Bank,  with  which  he  has  been  thus  connected  since  its  organization  in  1882. 
He  is  likewise  president  of  the  Rock  Falls  Manufacturing  Company  of  Sterl- 
ing, which  manufactures  coffins  and  hearses  and  employs  a  large  force  of 
workmen  in  the  conduct  of  it*  extensive  business. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  537 

On  the  4th  of  November,  1880,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Judge  Wolfers- 
perger  and  Miss  Anna  H.  Hendricks,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sophia 
(Snyder)  Hendricks,  who  were  natives  of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania. 
The  former  was  a  son  of  John  Hendricks,  who  was  born  in  the  Keystone 
state,  where  he  followed  farming  and  was  of  German  descent.  The  maternal 
grandfather  was  also  a  Pennsylvania  farmer  and  of  German  lineage.  He 
.and  his  wife  died  in  the  east  but  the  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Wolfers- 
perger  came  to  the  west  in  the  '50s  and  spent  their  last  days  in  Whiteside 
county.  In  the  year  1856  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Hendricks  arrived  in  Jordan 
township,  where  the  father  purchased  a  farm,  upon  which  he  lived  until 
sometime  in  the  '60s.  He  then  sold  that  property  and  removed  to  Sterling, 
where  he  died  jn  November,  1880,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  His  wife 
survived  him  and  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  They  were  the 
parents  of  only  one  child  who  grew  to  maturity — Mrs.  Wolfersperger,  who 
by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  a  daughter  and  son.  The  former, 
Lelia,  is  a  graduate  of  Vassar  College  of  the  class  of  1906.  The  son,  John, 
was  graduated  from  Cornell  University  in  the  same  year  and  is  now  attending 
Ihe  School  of  Mining  in  Columbia  University  in  New  York  city. 

Judge  and  Mrs.  Wolfersperger  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
jn  which  he  is  serving  as  a  trustee.  He  belongs  to  Rock  River  Lodge,  No. 
612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Sterling  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.;  and  Sterling  Com- 
mandery,  No.  57,  K.  T.  He  also  affiliates  with  Sterling  Lodge,  No.  174, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  with  the  Encampment.  Politically  he  was  a  democrat  until 
1896  and  has  since  given  his  allegiance  to  the  republican  party.  With  his 
family  he  resides  at  No.  602  First  avenue,  where  he  built  a  pleasant  home 
in  1888.  While  undoubtedly  he  is  not  without  that  honorable  ambition  which 
is  so  powerful  and  useful  as  an  incentive  to  activity  in  public  affairs,  he  re- 
gards the  pursuits  of  private  life  as  being  in  themselves  abundantly  worthy 
of  his  best  efforts.  He  has  developed  the  intellectual  powers  with  which 
nature  endowed  him  and,  well  versed  in  the  learning  of  his  profession  and 
with  a  deep  knowledge  of  human  nature  and  the  springs  of  human  conduct, 
with  sagacity  and  tact,  he  is  in  the  courts  an  advocate  of  power  and  influence, 
to  whom  judges  and  juries  listen  with  attention  and  deep  interest. 


HARRY  HUNTER  WOOD. 

Harry  Hunter  Wood,  president  of  the  Eureka  Company,  carriage  manu- 
facturers at  Rock  Falls,  is  in  this  connection  closely  associated  with  the  indus- 
trial development  and  consequent  prosperity  of  his  city  and  county.  He  was 
born  in  Sterling,  Illinois,  March  15,  1872,  his  parents  being  John  and  Susan 
(Holdridge)  Wood,  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  a  farmer  and  dairyman,  while  the  father  followed  various  pursuits, 
devoting  some  time  to  the  purchase  and  sale  of  real  estate  and  of  horses. 
Removing  westward  he  became  an  early  settler  of  Sterling  and  after  residing 
ihere  for  a  number  of  years  began  the  manufacture  of  wagons,  being  president 


538  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

of  the  Union  Wagon  Company,  which  placed  upon  the  market  the  Union 
wagon  that  was  sold  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Mr.  Wood  continued  in  that 
business  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1881,  when  he  was 
sixty-one  years  of  age,  while  his  wife  survived  him  and  passed  away  in  May, 
1903,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church. 

Harry  Hunter  Wood  was  reared  in  Sterling  and  acquired  his  education 
through  the  medium  of  the  public  schools  and  the  Sterling  Business  College. 
He  passed  through  consecutive  grades  until  he  became  a  high  school  student 
and  afterward  received  commercial  training  qualifying  him  for  life's  practical 
and  responsible  duties.  After  putting  aside  his  text  books  he  secured  a  position 
as  bookkeeper  and  grain  buyer  in  connection  with  G.  T.  Elliott's  elevator  and 
for  a  short  time  was  in  the  Sterling  postofh'ce.  In  1890  he  became  bookkeeper 
for  the  Eureka  Company,  carriage  manufacturers,  and  subsequently  went 
upon  the  road  as  its  traveling  representative.  His  capability  led  to  his  pro- 
motion to  the  position  of  sales  manager  and  later  he  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  business,  of  which  he  was  made  secretary.  In  August.  190B.  he  purchased 
the  interest  of  Thomas  A.  Gait  in  the  enterprise  and  was  chosen  president  and 
treasurer  of  the  company.  They  manufacture  vehicles  for  domestic  and  for- 
eign trade  and  employ  about  seventy-Hvc  people.  The  factory  is  located  in 
Rock  Falls  and  is  equipped  with  all  of  the  latest  improved  machinery  to  facil- 
itate work  in  their  line.  They  hold  to  high  ideals  in  the  character  of  their 
manufactured  product,  in  their  personnel  and  in  their  service  to  the  public, 
and  that  they  have  gained  public  confidence  and  patronage  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  their  output  is  now  about  five  thousand  finished  vehicles  annually. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1903,  Mr.  Wood  wa.s  married  to  Miss  Etta  Mc- 
Cune,  a  daughter  of  James  A.  and  Ella  (Pickett)  McCnne.  The  family 
residence  is  at  No.  805  West  Fourth  street  and  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  have 
a  wide  circle  of  friends  in  Sterling  and  other  parts  of  the  county. 


COLONEL   PETER   EGE. 

Colonel  Peter  Ege,  who  is  now  living  retired,  although  formerly  active 
at  the  bar  as  a  well  known  and  able  lawyer,  was  born  at  Pine  Grove 
Furnace,  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  10,  1835.  His 
parents  were  Major  Joseph  A.  and  Jane  Almyra  (Woodburn)  Ege.  The 
father  was  also  a  native  of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  as  was  the 
grandfather,  Captain  Peter  Ege,  who  derived  his  title  by  service  in  com- 
mand of  a  company  of  Pennsylvania  Dragoons  and  who  was  wounded  in 
the  war  of  1812.  His  father,  Michael  Ege,  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia  and 
a  son  of  Brainard  Ege,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  became  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  America,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  the  seventeenth  century.  He 
was  accompanied  on  his  emigration  to  the  new  world  by  two  sons  and  set- 
tled in  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  Brainard  Ege  and  his  son  Michael  were  both 
civil  engineers  and  the  latter  was  one  of  the  early  teachers  of  Philadelphia. 


COL.  PETEE  EGE 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINO.'S 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  541 

Major  Joseph  A.  Egs  reared  the  following  children  to  adult  age:  Jane 
Almyra,  now  deceased;  Margaret  W.,  the  widow  of  Major  John  J.  McFar- 
land,  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  Jane  L.,  the  deceased  wife  of  Peter  May- 
berger,  who  has  also  passed  away;  Peter,  of  this  review;  Martha  E.,  the 
widow  of  George  Roddy,  of  New  Bloomfield,  Pennsylvania;  Henrietta  M., 
the  widow  of  Judge  S.  Burd,  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  Joseph  A.,  who 
served  as  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-seventh  Pennsylvania 
Regiment  in  the  Civil  war  and  is  flow  deceased;  James  H.',  who  for  three 
years  served  as  a  private  in  the  Ninety-third  Illinois  Infantry  and  is  now 
residing  at  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  and  Francis  H.  and  Ellen  E.,  both  of 
whom  have  passed  away.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  1850  and  in 
1853  Mr.  Ege  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Kate  R.  Reish, 
of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  Unto  them  were  born  four  children:  Wil- 
liam L.,  deceased;  Charles  F.,  a  resident  farmer  of  Newton  township,  Whits- 
side  county;  Eva  M.,  the  deceased  wife  of  Harper  Earl,  of  this  county;  and 
Hattie  B.,  a  teacher  of  Oakland,  California. 

The  maternal  ancestor  of  Colonel  Ege  of  this  review  was  James  Wood- 
burn,  who  was  of  Scotch  Irish  parentage.  He  married  Agnes  Martin,  who 
was  of  pure  Scotch  lineage,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Martin,  who  located  in  Car- 
lisle, Pennsylvania,  in  1734  and  served  as  a  surgeon  in  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence. He  was  also  in  the  war  of  1812  and  occupied  the  same  position. 
He  participated  in  most  of  the  engagements  of  the  war  fought  by  General 
Scott  and  rendered  valued  service  in  caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded. 

Colonel  Peter  Ege  was  educated  in  the  east.  When  the  country  became 
involved  in  hostilities  between  the  north  and  the  south,  Colonel  Ege,  on  the 
14th  of  April,  1861,  only  two  days  after  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  left 
Chicago  as  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Zouaves  in  the  ninety  days'  service. 
Before  the  expiration  of  this  term  he  was  made  first  lieutenant  on  the  staff 
of  Governor  Richard  Yates  of  Illinois,  while  General  U.  S.  Grant  was  second 
lieutenant  on  the  same  staff.  General  Grant  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Yates  colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Illinois  Infantry  and  Colonel  Ege  had  the 
honor  of  presenting  him  with  his  commission.  The  regiment  of  which  he 
became  commander  was  raised  by  Colonel  Curtis,  a  banker  of  Quiney. 

Colonel  Ege,  in  August,  1861,  was  sent  by  Governor  Yates  and  the 
state  government  to  recruit  a  company.  He  then  made  his  way  to  White-- 
side county,  where  he  had  located  in  1855,  and  here  raised  what  became 
Company  A  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers.  With 
this  command  he  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  and  later  with  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  and  was  made  colonel  on  the  7th  of  November, 
1864,  in  command  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment  of  Veterans.  The  first 
battle  in  which  he  engaged  was  that  at  Shiloh  on  the  7th  of  April,  1862. 
There  he  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  neck.  Later  he  took  part  in  the 
engagement  at  Corinth,  Mississippi,  and  afterward  at  Stone  River,  Buzzard's 
Roost,  Georgia,  and  Resaca  and  Rome.  At  the  last  named  place  he  was 
wounded  in  the  abdomen  and  was  confined  in  the  hospital  for  a  short  time. 
This  wound  proved  very  serious  and  from  its  effects  he  has  never  yet  recov- 
ered. However,  after  a  time  he  was  again  on  active  duty  with  his  regiment 


542  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  where  he  was  slightly 
wounded  in  the  hand.  He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Goldsboro,  Georgia,  and 
later  he  was  for  one  hundred  and  two  days  in  and  around  Atlanta,  being 
stationed  on  the  skirmish  line.  Thus  he  was  in  constant  danger  and  was 
under  fire  every  day  and  frequently  at  night  as  well.  At  the  time  of  the 
capitulation  of  Atlanta  he  was  at  that  city.  He  was  also  in  front  of  Savannah, 
Georgia,  and  on  the  17th  of  December,  1864,  was  wounded  at  that  place, 
being  struck  by  a  bullet  in  the  thumb  of  his  right  hand.  The  injury  proved 
quite  serious,  however,  and  confined  him  to  the  hospital  for  six  weeks. 
After  the  troops  under  General  Sherman  had  succeeded  in  reaching  the  sea, 
the  army  started  on  the  return  north  and  on  the  15th  of  March,  1865,  the 
battle  of  Averysboro,  North  Carolina,  was  fought,  but  in  this  Colonel  Ege  did 
not  participate,  Colonel  Walker  being  in  command  of  his  regiment.  He 
was,  however,  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Bentonville,  North  Carolina,  which 
was  the  last  serious  engagement  of  the  war.  Colonel  Ege  commanded  his 
regiment  from  this  point  to  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  thence  on  to  Wash- 
ington, where  the  army  was  mustered  out.  Colonel  Ege  was  in  command 
of  a  brigade  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  which 
he  continued  to  command  until  it  was  mustered  out  July  17,  1865.  He 
served  for  three  years  and  eleven  months  in  the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  and  altogether  put  in  four  years  and  six  months'  time  as  a 
soldier  in  defense  of  the  Union.  He  commanded  his  regiment  at  the  grand 
review  at  Washington. 

When  the  war  was  over  Colonel  Ege  returned  to  Whiteside  county, 
where  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  and  also  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Whiteside  county  bar  and 
was  recognized  as  an  able  and  learned  lawyer.  He  had  from  the  time  he 
left  school  in  1854  up  to  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  devoted  his 
attention  to  engineering  and  in  this  work  was  associated  with  such  men  as 
General  George  B.  McClellan,  Major  Bushnell  and  Captain  George  Brown. 
He  was  employed  in  surveying  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  from 
Chicago  to  Dewitt,  Iowa,  with  a  Mr.  Scott  as  engineer-in-chief.  As  stated, 
after  the  war  Colonel  Ege  practiced  law  for  n  long  period,  but  has  now  lived 
retired  for  a  number  of  years. 

In  1861  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Colonel  Ege  and  Miss  Harriet 
L.  Booth,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Sarah  (Beckley)  Booth.  Her  paternal 
ancestors  came  to  America  in  1787  and  settled  at  Virginia  near  the  town 
of  Norfolk.  James  Booth,  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in  the  new  world, 
was  a  native  of  Wales  but  was  reared  in  England,  in  which  country  his  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy  Stallaker.  was  born.  One  of  their 
sons,  Daniel  Booth,  was  a  colonel  of  the  American  army  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  commanding  a  regiment  of  Virginia  volunteers.  He  died  in  the 
Old  Dominion  in  1790  and  left  a  family  of  eight  children :  James,  Isaac, 
Daniel,  David,  John,  Stephen,  Jane  and  Major  W.  Booth.  The  Booth 
family  has  ever  been  noted  for  the  loyalty  and  patriotism  of  its  member*. 
Among  the  children  of  Colonel  Daniel  Booth  was  Daniel  Booth.  Jr.,  who 
served  as  colonel  in  the  war  of  1812.  Another  son.  Captain  John  Booth, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  543 

was  killed  by  the  English  in  the  second  war  with  England.  His  brother, 
Stephen  Booth,  who  was  sergeant  of  a  company,  was  killed  in  the  same 
battle.  Jane  became  the  wife  of  W.  F.  Wilson,  who  was  also  a  soldier  of 
the  war  of  1812.  Major  W.  Booth  likewise  served  with  the  American  army 
in  that  war.  He  married  Deborah  Hart,  and  they  had  fifteen  children. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Edward  Hart,  who  was  a  son  of  John  Hart,  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  In  1839  Major  W.  Booth 
removed  westward  with  his  family  and  settled  in  Newton  township,  White- 
side  county,  Illinois.  He  had  received  a  land  warrant  for  service  in  the  war 
of  1812  and  with  this  he  secured  a  claim  in  Newton  township,  which 
remained  in  possession  of  the  family  until  a  few  years  ago.  Before  his 
arrival  in  Whiteside  county  he  had  lived  in  other  places.  He  removed 
from  Virginia  to  Ohio  and  thence  to  Logansport,  Indiana,  where  he  lived 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Illinois,  making  the  entire  journey 
with  teams.  The  Booths  have  from  early  colonial  days  been  numbered 
among  the  most  prominent,  influential  and  leading  families  of  the  Old 
Dominion.  Elijah  Booth  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
four  of  whom  reached  years  of  maturity.  Mrs.  Booth  died  in  Logansport, 
Indiana,  in  1844,  and  it  was  the  year  following  that  the  family  came  to 
Whiteside  county.  Of  the  children,  Sylvester  H.  Booth,  now  deceased,  served 
as  a  sergeant  in  the  Civil  war.  When  about  twenty  years  of  age  he  left 
home  on  an  overland  trip  to  California.  The  family  supposed  him  dead, 
as  they  -had  not  heard  from  him  for  a  long  period,  but  after  an  absence  of 
twenty  years  he  returned.  Harriet  L.,  the  next  of  the  family,  is  now  the 
wife  of  Colonel  Ege.  Martha  J.,  now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Pa-cal 
Early,  who  was  a  sergeant  of  Company  F,  Ninety-third  Illinois  Infantry. 
Mary  M.  is  the  deceased  wife  of  S.  H.  Beckwith,  of  Iowa.  The  father 
of  this  family  was  a  builder  and  contractor.  He  did  not  long  remain  in 
Whiteside  county,  but  went  south  and  died  soon  after  the  death  of  his 
wife. 

Unto  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Ege  have  been  born  nine  children :  Martha 
and  Maude,  both  of  whom  have  passed  away;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Wheaton,  of  La  Harpe,  Illinois;  Harry  P.;  Henrietta  W.,  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam F.  Rumbull,  of  Laurel,  Mississippi;  Deborah  B.,  the  wife  of  W.  L. 
Olds,  of  Madison,  Wisconsin;  Sylvester,  a  civil  engineer,  of  Laurel,  Mis- 
sissippi and  a  soldier  in  the  Spanish- American  war;  Sarah  L.,  who  is  prin- 
cipal of  the  schools  of  Laurel,  Mississippi;  and  a  daughter  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Colonel  Ege  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  are  prominent  in  the  social  life  of  the  community.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  at  Albany  and  Fulton  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  while  of 
the  Commandery  at  Laurel,  Mississippi,  he  has  become  a  Knight  Templar. 
At  the  present  time  he  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  second  highest  living 
officer  now  residing  in  the  state  of  Illinois  and  none  of  the  boys  in  blue  have 
had  a  more  varied  military  experience  than  fell  to  his  lot  while  he  defended 
the  Stars  and  Stripes.  He  participated  in  the  long  marches,  the  hard  cam- 
paigns, the  sieges  and  the  pitched  battles,  manifesting  a  bravery  and  valor 


544  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

that  inspired  his  men  to  deeds  of  courage.  In  the  years  which  have  since 
come  and  gone  he  has  been  equally  faithful  to  the  interests  of  his  country 
and  in  Whiteside  county  there  is  no  more  honored  or  respected  citizen  than 
this  worthy  veteran,  who  has  now  reached  the  seventy-third  milestone  on  the 
journey  of  life. 


JOHN  BRADLEY  CRANDALL,  M.  D. 

Dr.  John  Bradley  Crandall,  who  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  has  gained 
recognition  as  one  of  the  ablest  representatives  of  his  profession  in  Sterling  and 
Whiteside  county  and  who  during  the  Civil  war  made  a  record  as  a  valorous 
and  patriotic  soldier,  was  born  at  Roxbury,  Vermont,  February  22,  1840. 

paternal  grandfather  wag  John  Bradley  Crandall,  who  was  descended 
from  Sir  John  Bradley  Crandall,  who  was  a  lieutenant  general  and  belonged 
to  the  right  wing  of  protection  to  the  crown.  The  grandfather  removed  from 
Connecticut  to  Vermont  and  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Roxbury.  He 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  as  a  life  work  and  there  reared  his  family. 
He  married  a  Miss  Burnett,  whose  father  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  served 
on  Washington's  staff  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
colonel.  John  Bradley  Crandall  lived  to  be  about  sixty  years  of  age,  while  his 
wife  reached  the  advanced  age  of  nearly  ninety  years.  They  had  a  large 
family,  now  widely  scattered  throughout  the  United  States. 

Their  son,  Daniel  Burnett  Crandall,  a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain 
state,  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  died  in  Vermont  about  twenty- 
five  years  ago  when  sixty-six  or  sixty-seven  years  of  age.  He  had  married 
Lydia  A.  Bailey,  who  was  also  born  in  Vermont  and  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Bailey,  of  Massachusetts,  who  removed  to  the  Green  Mountain  state  when 
it  was  largely  undeveloped  and  unsettled.  He  was  a  hatter  in  his  early  man- 
hood but  took  up  farming  after  his  removal  to  Vermont,  where  he  died  in 
middle  life.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Lydia  (Reed)  Bailey,  lived  to  be  about  ninety 
years  of  age,  her  home  being  near  Berlin,  Vermont.  The  Reeds  were  a  promi- 
nent family  of  that  state.  Mrs.  Lydia  A.  (Bailey)  Crandall  survived  her  hus- 
band for  about  ten  years  and  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  church.  In  their  family  were  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  but  only  two  are  now  living,  the  brother  of  our  subject 
being  George  H.  Crandall,  a  farmer  of  Berlin,  Vermont.  Another  son  of  the 
family,  Major  Richard  B.  Crandall,  of  the  Sixth  Vermont,  entered  the  Union 
service  as  adjutant  of  that  regiment  and  held  the  position  for  about  a  year, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy.  He  served  with  that  rank  for  six 
months  and  was  then  promoted  from  junior  captain  to  the  rank  of  major. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  mentality  and  a  fine  soldier. 

Dr.  Crandall  of  this  review  spent  his  boyhood  days  largely  at  Barry, 
Vermont,  and  attended  the  common  schools  of  Berlin  and  the  academy  at 
Barry.  In  the  latter  place  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  was  graduated 
from  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Vermont  and  subsequently 
pursued  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  545 

New  York.  He  ^jpan  practice  in  connection  with  the  army,  enlisting  in  the 
summer  of  1861^XHe  was  made  hospital  steward  of  the  Sixth  Vermont  In- 
fantry and  served  until  the  summer  of  1862.  He  was  then  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Vermont  and  in  October  of  that  year  was  appointed  assist- 
ant surgeon  in  the  army.  He  wTas  on  active  duty  with  McClellan's  forces  in 
the  seven  days'  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  belonged  to  the  old  Vermont  brigade 
and  was  in  General  Baldy  Smith's  division  in  the  retreat  at  Harrison's  Land- 
ing. He  remained  with  the  Thirteenth  Vermont  until  the  autumn  of  1863 
and  was  the  senior  assistant  surgeon  on  the  Gettysburg  battlefield.  He  was 
afterward  on  duty  in  general  hospitals  in  the  Department  of  the  East  and 
was  stationed  at  Burlington,  Vermont,  until  the  summer  of  1864.  Subse- 
quently he  was  transferred  to  the  Sloan  United  States  Hospital  at  Montpelier, 
where  he  continued  on  duty  until  the  hospital  closed  in  the  winter  of  1865-6. 
He  then  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
in  New  York  and,  thus  splendidly  equipped  by  broad  study  and  the  practical 
and  varied  experience  of  army  life,  in  the  summer  of  1866  he  re-entered  the 
regular  army  and  was  put  on  duty  in  the  Department  of  Missouri  as  assistant 
surgeon,  being  stationed  on  the  frontier  until  he  came  to  Sterling  in  1868. 
The  winter  of  1866-7  was  spent  at  Fort  Riley  and  in  the  spring  he  went  with 
an  expedition  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  against  the  Indians,  General  Hancock 
commanding.  In  that  year  the  regiment  was  also  sent  to  Fort  Dodge  and  sta- 
.tioned  there  in  the  center  of  the  Indian  strongholds.  A  cholera  epidemic 
broke  out  there,  the  disease  being  brought  by  colored  troops  from  St.  Louis. 
There  were  eighty-five  cases  in  all,  with  twenty-eight  deaths.  A  curious 
feature  was  the  fact  that  Troop  B,  United  States  Cavalry,  was  not  attacked  by 
the  disease,  while  some  of  the  officers  and  civilians  in  the  officers'  quarters 
were  attacked  and  died.  Dr.  Crandall  could  not  account  for  this  except  upon 
the  theory  that  Troop  B  was  quartered  in  the  stables  with  the  horses  and 
the  ammonia  probably  destroyed  the  gerrns  of  the  disease.  He  contributed 
an  able  article  to  the  Medical  Journal  on  this  subject  a  number  of  years  ago, 
which  was  widely  copied  throughout  the  country. 


In  the  fall  of  1868  Dr.  Crandall  left  the  army  and  settled  in  Sterling, 
Illinois,  where  he  has  been  in  active  practice  continuously  to  the  persent 
time,  covering  a  period  of  over  forty  years.  Throughout  this  time  he  has 
enjoyed  a  liberal  patronage  and  has  long  been  accounted  one  of  the  foremost 
physicians  of  this  part  of  the  state.  He  has  ever  kept  abreast  with  the  ad- 
vanced thought  and  progress  of.  the  profession  and  his  ability  and  energy 
have  enabled  him  to  successfully  cope  with  the  intricate  problems  continually 
presented  through  the  complications  of  disease. 

In  January.  1869,  Dr.  Crandall  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Fluelling, 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Fluelling,  who  was  an  early  lumber  dealer  of  Ster- 
ling. Her  mother  was  a  Miss  Robins  before  her  marriage  and  died  in 
the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Crandall  have  two  children: 
Richard  B.,  who  learned  the  drug  business;  and  Laura,  the  wife  of  Stowers 
Dunbar,  of  Sterling.  Mrs.  Crandall  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church. 

The  Doctor  holds  membership  with  the  Sterling  Club,  of  which  he  has 
served  as  president.  He  belongs  to  Will  Robinson  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Sterling, 


546  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  was  on  the  national  staff  when  General  Black  was  commanding  and  also 
when  General  Brown  was  commander.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  a  non-resident  member  of  the  Com- 
mandery  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  Colonel  Brown  commanding,  he  having 
been  a  colonel  in  the  regiment  to  which  Dr.  Crandall  belonged.  In  politics 
the  Doctor  is  a  republican,  giving  a  stanch  support  to  the  party,  yet  without 
aspiration  for  office  as  a  reward  for  party  fealty.  The  only  position  that  he 
has  filled  has  been  in  the  line  of  his  profession,  as  he  has  been  president  of  the 
pension  examining  board  during  the  past  two  administrations.  He  was  also 
health  officer  for  about  ten  years  and  was  appointed  by  the  state  board  as 
•inspector  for  infectious  diseases  for  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  He  belong.-* 
to  both  the  County  and  State  Medical  Societies  and  United  States  Medical 
Association,  and  is  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  advancement  of  the 
profession  in  increasing  his  efficiency  and  promoting  his  skill  that  his  labors 
may  be  of  more  direct  benefit  to  his  fellowmen. 


WARREN   F.    POWERS. 

Warren  F.  Powers  is  now  living  retired  in  Sterling,  deriving  his  income 
from  farming  property  and  other  investments.  He  represents  one  of  the 
old  families  of  this  section  of  the  state  and  is  a  native  of  Palmyra  township, 
Lee  county,  where  his  birth  occurred  September  13,  1851.  His  parents  were 
Abijah  and  Amanda  (Sprout)  Powers,  both  of  whom  w«re  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts. The  former  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Powers,  who  was  also  born  in 
the  Old  Bay  state  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  as  a  life  work.  He 
married  Sarah  Powers  and  in  their  later  years  they  came  to  the  middle  west 
to  make  their  home  with  their  son  Abijah.  Mrs.  Powers  died  when  seventy- 
six  years  of  age,  on  the  anniversary  of  her  son's  birthday,  and  a  notable 
coincidence  was  that  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years  on  his  mother'.-- 
birthday.  The  Powers  family  can  trace  their  lineage  back  to  the  thirteenth 
century.  Two  brothers  of  the  name  were  residents  of  Ireland  and  one  went 
to  England  and  the  other  to  France,  the  latter  becoming  the  founder  of  the 
family  of  which  the  subject  of  this  review  is  a  representative.  In  the  ma- 
ternal line  Warren  F.  Powers  comes  of  an  old  New  England  family.  His 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts . and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
died  in  the  east,  when  about  seventy  years  of  age.  after  which  his  widow 
removed  westward  to  Lee  county,  Illinois,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine. 

Abijah  Powers  began  providing  for  his  own  support  at  an  early  age. 
working  by  the  day.  He  noted  that  the  tide  of  emigration  was  steadily 
drifting  westward  and  realized  that  opportunities  must  draw  them  to  that 
section  of  the  country.  He  therefore  resolved  that  he  would  enjoy  the  benefits 
offered  by  the  west  and  in  the  spring  of  1837  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Palmyra  township,  Lee  county,  where  he  worked  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He 
then  returned  to  the  east  and  was  married,  after  which  he  again  became  a 
resident  of  Lee  county,  in  1839.  and  there  carried  on  general  farming.  His 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  547 

home  farm  contained  two  hundred  and  eighty-one  acres  of  land,  to  which  he 
added  as  his  financial  resources  increased.  In  addition  to  his  property  in 
Lee  county  he  had  four  hundred  acres  in  Whiteside- county,  also  two  half 
sections  in  Iowa  and  other  land  in  Minnesota.  The  first  winter  after  bring- 
ing his  bride  to  the  west  they  lived  in  a  little  log  cabin  without  door  or 
window  to  shut  out  the  cold.  One  year  his  taxes  amounted  to  five  dollars 
and  it  occasioned  him  considerable  worry  as  to  how  he  should  raise  the  money 
to  meet  the  payment,  for  money  was  very  scarce  in  the  middle  west  in  those 
days  and  the  farm  products  brought  but  little  recompense.  As  the  years 
passed,  however,  he  prospered  and  improved  several  farms,  thus  contributing 
to  the  general  advancement  of  this  section  of  the  state  as  well  as  to  his  indi- 
vidual success.  He  was  the  pioneer  raiser  of  shorthorn  cattle  in  this  section 
of  the  state  and  perhaps  did  more  to  improve  the  grade  of  cattle  raised  than 
any  other  man  in  northern  Illinois.  He  continued  to  reside  upon  the  old 
homestead  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  July,  1891,  when  he  was  in  his 
seventy-seventh  year.  His  wife  still  survives  him  and  is  now  in  her  eighty- 
ninth  year.  She  has  always  been  very  active,  has  enjoyed  excellent  health  and 
has  ever  been  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  her  family.  Mr.  Powers  was  not  only 
prominent  in  agricultural  lines  but  also  in  community  interests,  filled  nearly 
all  of  the  town  offices  and  was  also  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  state 
legislature,  where  he  served  for  one  term,  and  then  refused  a  second  nomina- 
tion. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abijah  Powers  were  born  six  children,  five  of  whom 
reached  adult  age:  Elvira  A.,  the  wife  of  Captain  Charles  Eckles,  of  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa;  Nellie  C.,  the  deceased  wife  of  A.  E.  Thummel;  Mary  A.,  the 
widow  of  James  C.  Nickerson,  a  resident  of  Pierre,  South  Dakota;  Warren  F., 
of  this  review;  Austin  A.,  of  Palmyra  township,  Lee  county,  and  residing  on 
the  old  homestead  farm ;  and  Alfred,  who  was  the  first  born  and  died  of  scar- 
let fever  when  six  years  of  age. 

Warren  F.  Powers  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Lee  county  and 
his  early  educational  privileges,  afforded  by  the  district  schools,  were  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  in  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston,  Illinois. 
After  putting  aside  his  text-books  he  resumed  farming  and  one  year  later 
was  married  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account  by  renting  land  in  Jor- 
dan township,  Whiteside  county.  He  thus  continued  to  engage  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  his  father's  death,  when  he  inherited  a  part  of  the  estate, 
and  now  owns  one  hundred  sixty-six  and  a  half  acres  of  productive  land, 
which  brings  to  him  a  good  rental.  At  one  time  his  holdings  embraced  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  but  having  opportunity  to  sell  advantageously  he 
disposed  of  this  land  and  purchased  the  farm  he  now  owns. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  1872,  Mr.  Powers  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Miller,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Fredericka  (Klostermann)  Miller.  Henry 
Miller  was  born  in  the  province  of  Oldenburg,  Germany,  November  13,  1822, 
and  Avas  a  son  of  Pope  E.  and  Theda  (Remmers)  Miller.  He  came  to  America 
with  his  father  in  1837  and  settled  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  where  his  father 
died  a  few  months  later.  In  the  spring  of  1838,  with  his  brother,  he  removed 
to  Palmyra,  Lee  county,  and  engaged  in  farming  on  the  place  owned  by  him 


548  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  June  12,  1892.  On  the  29th  of 
September,  1850,  he  married  Fredrika  A.  Klostermann,  of  Palmyra,  Lee  coun- 
ty, a  daughter  of  Ernest  H.  and  Alma  Margaret  (Frerichs)  Klostermann.  She 
was  born  September  23,  1833,  in  the  grand  duchy  of  Oldenburg,  Germany,  and 
at  present  resides  with  two  of  her  daughters  in  Chicago,  being  now  in  her 
seventy-fifth  year.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  were  born  nine  children,  two 
sons  and  seven  daughters,  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Warren  F.  Powers,  being  the 
eldest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powers  have  become  the  parents  of  seven  children.  Eva 
M.,  the  eldest,  is  now  the  wife  of  Charles  LeFevre,  a  farmer  of  Sterling  town- 
ship, and  they  have  two  children,  Lawrence  and  Irene.  Willard  D.,  who  is 
a  bookkeeper  in  connection  with  the  government  works  at  Sterling,  married 
Miss  Nellie  Eisel  and  has  one  son,  Homer.  Frank  W.,  who  is  on  a  ranch  in 
Colorado,  married  Mabel  Crouch  and  they  have  two  sons,  Warren  and  Llewel- 
lyn. Earl  died  in  infancy.  Lottie  A.  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Proctor,  of  Coleta. 
Nellie  A.  is  the  wife  of  Ralph  Overholser,  of  Coleta.  Maurice  A.,  who  com- 
pletes the  family,  is  attending  business  college  and  resides  at  home. 

The  parents  and  their  children  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church 
and  the  family  is  one  of  social  prominence.  Mr.  Powers  is  a  stalwart  republican 
who  has  continuously  supported  the  party  yet  has  never  sought  office  as  a 
reward  for  party  fealty.  In  February,  1906,  having  sold  the  farm,  with  his 
wife,  he  removed  to  Sterling,  erecting  a  beautiful  brick  residence  at  No.  105 
Sixth  avenue,  where  they  are  now  pleasantly  located.  They  have  many 
friends  in  the  city  and  throughout  the  county  where  they  have  lived  con- 
tinuously since  their  marriage. 


GEORGE  N.  MASON. 

George  N.  Mason,  efficiently  filling  the  position  of  postmaster  at  Erie, 
is  a  native  of  Cheshire,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  born  July  4,  1856. 
His  parents,  James  and  Abigail  (Conn)  Mason,  were  also  natives  of  Berk- 
shire county  and  passed  away  in  Hebron,  Illinois,  where  their  remains  were 
Interred.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  dairyman  throughout  his  entire 
life.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Illinois  he  rented  an  extensive  farm  and 
thereon  conducted  a  dairy  business,  milking  over  one  hundred  cows.  He  was 
sent  to  Walworth,  Wisconsin,  to  manage  a  cheese  factory  and  continued 
there  for  two  seasons,  making  the  first  cheese  at  that  place.  His  business 
interests  were  carefully  conducted  and  he  was  a  man  of  industry  and  enter- 
prise. His  family  numbered  seven  sons  and  five  daughters,  George  N. 
Mason  being  the  third  child.  Two  daughters  and  five  sons  are  yet  living. 
One  daughter,  Belle,  who  was  a  successful  teacher  for  a  long  period,  died 
December  15,  1907.  The  eldest  daughter,  Ida,  died  in  Chicago  of  smallpox 
shortly  after  the  great  fire  in  that  city  in  1871.  All  of  the  sons  of  the 
family  are  engaged  in  the  creamery  business. 

When  eight  years  of  age  George  N.  Mason  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Hebron,  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  reared  upon  a  farm  until 


G.  N.  MASON. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ,LLWo, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  551 

twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  district  schools 
and  though  his  opportunities  were  somewhat  limited  he  has  learned  many 
valuable  lessons  in  the  school  of  experience.  As  his  father  was  conducting 
u  dairy  farm  the  son  learned  the  business  of  making  butter  and  cheese, 
becoming  a  practical  and  expert  manufacturer  in  those  lines.  In  1879  he 
removed  to  Erie,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  in  the  intervening 
years  he  has  ever  commanded  and  enjoyed  the  respect,  confidence  and  good 
will  of  his  fellow  townsmen.  Following  his  arrival  here,  he  accepted  the 
management  of  the  creamery  owned  by  Hubbard  &  Burchell,  continuing  in 
that  position  for  four  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  lie  purchased 
the  business  and  conducted  it  under  his  own  name  for  a  number  of  years. 
Subsequently  he  established  a  factory  at  Port  Byron  and  the  rapid  increase 
in  his  business  eventually  made  the  daily  output  of  butter  at  Erie  twenty- 
two  hundred  pounds  and  at  Port  Byron  one  thousand  pounds.  The  excel- 
lence of  the  product  made  it  a  very  marketable  commodity  and  he  was 
always  able  to  command  the  highest  prices.  After  continuing  in  the  cream- 
ery business  for  some  time  Mr.  Mason  opened  a  general  mercantile  store 
in  Erie  and  in  connection  with  its  conduct  also  continued  to  manage  the 
creamery  business  for  a  time.  Later,  however,  he  disposed  of  the  latter  and 
concentrated  his  energies  upon  his  mercantile  interests.  He  carried  on  his 
creamery  and  store  for  about  fifteen  years.  In  commercial  circles  he  has 
gained  an  enviable  reputation  as  one  whose  methods  will  bear  the  closest 
investigation  and  scrutiny  and  he  bases  his  business  moves  upon  the  rules 
which  govern  strict  and  unswerving  integrity  and  industry. 

Mr.  Mason  has  now  filled  the  position  of  postmaster  for  ten  and  a  half 
years,  having  been  appointed  by  President  McKinley  during  his  first  admin- 
istration. It  was  then  a  fourth-class  office,  but  since  has  .been  raised  to  a 
third-class  with  three  rural  free  delivery  routes  and  one  star  route.  His 
administration  of  the  office  is  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  general  public, 
who  find  him  a  courteous,  obliging  official,  who  is,  moreover,  prompt  in  the 
discharge  of  all  business.  He  has  likewise  been  president  of  the  village 
board  for  a  year,  was  president  of  the  board  of  education  for  six  years  and 
president  of  the  cemetery  commission.  His  political  allegiance  has  always 
been  given  to  the  republican  party,  of  which  he  is  a  stalwart  champion, 
doing  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success 
of  his  party. 

In  1880  Mr.  Mason  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  R.  Soothill,  who  was 
born  near  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England,  July  22,  185'6.  She  Avas  brought  to 
the  United  States  at  the  age  of  six  months  by  her  parents,  Joseph  and  Char- 
lotte (Maxwell)  Soothill,  who  located  at  Harvard,  McHenry  county,  Illinois, 
where  Mrs.  Mason  resided  until  her  marriage.  She  proved  to  her  husband  a 
faithful  companion  and  helpmate  on  life's  journey  for  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  and  was  called  to  her  final  home  January  12,  1907.  She  was  a 
successful  teacher  for  a  long  period,  having  taught  thirty-seven  terms  of 
.school  and  was  a  lady  of  innate  culture  and  refinement,  who  enjoyed  in 
large  measure  the  esteem  and  friendship  of  all  with  whom  she  came  in 
contact.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  were  the  parents  of  a  son  and  daughter. 


552  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

The  elder,  Charles  S.,  who  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Erie  and 
in  a  business  college  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  was  afterward  employed  in  the 
First  National  Bank  in  Morrison,  Illinois,  and  is  now  receiving  teller  of  the 
Corn  Belt  Bank  of  Kansas  City.  He  was  married  in  1904  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Walker,  of  Moline,  Illinois,  who  died  September  18,  1906,  leaving  one 
daughter,  Marjorie,  who  is  now  with  her  grandfather  Mason.  Lois  May, 
who  was  educated  in  music  in  Chicago  and  had  become  a  teacher  in  that 
art,  died  October  1,  1907,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  Mr.  Mason  owns 
an  attractive  home  in  Erie  and  also  has  other  property.  His  realty  inter- 
ests in  the  village  are  represented  by  four  dwellings  and  two  business  blocks, 
and  he  also  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  farming  land  in 
one  body  in  Fenton  and  Newton  townships.  He  was  made  a  Mason  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  in  Hebron,  Illinois,  and  now  affiliates  with  the  lodge 
at  Erie.  For  the  past  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  consistent  member  of 
Christ's  Adelphian  church.  He  is  a  congenial  friend  and  a  popular  citizen, 
who  enjoys  the  good  will  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  townsmen  in  an 
unusual  degree. 


HARRY    J.    LUDENS. 

Although  one  of  the  younger  members  of  the  Morrison  bar,  his  years 
do  not  seem  to  impede  his  progress  and  Harry  J.  Ludens  is  working  his  way 
upward  to  a  prominent  place  among  the  legal  practitioners  of  this  city.  He 
was  born  in  Garden  Plain  township  in  1874.  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Dorothy 
(Vandenberg)  Ludens,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Holland.  In  the  year 
1866  the  father  came  with  his  family  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  New 
York,  where  he  worked  at  farm  labor  by  the  month.  He  afterward  spent 
a  year  in  Wisconsin  and  in  1868  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Fulton,  where 
he  worked  at  day  labor  for  some  time.  His  unfaltering  industry  and  careful 
expenditure  at  length  brought  him  the  capital  that  enabled  him  to  make 
investment  in  property  and  in  1883  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  on 
section  31,  Ustick  township.  Whiteside  county.  With  characteristic  energy 
he  began  the  further  development  and  improvement  of  this  farm,  upon  which 
he  spent  his  remaining  days.  His  life  was  one  of  untiring  activity  and  use- 
fulness and  he  provided  a  comfortable  living  for  his  family.  A  devoted 
member  of  the  Dutch  Reform  church,  he  served  as  one  of  its  officers  for 
many  years  and  did  what  he  could  for  its  growth  and  upbuilding.  In  politics 
he  was  a  republican  and  served  on  the  school  board,  but  was  not  an  aspirant 
for  public  office.  He  died  in  1893  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  and  is  still 
survived  by  his  widow,  who  is  now  living  in  Chicago  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven. 
She,  loo,  is  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reform  church.  Their  family  numbered 
fourteen  children :  Jennie,  who  became  the  wife  of  Jacob  Sternberg  and 
passed  away  in  1888;  Annie,  the  wife  of  David  Sternberg.  an  agriculturist 
of  Ustick  township;  Peter,  who  makes  his  home  in  Montana;  Lizzie,  who 
wedded  Fred  M.  Dykema,  a  railroad  man  of  Virden,  Illinois;  Harry  J.,  of 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  553 

this  review;  Jacob  J.,  an  attorney  at  law  of  Sterling,  Illinois;  John  M.,  a 
student  in  Knox  College  at  Galesburg:  David,  a  civil  engineer  in  the  employ 
of  the  Great  Northern  Railroad  Company  in  Montana;  and  Mattie,  the  wife 
of  William  J.  Parr,  an  engineer  on  the  Pennsylvania  System  in  Chicago. 
The  others  have  passed  away. 

Harry  J.  Ludens  was  reared  to  farm  life,  spending  his  boyhood  day* 
under  the  parental  roof,  his  time  being  divided  between  the  work  of  the 
fields  and  the  acquirement  of  an  education.  He  attended  the  country  schools 
and  the  Northern  Illinois  College  at  Fulton,  Illinois.  Before  taking  up  the 
college  work,  however,  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  Fulton  and  from  Sep- 
tember, 1901,  until  1906,  he  occupied  a  clerical  position  in  the  office  of  the 
secretary  of  state  at  Springfield.  While  attending  college  he  read  law  and 
finished  his  studies  while  in  the  capital  city.  In  the  fall  of  1903  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  the  practice  of  law  in  November,  1908,  at 
Morrison.  He  has  met  with  fair  success  here  and  his  careful  preparation  of 
cases  and  his  continued  study  are  winning  for  him  success  in  the  difficult 
and  arduous  profession  of  the  law. 

Mr.  Ludens  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Eastern  Star 
and  also  affiliates  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Mystic  Workers.  His  polit- 
ical allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party.  He  is  well  known  in  this 
county,  where  much  of  his  life  has  been  passed  and  where  he  is  so  directing 
his  labors  as  to  gain  recognition  as  a  strong  and  growing  member  of  the 
Whiteside  county  bar. 


JOHN    B.    LEWIS. 

John  B.  Lewis,  manager  of  the  lumber  business  of  James  C.  Simpson  & 
Company  at  Sterling,  has  also  figured  actively  in  the  public  life  of  the  city 
and  stands  for  improvement  and  progress  in  every  line.  He  is  a  native  of 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Evan  Lewis,  was 
born  in  Wales  and  followed  the  sea  for  a  number  of  years,  after  which  he 
became  a  resident  of  Pennsylvania  and  gave  his  time  and  energies  to  general 
agricultural  pursuits.  Subsequently  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Albany,  White- 
side  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1872  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
His  first  wife,  Agnes  (Lyons)  Lewis,  Avas  the  grandmother  of  our  subject. 
She  died  many  years  ago  in  middle  life  and  Evan  Lewis  afterward  married 
Jane  Wallace. 

David  Lewis,  a  son  of  the  first  marriage,  was  born  in  Somerset  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  became  a  harne.ss-maker  by  trade,  carrying  on  business 
along  that  line  in  Pennsylvania  until  the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1865 
he  went  to  Kansas,  settling  near  Olathe,  Johnson  county,  and  in  1868  he 
arrived  in  Albany,  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  where  he  devoted  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  a  fruit  farm.  There  he 
died  in  1900,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  His  wife  survived  him  and 
passed  away  at  the  home  of  her  son  Sheldon  L.  at  the  Brinington  navy  yard. 


554  HISTORY    OP    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

where  he  has  a  ranch.  Her  death  occurred  in  December,  1905.  when  she  was 
sixty-eight  years  of  age.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Lewis  were  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  Lewis  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth 
Griffith  and  was  a  daughter  of  Abner  Griffith,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  arid 
of  Quaker  stock.  Her  father  followed  agricultural  pursuits  and  died  at  Marion 
Center,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  farm  on  which  he  had  lived  for  fifty  years 
or  more,  being  almost  a  nonagenarian  at  the  time  of  his  demise.  His  first 
wife,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Wisegarver)  Griffith,  died  in  early  womanhood  and  he 
afterward  married  again.  The  daughter,  Elizabeth,  was  born  of  the  first 
marriage  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  she  gave  her  hand 
in  marriage  to  David  Lewis. 

Twelve  children  were  born  of  this  union,  ten  sons  and  two  daughters, 
of  whom  ten  are  now  living:  Albert  W.,  a  resident  of  Albany,  Illinois;  John 
B. ;  Owen  H.,  of  Hendrum,  Minnesota;  Evan  P.,  of  Albany,  Illinois;  Shel- 
don L.,  a  twin  of  Evan,  now  living  at  the  Brinington  navy  yard  in  Washing- 
ton; James  M..  of  Helena,  Montana,  where  he  is  practicing  law;  Annie  L.,  the 
wife  of  Walter  Young,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah;  Harry  B.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  undertaking  business  at  Overton,  Nebraska;  Agnes,  the  wife  of  John  D. 
Quick,  an  engineer  at  the  smelter  at  Bingham  Canyon,  Utah;  and  Arthur  L.. 
a  millwright  of  the  same  place.  The  other  two  died  in  early  childhood. 

John  B.  Lewis  came  to  Whiteside  county  in  December,  1868,  and  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Albany,  after  which  he  pursued  a  course  in  the  Normal 
School  at  Fulton  under  Professor  Griffith.  Later  he  pursued  a  business 
course  in  the  business  college  of  Valentine  &  Lillibridge  at  Davenport,  Iowa, 
and  when  his  education  was  completed  he  followed  the  Mississippi  river  as 
clerk  on  a  steamboat  for  six  years  during  the  summer  seasons,  while  in  the 
winter  months  he  taught  school.  He  afterward  entered  a  general  mercantile 
store  at  Albany,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  Simpson  &  Lewis.  Some  time 
later  they  sold  the  store  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  Cambridge, 
Henry  county,  Illinois,  removing  thence  to  Galva,  Illinois,  in  the  same  busi- 
ness. In  1900  the  James  C.  Simpson  Lumber  Company  bought  the  lumber 
business  of  John  Peck  in  Sterling  and  Mr.  Lewis  has  managed  the  business 
since  that  time.  They  have  a  fine  lumberyard  and  enjoy  an  extensive  trade, 
the  development  of  the  business  being  attributable  in  large  measure  to  the 
enterprise  and  capable  management  of  Mr.  Lewis. 

On  the  23d  of  December,  1892,  John  B.  Lewis  was  married  to  Mis.? 
Theodosia  Simpson,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  (Lewis)  Simpson.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lewis  belong  to  the  Congregational  church  and  are  prominent  so- 
cially, their  pleasant  home  at  No.  406  West  Third  street  being  justly  cele- 
brated for  its  gracious  hospitality.  They  are  both  members  of  the  Eastern 
Star  and  Mr.  Lewis  belongs  to  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.. 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  to  the  Mystic  Workers.  Politically 
he  is  an  earnest  republican  and  in  recent  years  has  aided  in 'shaping  the 
policy  of  his  party  in  the  city.  He  has  served  as  supervisor  from  Albany 
township  for  one  term  and  in  May.  1905,  was  elected  mayor  of  Sterling,  giving 
to  the  city  a  public-spirited  and  businesslike  administration.  His  labors  for 
the  general  good  are  always  of  a  practical  character  and  have  been  resulting 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  555 

factors  in  promoting  the  city's  welfare  and  improvement.  In  manner  Mr. 
Lewis  is  always  approachable  and  is  known  as  a  genial  gentleman  of  un- 
feigned cordiality,  while  his  many  good  qualities  have  gained  for  him  warm 
friendships  and  high  regard. 


MARVIN  W.  INGWERSEN. 

Marvin  W.  Ingwersen,  cashier  of  the  Fulton  Bank,  has  made  steady  prog- 
ress in  his  business  career  until  today  he  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  finan- 
cial circles  and  by  the  consensus  of  public  opinion  is  numbered  among  the 
leading  business  men  of  Whiteside  county.  He  was  born  in  Lyons,  Iowa, 
June  28,  1868,  his  parents  being  C.  H.  and  Emma  (Peters)  Ingwersen,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Schleswig-IIolstcin.  Germany.  The  father  came 
to  America  in  1852  and  settled  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  but  in  1853  re- 
moved to  Clinton,  Iowa.  The  mother  came  a  few  years  later,  making  her 
way  direct  to  Clinton,  where  they  were  married.  Mr.  Ingwersen  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming  and  stock-raising  for  a  number  of  years  but  in  187S 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  still  makes  his  home.  While  in  Iowa  in 
1S71  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Clinton  county  and  served  for  one  term.  Fol- 
lowing his  removal  to  Chicago  he  became  interested  in  the  live-stock  commis- 
sion business,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  His  life  has  been  one  of  intense 
and  well  directed  activity,,  resulting  in  prosperity,  and  aside  from  his  business 
interests  in  the  metropolis  he  is  also  president  of  the  Iowa  Savings  Bank  of 
Lyons.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born  three  children :  Julius,  who  is 
associated  in  business  with  his  fath'er;  M.  W.,  of  this  review;  and  Meta,  the 
wife  of  E.  Puttkammer,  of  Chicago. 

Following  the  removal  of  the  family  from  Iowa  to  Chicago,  M.  W.  Ing- 
wersen pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city  and  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  took  his  initial  step  in  the  business  world,  being  em- 
ployed as  bookkeeper  and  clerk  in  the  City  National  Bank  of  Clinton,  Iowa. 
There  he  became  familiar  with  the  banking  business  in  all  of  its  departments 
and  was  associated  with  the  bank  until  1890,  when  he  withdrew  and  with 
his  father  and  others  engaged  in  the  packing  business  at  Clinton,  Iowa.  Tho 
succeeding  seven  years  of  his  life  were  thus  passed  and  on  disposing  of  his- 
interests  in  Clinton  in  1897  he  removed  to  South  Omaha,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  live-stock  commission  business.  This  he  followed  until  1901  and  in 
the  spring  of  1902  he  and  others  purchased  the  private  bank  of  T,  B.  Ing- 
wersen, of  Fulton,  and  incorporated  under  the  state  banking  laws.  M.  W. 
Ingwersen  was  at  that  time  elected  cashier  and  has  since  continued  in  the 
position.  His  previous  experience  in  banking  well  qualified  him  for  the  re- 
sponsible duties  which  now  devolved  upon  him  and  he  has  made  for  himself 
a  creditable  name  in  financial  circles,  carefully  conducting  the  affairs  of  the 
bank,  so  that  it  enjoys  the  entire  confidence  of  the  business  pxiblic  and  receives 
a  liberal  patronage. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1902,  Mr.  Ingwersen  was  married  to  Miss 
Florence  M.  Bolin.  a  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Mary  Lowther  Bolin,  in  whose 


556  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

family  were  five  children :  Laura,  now  the  wife  of  W.  F.  Vicroy ;  Ada,  the 
wife  of  W.  L.  Park;  Florence  M.,  now  Mrs.  Ingwersen;  Wallace,  deceased; 
and  Hugh  1.,  who  is  living  in  Council  Bluffs.  Iowa. 

Mr.  Ingwersen  takes  quite  an  active  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to 
the  growth  and  welfare  of  his  adopted  county  and  his  aid  and  co-operation 
can  be  counted  upon  to  further  many  measures  for  the  public  good.  He 
votes  with  the  democracy  yet  is  liberal  in  politics  and  never  bitterly,  aggres- 
sive. He  holds  today  the  only  official  position  that  he  has  ever  filled,  that  of 
alderman,  for  he  has  always  preferred  to  concentrate  his  time  and  energies 
upon  his  business  affairs  rather  than  to  seek  or  fill  office.  There  have  been 
no  sensational  chapters  in  his  business  career  but  on  the  contrary  he  has 
followed  the  honest,  slow-moving  processes  which  eventually  lead  to  success. 
Through  experience  he  has  learned  many  points  of  value  concerning  the  man- 
agement of  important  business  interests  and  his  sound  judgment  and  enter- 
prise are  continually  manifest  in  his  career. 


CHARLES  ADAM  WETHERBEE. 

X 

They  were  a  sturdy  band  of  people,  the  old  pioneers  and  early  settlers 
who  came  to  Whiteside  county,  seeking  a  more  favorable  district  than  the 
overcrowded  east.  They  were  people  of  strong  and  noble  character,  with  a 
determination  that  enabled  them  to  combat  with  the  trials  and  hardships  and 
deprivations  of  the  new  west.  Such  conditions  developed  not  only  physical 
powers  of  endurance  but  also  brought  forth  the  moral,  kindly  and  generous 
attributes  of  manhood  and  womanhood.  There  was  something  so  akin  to 
nature  in  all  their  surroundings,  in  the  vastness  of  the  boundless  prairies,  in 
the  waving  grasses,  wild  and  rank,  and  in  the  uncut  forests,  which  constituted 
the  freedom  and  beauty  of  the  new  world,  that  the  best  and  strongest  in  men 
were  brought  out  and  developed.  When  an  individual  came  to  the  west  he 
largely  left  his  past  behind  him  and  was  judged  by  his  personal  worth  and 
the  manner  of  his  conduct.  His  surroundings  were  such  as  to  stir  the  heart's 
best  impulses  and  develop  a  hospitality,  a  kindliness,  a  benevolence  and  char- 
ity unknown  and  unpracticed  in  the  older,  richer  and  more  densely  populated 
commonwealths.  Whiteside  county  is  today  numbered  among  the  rich  and 
prosperous  counties  of  the  state,  but  it  owes  much  of  its  character  and  its 
splendid  advancement  to  the  influences  established  by  its  early  pioneers. 

Among  the  first  settlers  who  came  to  Whiteside  county  and  left  the  im- 
press of  their  individuality  upon  its  upbuilding  and  progress  was  Luther  B. 
Wetherbee,  of  Barry,  Massachusetts,  who  settled  on  section  12,  Sterling  town- 
ship, in  1838.  The  founder  of  the  Wetherbee  family  in  America  settled  in 
Massachusetts  at  an  early  period  in  the  colonization  of  the  new  world  and 
one  of  his  descendants,  Charles  Wetherbee,  was  a  soldier  in  the  patriot  arrny  in 
the  battle  of  Lexington.  The  religious  principles  of  the  family  have  remained 
the  same  for  centuries,  as  succeeding  generations  have  been  connected  with 
ihu  Congregational  church.  Luther  B.  Wetherbee  had  formerly  been  a  steam- 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  557 

litter  but  upon  coming  west  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  interests,  in 
which  he  was  very  successful.  He  possessed  more  than  ordinary  ability  and 
marked  force  of  character.  In  all  public  affairs  he  took  a  deep  interest  and 
was  ever  ready  to  lend  his  aid  to  movement?  and  measure?  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  county's  welfare.  He  stood  fearless  in  defense  of  what  he  believed  to 
be  right  and  his  life  was  actuated  by  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Sterling  and  one  of  its  most  earnest 
and  effective  workers.  In  politics  he  was  also  a  factor  and  was  recognized  as  a 
stanch  republican.  Material,  social,  intellectual,  political  and  moral  progress 
were  promoted  through  his  labors  and  Whiteside  county  benefited  greatly  by 
his  work.  His  wife,  who  prior  to  her  marriage  was  Charlotte  Adams,  was  also 
u  native  of  Massachusetts  and  traces  her  lineage  back  to  the  Mayflower,  being 
a  direct  descendant  of  John  Quincy  Adams. 

Luther.  Wetherbee  built  the  first  frame  house  between  Sterling  and  Sugar 
Grove.  Soon  after  his  settlement  in  Sterling  township  there  was  an  attempt 
made  by  some  foreign  parties  to  appropriate  a  part  of  his  land  that  he  had 
entered  from  the  government  and  the  erection  of  a  building  was  undertaken. 
Mr.  Wetherbee,  however,  informed  the  land  committee  and  soon  afterward, 
upon  a  certain  night,  the  partly  completed  building  was  entirely  destroyed, 
after  which  there  was  no  further  attempt  made  to  seize  Mr.  Wetherbee's  rights. 
For  seventy  years  the  name  of  Wetherbee  has  figured  prominently  and  hon- 
orably in  the  history  of  this  section  of  the  state.  Born  in  1809,  Luther  Weth- 
erbee died  November  6,  1873,  and  thus  ended  a  useful  career,  the  county  being 
thereby  deprived  of  a  most  valued  citizen. 

Charles  Adam  Wetherbee,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  a  son  of 
Luther  B.  and  Charlotte  (Adams)  Wetherbee,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead 
farm  in  Sterling  township,  December  17,  1839.  Few.  if  any,  of  those  who  re- 
side today  within  the  borders  of  the  county  can  claim  so  long  a  residence  as 
this  native  son.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  which  were  somewhat  primi- 
tive in  character  owing  to  the  fact  that  this  was  a  frontier  district.  Later, 
however,  he  had  the  opportunity  of  attending  school  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan, 
and  was  there  preparing  for  a  collegiate  course  when  Civil  war  was  inaugu- 
rated and  thus  his  school  life  ended,  for  in  answer  to  the  call  for  troops  to 
crush  out  the  rebellion  in  the  south  he  offered  his  services  to  the  government 
and  in  September,  1861,  enlisted  as  a  member  of  the  Thirty- fourth  Regiment 
of  Illinois  Infantry.  At  the  front  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Atlanta, 
Shiloh,  Liberty  Gap,  Stone  River  and  others.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  the 
battle  of  Stone  River  but  was  recaptured  by  the  Union  forces  before  leaving  the 
field.  He  has  a  very  vivid  recollection  of  the  sensation  experienced  in  looking 
into  the  end  of  a  loaded  revolver  held  in  the  hand  of  an  enemy  and  can  testify 
to  the  persuasive  influence  felt  under  such  conditions.  After  a  military  service 
of  three  years,  during  which  time  he  experienced  all  the  vicissitudes  and  hard- 
ships of  war,  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  returned 
to  his  home  in  Whiteside  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wetherbee  to  Miss  Margaret  L.  Penrose  was  cele- 
brated in  Sterling  township,  October  5,  1865.  The  lady  was  born  May  26, 
1840,  in  Belmont,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Mark  and  Harriet  (Jones)  Pen- 


558  HISTOEY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

rose,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  England  respectively.  The  year 
1844  witnessed  their  arrival  in  Sterling  township,  where  the  mother  died 
February  17,  1848,  while  the  father  has  also  passed  away.  Their  family 
numbered  six  children :  Robert  F.,  William  M.,  Margaret  L.,  Rachel  C.,  Ed- 
win J.  and  Harriet.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wetherbee  were  born  four  children : 
Mary  P.,  who  is  living  at  home;  Ella  D.,  who  died  March  26,  1904;  Charles 
Earle,  an  architect  in  Sterling;  and  Harriet  Addie,  the  wife  of  Clarence  C. 
Johnson,  who  is  assistant  superintendent  of  the  American  District  Telegraph 
and  in  charge  of  nearly  half  of  the  western  offices. 

Mr.  Wetherbee,  although  approaching  the  limit  of  years  allotted  to  man 
by  the  psalmist,  is  still  strong  and  vigorous  in  mind  and  body.  Like  all  broad- 
minded  and  public-spirited  men,  he  is  intensely  interested  in  the  history  of 
his -county  and  in  all  that  has  been  accomplished  during  the  long  period  of  his 
residence  here.  Few  men  have  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  events  which 
form  its  annals  and  he  relates  in  most  entertaining  way  the  story  of  pioneer 
life.  He  has  lived  to  see  the  cabin  home  replaced  by  large,  commodious  and 
substantial  farm  residences,  the  prairies  and  woodland  converted  into  beauti- 
ful and  productive  farms  and  the  hamlets  and  villages  grow  into  thriving 
towns  arid  cities,  while  churches,  schools,  business  interests  and  all  the  evi- 
dences of  a  modern  civilization  have  been  introduced.  At  all  times  he  has 
kept  abreast  with  the  trend  of  modern  progress,  not  only  in  agricultural  lines 
but  also  in  his  interest  in  the  issues  and  questions  of  the  day  which  are  shap- 
ing national  as  well  as  local  history.  He  is  one  of  Whiteside  county's  most  es- 
teemed and  honored  citizens  and  no  record  of  this  section  of  the  state  would 
be  complete  without  mention  of  the  Wetherbee  family. 

Taking  an  active  part  in  political  affairs,  he  has  been  called  upon  to 
serve  as  road  commissioner  for  six  years  and  as  supervisor  of  Sterling  township 
for  thirteen  years,  resigning  the  latter  office  when  elected  to  the  legislature  in 
November,  1902.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  At  the 
present  time  he  is  engaged  in  preparing  a  book  describing  his  life  in  the  army, 
the  facts  being  taken  from  a  diary  which  he  kept  during  his  service  and  in 
which  he  wrote  of  his  experience  every  day. 


ANDREW  THOMAS  GLASSBURN. 

Andrew  Thomas  Glassburn  is  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Tampico,  the  only 
one  in  the  village,  and  while  his  father,  John  W.  Glassburn,  retains  the 
presidency,  the  son  is  the  manager  of  the  business,  which  is  one  of  profit  to 
the  community  as  well  as  to  the  owners.  In  tracing  the  early  history  of 
the  Glassburns,  we  note  that  John  Glassburn,  grandfather  of  our  subject. 
was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  in  his  boyhood  days  went  with  his  parents  to 
Ohio,  where  he  met  and  married  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Fee,  a  native  of  Vinton 
county,  that  state.  In  later  years  they  removed  to  White,*ide  county,  Illinois 
and  John  Glassburn  purchased  a  farm  about  six  miles  southeast  of  Tampico, 
becoming  owner  of  this  property  in  the  '80s.  He  made  it  his  home  through- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  J.  \V.  GLASSBURN 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOfS 

USBAN/l 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  561 

out  his  remaining  days  and  passed  away  when  about  sixty-seven  years  of  age, 
while  his  wife  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years.  In  their  family 
were  six  children:  David,  Thomas,  John,  Albert,  Sally  Ann  and  Mary,  all 
of  whom  were  farming  people,  but  John  W.  is  the  only  one  now  living. 

For  many  years  John  W.  Glassburn  has  figured  as  one  of  the  prominent 
and  influential  residents  of  Tampico  and  this  part  of  the  county,  success- 
fully controlling  constantly  increasing  business  interests,  and  now  in  the 
evening  of  life  living  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  well-earned  .ease.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Springfield  township,  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  June  26,  1834, 
and  there  he  resided  on  the  home  farm  with  his  parents  until  he  attained 
his  majority,  when  he  resolved  to  see  something  of  the  world  an<l  find  better 
business  opportunities  elsewhere  if  possible.  In  the  meantime  he  acquired 
his  education  in  the  district  school,  he  and  his  brother  riding  several  miles 
on  horseback  in  order  to  pursue  their  studies.  Later  a  little  log  schoolhouse 
was  built  nearer  their  home  and  John  W.  Glassburn  had  the  privilege  of 
attending  school  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  months  in  the  winter  seasons. 
In  the  school  of  experience,  however,  he  has  learned  many  valuable  lessons, 
and  reading  and  observation,  coupled  with  an  observing  eye  and  retentive 
memory,  have  constantly  broadened  his  knowledge  and  increased  his  effec- 
tiveness as  a  factor  in  the  business  world.  As  a  boy  of  nineteen  years  he 
came  to  Whiteside  county  to  look  over  the  country  and  for  a  time  worked 
for  a  man  on  the  Fox  river.  Later  he  hired  out  to  Jacob  Black,  proprietor  of 
a  gristmill  at  Milford,  with  whom  he  continued  through  the  winter.  Pleased 
with  the  country,  Mr.  Glassburn  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  from  Mr.  Black,  or  rather  made  arrangements  for  the  purchase,  as  he 
had  no  money.  He  then  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Ohio  and  induced  his 
father  to  come  out  and  buy  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  upon 
which  he  is  now  living,  for  the  village  of  Tampico  has  been  built  upon  this 
farm. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1855,  John  W.  Glassburn  was  married  to  Miss 
Olive  Johnston,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  January  10, 
1836.  The  marriage  was  celebrated  in  their  native  state  and  in  the  fall  of 
1856  they  journeyed  across  the  country  from  Ohio  to  Illinois,  making  the 
trip  in  a  wagon  after  the  primitive  manner  of  travel  of  those  days.  Mr. 
Glassburn  then  set  the  cover  off  the  lumber  wagon  and  used  it  as  a  shelter 
until  he  could  build  a  house.  The  place  was  two  miles  north  of  Yorktown. 
It  was  not  the  farm  which  his  father  had  purchased,  but  he  lived  there  for 
two  years,  or  until  he  broke  the  land  and  made  some  improvements  upon 
the  present  farm.  Since  the  spring  of  1861  he  has  lived  continuously  upon 
the  farm  which  his  father  purchased.  The  first  building  erected  was  a  gran- 
ary and  he  occupied  it  as  a  dwelling  until  a  frame  house  was  erected.  He 
continued  to  occupy  that  dwelling  for  a  number  of  years,  when  it  was  moved 
away  and  replaced  by  his  present  fine  brick  residence  in  1887.  Mr.  Glass- 
burn  carried  on  general  farming  until  the  railroad  was  built  through  in 
1871,  when  he  platted  the  town  of  Tampico.  He  gave  his  entire  attention 
to  the  work  for  a  year  and  then  engaged  in  the  grain  and  stock  business, 
shipping  grain  and  stock  from  •  Tampico.  That  venture  proved  successful 


562  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

and  he  continued  in  the  grain  and  stock  business  for  about  thirty  years, 
meeting  with  prosperity.  In  1882  he,  with  W.  "NV.  Craddock,  established  a 
private  bank  to  accommodate  the  people  of  the  vicinity,  but  for  a  time  re- 
garded banking  as  a  side  issue.  This  continued  until  March  1,  1885,  when 
Mr.  Craddock  retired  from  the  bank  and  A.  T.  Glassburn  purchased  his  inter- 
ests. About  1882  he  built  his  present  bank  building  and  made  a  separate 
business  of  his  banking  interests.  This  was  the  first  and  is  today  the  only 
bank  in  the  village.  Mr.  Glassburn  is  still  its  president,  but  several  years 
ago  turned  over  the  active  management  to  his  son  Thomas,  and  admitted  his 
son  Fred  to  a  partnership  in  the  grain  trade.  He  has  always  engaged  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  in  real-estate  operations,  buying  and  selling  land  on 
quite  an  extensive  scale  and  eventually  becoming  the  owner  of  fourteen  hun- 
dred acres  in  one  body  west  of  the  town.  It  was  known  as  the  Lawndale 
farm,  and  in  addition  to  this  property  he  had  several  smaller  tracts  of  land. 
He  has  since  disposed  of  much  of  his  realty,  however,  although  he  is  still 
the  owner  of  two  good  farms.  He  has  also  erected  a  number  of  dwellings 
and  business  houses  in  Tampico  and  has  thus  contributed  in  substantial 
measure  to  the  welfare  and  improvement  of  the  village. 

John  W.  Glassburn  gave  his  early  political  support  to  the  democracy, 
but  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  other  candidates  of  the  republican  party 
and  is  now  a  prohibitionist  in  political  principle.  He  casts  an  independent 
ballot,  however,  as  the  prohibition  party  often  has  no  ticket  in  the  field. 
His  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have  frequently 
called  him  to  office.  He  has  been  president  of  the  town  board  for  many 
years  and  would  have  filled  other  offices  to  which  his  fellow  townsmen  would 
have  elected  him  had  he  not  declined  to  do  so.  He  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  but  is  not  aggressively  sectarian,  and  on  the  contrary  no 
good  work  done  in  the  name  of  charity  or  religion  solicits  his  aid  in  vain. 
He  has  given  lots  to  all  of  the  different  denominations  represented  in  Tampico 
and  has  assisted  all  in  building  their  churches.  He  likewise  gave  the  lots 
for  the  school  grounds  and  has  taken  a  deep  and  helpful  interest  in  the  cause 
of  education,  advocating  the  employment  of  good  teachers  and  the  constant 
improvement  of  the  school  system.  As  a  member  of  the  school  board  he  has 
done  effective  work  in  this  regard,  and  as  a  private  citizen  he  is  continually 
laboring  for  the  interests  of  the  community  along  lines  of  material  improve- 
ment. He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  holding  membership  in  the  lodge,  the 
chapter  and  the  commandery. 

In  1905  Mr.  Glassburn  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  bis  wife, 
who  died  on  the  21st  of  September  of  that  year.  She  was  a  lady  of  many 
excellent  traits  of  heart  and  mind,  and  her  death  was  deeply  deplored  by 
many  friends.  The  family  numbered  six  children:  A.  Thomas,  who  is 
cashier  of  the  bank;  Jennie  E.,  the  wife  of  Glenn  Reeve,  of  Denver,  Colo- 
rado; May,  the  wife  of  Silas  Hovey,  of  Independence,  Iowa;  John  E.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years ;  Fred  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  and  Ina,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Andrew  Thomas  Glassburn,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  .was 
born  in  Springfield  township,  Gallia  county.  Ohio,  October  4,  1856,  and  was 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  563 

therefore  only  a  few  months  old  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Whiteside 
county  in  January,  1857.  Here  he  has  lived  continuously  since — an  inter- 
ested witness  of  the  changes  that  have  occurred,  bearing  his  full  share  in  the 
progress  that  has  been  wrought  as  the  county  has  kept  pace  with  modern 
civilization.  His  youth  was  spent  as  that  of  most  farm  boys  and  he  attended 
the  common  schools  until  1875.  He  then  entered  his  father's  grain  office 
in  the  capacity  of  clerk  and  in  1879  was  admitted  to  a  partnership  under  the 
firm  style  of  J.  W.  Glassburn  &  Son.  This  business  relation  was  maintained 
until  March  1,  1885,  when  he  became  connected  with  the  bank,  giving  up 
his  interest  in  the  grain  business  and  becoming  sole  owner  of  the  Bank  of 
Tampico  in  1887.  Although  his  father  is  nominally  president,  he  has  been 
the  active  manager  for  the  past  twenty  years,  his  official  designation  being 
that  of  cashier.  He  has  developed  the  bank  in  accordance  with  the  growth 
of  the  village  and  surrounding  district  and  the  institution  has  become  a 
valued  enterprise  in  this  locality. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  1878,  Mr.  Glassburn  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  V.  Smith',  a  native  of  this  county  and  a  daughter  of  A.  M.  and 
Laura  Smith.  The  mother  is  now  deceased  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  the 
father  has  lived  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glassburn.  There  are  now  two  sons  in 
the  family:  Asa  Clyde,  who  is  acting  as  cashier  of  the  bank;  and  Vernon 
Lynn,  who  is  a  student  in  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glassburn  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  the  work  of  which  they  take  an  active  and  helpful  part,  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  promote  its  progress.  Mr.  Glassburn  has  for  the  past  fifteen  years 
been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  church 
board  of  trustees.  His  political  views  were  formerly  in  accord  with  the 
principles  of  democracy,  but  during  the  past  ten  years  he  has  announced 
his  belief  in  the  principles  of  the  prohibition  party,  but  casts  an  independent 
local  ballot.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  village  board  for  a  number  of 
years  and  its  president  for  some  time.  While  in  office  his  course  was  char- 
acterized by  the  utmost  devotion  to  the  general  good  and  in  every  relation  of 
life  he  is  known  as  a  man  reliable,  enterprising  and  progressive.  The  fact 
that  his  staunchest  friends  are  among  those  who  have  known  him  from  his 
boyhood  to  the  present  is  an  indication  that  his  has  been  a  most  honorable 
career. 


CHARLES  DETRA. 

The  attractiveness  of  Whiteside  county  as  a  place  of  residence  finds  proof 
in  the  fact  that  many  of  her  native  sons  have  remained  within  her  borders 
and  in  the  utilization  of  the  opportunities  which  she  offers  have  found  chance 
for  orderly  progression  in  the  business  world  and  have  gathered  substantial 
benefits  as  the  result  of  their  labors.  To  this  class  belongs  Charles  Detra,  who 
was  born  in  Jordan  township,  February  1,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Fry)  Detra.  The  father  is  now  residing  at  Malvern,  at  the  age  of 


564  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

almost  eighty-two  years,  but, the  mother  died  January  21,  1902,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years.  They  came  to  Whiteside  county  in  February,  1858,  from 
Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania,  settling  in  Jordan  township.  Thirteen 
years  later  they  removed  to  Clyde  township  and  Mr.  Detra  still  owns  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  is  now  operated  by  his  son  Charles. 
He  had  practically  nothing  to  begin  life  with  when  he  came  to  this  county. 
His  wife  had  eleven  hundred  dollars  in  gold,  received  from  her  father,  John 
S.  Fry,  who  came  to  Illinois  at  the  same  time  from  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Fry 
invested  in  land  in  Genesee  and  Jordan  township?  and  through  careful  man- 
agement and  judicious  investments  acquired  wealth  as  the  years  rolled  on. 
He  was  closely  associated  with  agricultural  interests  here  until  his  demise, 
which  occurred  when  eighty-nine  years  of  age. 

Diligently  and  persistently  .William  Detra  carried  on  his  farm  work  year  af- 
ter year  and  the  success  which  he  achieved  was  attributable  entirely  to  his  own 
well  directed  labor  and  capable  management.  He  now  derives  a  good  income 
from  his  farm,  which  enables  him,  in  his  declining  days,  to  enjoy  many  of  the 
comforts  and  luxuries  of  life  which  were  denied  him  in  earlier  years.  His 
early  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  whig  party,  which  he  supported 
until  its  dissolution,  when  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  new  republican  party  and 
has  since  loyally  followed  its  banners.  He  has  never  cared  for  nor  accepted 
office  yet  has  not  been  remiss  in  the  duties  of  citizenship  in  giving  his  en- 
dorsement and  support  to  many  movements  for  the  public  good.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Brethren  church,  and  high  and  honorable  principles  have 
been  his  guide  through  life. 

In  his  family  were  the  following  children,  the  eldest  being  Rebecca,  now 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Willard  Murry,  a  painter  and  paper-hanger  of  the  village 
of  Malvern.  The  others  are:  Mary,  who  is  living  with  her  father;  John,  a 
resident  of  Malvern;  William,  who  resides  near  Clarksville,  in  Butler  county, 
Iowa;  George,  who  is  also  living  in  the  same  locality;  Ira,  a  farmer  of  Albany, 
this  county ;  Charles,  whose  name  introduces  this  review ;  and  Malin,  who  makes 
his  home  at  Hooppole,  Henry  county,  Illinois.  They  also  lost  three  children : 
Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  Joseph,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
two  years;  and  Edward,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  months.  , 

Charles  Detra  in  early  boyhood  attended  the  district  schools  and  after- 
ward spent  one  year  as  a  student,  in  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  College,  at 
Valparaiso.  He  was  early  trained  to  the  work  of  the  home  farm  and  has 
largely  followed  that  occupation  through  his  active  business  life.  He  has 
Continuously  cultivated  the  old  homestead  farm  for  the  past  fourteen  years 
and  has  brought  the  land  under  a  high  state  of  improvement.  In  all  of  his 
methods  he  is  practical  and  keeps  in  touch  with  the  most  advanced  ideas  of 
progressive  agriculture. 

Mr.  Detra  was  married  in  Malvern  on  Christmas  day  of  1898  to  Miss 
Mary  Taylor,  who  was  there  born  and  was  reared  in  Whiteside  county.  Her 
parents  were  William  M.  and  Lizzie  (Horning)  Taylor,  who  reside  in  Mal- 
vern. Her  father  has  engaged  in  buying  stock  for  many  years  and  is  well 
known  in  this  business  connection.  He  has  resided  continuously  in  the 
county  since  his  marriage,  his  wife  having  come  to  Whiteside  county  when 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  585 

a  little  girl  from  Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Detra  have  been  born  three  children  but  the  daughter,  Mildred,  died  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  months.  The  two  sons,  Ralph  Edwin  and  Charles  Russel,  are 
both  living. 

A  part  of  the  Detra  home  was  built  by  John  Horning,  the  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Detra,  and  the  first  part  of  the  house  was  built  by  Joseph  Hiddleson. 
It  is  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of  the  county  and  has  been  a  mute  witness 
of  many  changes  that  have  occurred  as  the  work  of  improvement  has  been 
carried  forward,  converting  a  wild  and  sparsely  settled  district  into  a  region 
of  rich  fertility  and  large  population. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Detra  has  taken  an  active  and  influential  part 
and  is  now  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  position  he  has  been 
continued  by  re-election  since  the  spring  of  1898.  He  votes  with  the  repub- 
lican party  and,  as  every  true  American  citizen  should,  keeps  in  touch  with 
the  political  problems  and  issues  of  the  day.  He  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  camp  and  the  Mystic  Workers  of  Malvern  and  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Evangelical  church.  The  name  of  Detra  has  long  figured 
conspicuously  and  honorably  in  connection  with  the  agricultural  interests 
here  and  the  record  of  Charles  Detra  reflects  further  credit  and  honor  upon 
the  family  name. 


JAMES  K.  CHESTER. 

James  K.  Chester,  one  of  the  most  influential  and  highly  respected  resi- 
dents of  Sterling,  is  contributing  in  substantial  measure  to  the  commercial 
development  and  progress  of  the  city  through  his  mercantile  interests  as  pro- 
prietor of  a  large  dry-goods  house.  He  belongs  to  that  class  of  representative 
American  men  who  by  promoting  individual  succass  also  contribute  to  the 
general  welfare,  and  aside  from  any  business  connection  he  is  recognized  as 
a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizen. 

His  birth  occurred  in  Henrietta,  Ohio,  March  6.,  1843,  his  parents  being 
Edwin  and  Mary  E.  (Porter)  Chester,  natives  of  Colchester,  Connecticut,  and 
Berkshire,  Massachusetts,  respectively.  The  family  comes  of  English  lineage 
but  was  founded  in  Connecticut  at  an  early  period  in  the  colonization  of 
the  new  world.  The  first  of  the  name  in  this  country  was  Samuel  Chester, 
who  came  from  England  in  1665  and  settled  at  New  London.  David  Ches- 
ter resided  at  Colchester,  where  he  conducted  a  farm.  He  married  Prudence 
Fox,  who  was  more  than  ninety  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death,  while 
he  reached  the  very  venerable  age  of  ninety-six  years. 

In  their  family  were  seventeen  children,  including  Edwin  Chester,  who 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life  followed  the  occupation  of  farming. 
He  also  conducted  a  hotel  in  Henrietta,  Ohio,  when  it  was  a  station  on  the 
stage  coach  line  before  the  building  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  E.  Porter,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Porter,  who  was  a  native 
•of  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  and  of  Irish  descent.  Early  .in  the  '30s 


566  HISTORY   OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

he  removed  westward  to  Ohio  and  took  up  a  farm  in  Ridgeville  township, 
Lorain  county,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  living  to  be  about  ninety 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Eunice  Yale,  was 
about  sixty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  Their  daughter  Mary, 
became  the  wife  of  Edwin  Chester  and  they  lived  for  many  years  in  Ohio. 
There  the  wife  died  in  1857  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  Edwin  Chester, 
however,  spent  his  last  days  in  Sterling,  passing  away  at  the  home  of  his  son 
James  in  1886  when  eighty  year?  of  age.  They  were  Congregationalists  in 
religious  faith  and  .earnest,  consistent  Christian  people.  After  losing  his  first 
wife  Edwin  Chester  married  again,  his  second  union  being  with  Abigail  E. 
Bliss,  who  died  in  1890  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  The  children  of 
his  first  marriage,  seven  in  number,  were  as  follows:  Lucy  Ann,  deceased, 
was  the  wife  of  Oscar  H.  Perry,  of  Brownhelrn,  Ohio;  Albert  Edward,  who 
died  in  1866,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war  and  as  captain  commanded  a 
company  of  the  First  Ohio  Cavalry  and  was  on  staff  duty  to  a  considerable 
extent;  Charles  Fox  Chester,  who  died  in  1900  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  spent 
nearly  his  entire  life  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  Express  Company; 
Henry  Whipple,  of  Bangor,  Michigan,  served  for  four  years  in  the  Civil  war, 
becoming  captain  of  Company  H,  Second  Ohio  Cavalry,  and  afterward  lived 
for  twelve  years  in  Lawrence,  Kansas,  while  for  fourteen  years  he  was  treas- 
urer of  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary;  James  K.  is  the  next  younger; 
Arthur  Porter  died  in  infancy ;  and  Edwin  Porter  is  now  a  business  man  of 
Grand  Junction,  Colorado. 

James  K.  Chester  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  entered 
upon  business  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  in  1881.  He  remained 
there  for  seven  years  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Reamer,  Hurl- 
burd  &  Company  for  one  year.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  of  Oberlin  and  in  the  preparatory  department  of  Oberlin  College.  In 
March,  1869,  he  came  to  Sterling,  where  he  entered  the  dry-goods  business 
in  company  with  John  F.  Mills  of  the  firm  of  Mills  &  Chester,  afterward 
Ingersoll  &  Chester.  Later  they  consolidated  their  stock  with  that  of  the 
Sterling  Mercantile  Company,  but  Mr.  Chester  soon  sold  his  interest  in  that 
business  and  formed  a  partnership  with  C.  A.  Hobein  of  New  York  under  the 
firm  style  of  J.  K.  Chester  &  Company,  which  connection  was  maintained 
for  five  years.  From  1886  until  January,  1903,  Mr.  Chester  conducted  the 
business  alone  and  in  the  latter  year  the  J.  K.  Chester  Company  was  organ- 
ized. The  company  has  an  elegant  store  and  employs  about  thirty  people  in 
the  sale  of  dry  goods,  carpets  and  ladies'  furnishing  goods.  They  occupy 
two  floors  and  the  basement  of  a  fine  store  building  and  have  a  most  attract- 
ivelv  appointed  establishment.  The  business  has  been  developed  through  the 
marked  enterprise,  diligence  and  progress!  ven  ess  of  James  K.  Chester,  who  is 
accounted  one  of  the  most  wide-awake  and  energetic  merchants  of  the  city. 
He  is  also  a  director  in  the  First  .National  Bank  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Japanese  Importing  Company  of  Sterling.  A  man  of  resourceful  business 
ability,  he  carries  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertakes 
and  looks  beyond  the  exigencies  of  the  moment  to  the  opportunities  and  pos- 
sibilities of  the  future. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  567 

On  the  llth  of  October,  1866,  Mr.  Chester  was  married  to  Miss  Cynthia 
L.  Ingersoll,  a  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Sophia  (May)  Ingersoll.  They 
have  one  child,  Sophia,  now  the  wife  of  J.  A.  Kilgour,  of  Sterling.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chester  are  prominent  and  valued  members  of  the  Congregational  church, 
in  the  work  of  which  they  take  a  helpful  part,  while  to  its  support  they  are 
generous  contributors.  Mr.  Chester  is  serving  as  one  of  its  deacons  and  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  and  for  about  twenty-two  years  has  been 
Sunday  school  superintendent.  Although  his  business  interests  are  extensive 
and  make  heavy  demands  upon  his  time  he  yet  finds  opportunity  to  aid  in 
the  promotion  of  those  interests  which  look  beyond  commercialism  to  the 
intellectual  and  moral  development  of  the  race.  Politically  he  is  a  repub- 
lican, giving  stanch  allegiance  to  the  party,  yet  without  desire  for  office. 
He  and  his  wife  occupy  a  beautiful  home  at  No.  809  West  Third  street,  which 
he  erected  in  1879.  While  tastefully  furnished,  its  most  attractive  feature 
is  its  warm  hearted  and  cordial  hospitality. 


FRANK  A.  GRIMES. 

Frank  A  Grimes,  manager  for  the  Moses  Dillon  Company,  dealers  in 
lumber,  grain,  coal  and  building  materials  in  Sterling,  is  one  of  the  native 
sons  of  Illinois  and  the  spirit  of  enterprise  and  progress  which  have  been  the 
dominant  factors  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  middle  west  have  been  continu- 
ously manifest  in  his  business  life.  He  was  born  at  Gilman,  Illinois,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1870,  and  is  one  of  the  seven  children  of  Newman  and  Helen  M. 
(Kerns)  Grimes,  the  former  a.  native  of  Michigan  and  the  latter  of  Illinois. 
The  paternal  grandfather  was  Charles  Grimes,  who  for  some  years  lived  in 
Michigan  and  afterward  removed  to  this  state,  settling  in  Iroquois  county, 
where  he  earned  on  farming  near  Gilman,  dying  there  when  past  middle  life. 
His  son,  Newman  Grimes,  was  also  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  removed  from 
Iroquois  county  to  Whiteside  county  in  1871.  Pie  then  took  up  his  abode  on 
a  farm  northeast  of  Sterling  and  two  years  later  removed  to  a  farm  west  of 
Sterling,  where  he  owned  and  cultivated  about  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres 
of  land,  continuing  to  make  his  home  thereon  until  his  death,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  years  spent  in  South  Dakota.  His  wife  still  survives  him.  In 
their  family  were  six  .sons  and  one  daughter,  namely:  William  T.,  who  is 
living  on  a  farm  near  Sterling;  Alfred  N.,  of  Huntington,  Indiana;  Frank  A.; 
Herbert  R.,  who  is  located  in  Beloit,  Wisconsin;  Charles  0.,-also  living  on  a 
farm  west  of  Sterling;  Ernest  E.,  who  is  now  in  Gait.  Illinois;  and  Nellie  M., 
with  her  mother  on  a  farm  we.st  of  Sterling. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Frank  A.  Grimes  we  present  to  our 
readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Sterling 
and  Whiteside  county,  having  been  only  a  year  old  when  his  parents  came  to 
this  county.  Here  he  was  reared  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads,  attend- 
ing the  public  schools  through  the  winter  months  and  later  becoming  a  pupil 
in  the  old  second  ward  public  school  in  Sterling,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 


568  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

ated  in  due  course  of  time.  He  then  prepared  for  the  practical  and  responsible 
duties  of  business  life  by  a  course  in  the  Gem  City  Business  College  at  Quincy, 
of  which  he  is  an  alumnus.  He  afterward  worked  on  the  Northwestern  Rail- 
road with  the  fence  crew  for  a  year  and  subsequently  entered  the  employ  of 
Moses  Dillon,  a  lumber,  grain  and  coal  merchant.  The  business  was  established 
in  1865  and  incorporated  in  1902.  Mr.  Grimes  began  in  a  humble  capacity 
but  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  and  year  by  year  new  responsibilities 
have  been  given  him  in  this  connection  with  the  business  of  which  he  was 
made  manager  in  1905.  Having  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Mr.  Dil- 
lon's employ,  he  is  justly  accounted  one  of  the  foremost  business  men  of  Ster- 
ling, having  long  since  proven  his  worth  and  business  enterprise. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1893,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Frank  A. 
Grimes  and  Miss  Margaret  A.  Dillon,  a  daughter  of  Moses  and  Emma  (Golder) 
Dillon,  and  they  now  have  two  children — Helen  Mary  and  Alice  Emma.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Grimes  are  active  and  faithful  members  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  he  is  serving  as  one  of  the  church  trustees.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  his  political 
views  is  a  stalwart  republican  but  has  never  sought  nor  desired  office,  prefer- 
ring to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  his  business  interests. 


ANDREW  J.  KNOX. 

Among  those  who  have  been  factors  in  the  business  activity  of  White- 
side  county  was  numbered  Andrew  J.  Knox,  who  for  a  long  period  was 
connected  with  agricultural  interests  in  Mount  Pleasant  township.  He  was 
born  in  that  township,  September  27,  1858,  and  there  lived  until  his  demi-e, 
which  occurred  on  the  1st  of  January,  1902.  He  was  a  son  of  William  and 
Mary  J.  (Emery)  Knox,  who  were  among  the  very  first  settlers  of  White- 
side  county,  taking  up  their  abode  here  in  1835,  only  three  years  after  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  wherein  the  Indians  and  the  white  race  contested  their 
right  to  this  great  state.  After  residing  for  some  time  in  Prophetstown, 
William  Knox  removed  with  his  family  to  the  township  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
and  there  the  father  died  December  20,  1884,  after  a  residence  of  almost  a 
half  century  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  bore  his  share  in  the  work  of 
general  improvement  and  progress  and  aided  in  laying  the  foundation  for 
the  present  prosperity  and  upbuilding  of  the  county.  His  wife  died  in 
March,  1906.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  named:  Mrs.  Tru- 
man Scribner,  a  rasident  of  Geddes,  South  Dakota;  Walter  E. ;  William  II.: 
Martin  W.,  who  resides  in  Lafayette,  Missouri;  C.  D.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business  in  Sterling;  Mrs.  Simon  Whistler,  a  resident  of  Mount 
Pleasant  township;  and  Andrew  J. 

The  last  named  was  reared  on  the  old  homestead  farm  and  the  work 
of  the  fields  early  became  familiar  to  him  as  he  assisted  his  father  in  carry- 
ing on  the  home  place.  At  the  usual  age  he  was  sent  to  the  public  schools 
and  mastered  the  branches  of  learning  usually  taught.  He  never  cared  to 


ANDREW  J.  KNOX 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
USBANA 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  571 

change  his  line  of  work,  but  always  continued  in  the  occupation  to  which  he 
was  reared  and  was  classed  with  the  representative  and  energetic  agricul- 
turists of  his  community. 

Mr.  Knox  was  married  twice.  In  1882  he  wedded  Loretta  J.  Baker  and 
unto  them  were  born  one  child,  Iva  Etta,  a  trained  nurse  now  living  in  Chi- 
cago. On  the  31st  of  March,  1886,  Mr.  Knox  wedded  Miss  Sadie  T.  Baker, 
a,  cousin  of  his  first  wife,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Ray  V.,  who  was  born  February  1,  1887,  and  died  August  17,  1895;  Verna 
L.,  born  April  15,  1889,  and  now  a  student  in  Morrison;  Leta  A., 
born  September  26,  1890;  Leo.  M.,  born  July  24,  1892;  Lloyd  J.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1894;  and  Walter,  born  July  1,  1898.  With  the  exception  of  the 
youngest,  all  are  attending  school  in  Morrison  and  the  three  eldest  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church. 

The  father  was  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  society  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  was  a  man  who  in  all  life's  relations  followed 
rules  of  conduct  which-  won  him  unqualified  respect  and  good  will.  He  left 
his  family  in  comfortable  financial  circumstances  as  the  result  of  his  energy 
and  determination  in  business  affairs  and,  more  than  that,  he  left  to  them  an 
untarnished  family  name.  Mrs.  Knox  still  owns  the  home  place  of  two 
hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  all  of  which  she  has 
leased,  with  the  exception  of  ten  acres,  on  which  is  situated  her  house  and 
where  she  is  now  living  with  her  children.  She  is  providing  them  with 
excellent  educational  privileges  and  is  doing  everything  in  her  power  to  fit 
them  for  the  practical  and  responsible  duties  of  life,  that  they  may  fill 
useful  and  honorble  positions  in  society. 


JAMES  H.  CRUMP. 

James  H.  Crump  is  cultivating  the  Joseph  Crump  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  ten  acres,  conveniently  situated  on  section  11,  Mount  Pleasant  township. 
This  farm  was  his  birth  place.  He  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day 
October  18,  1874,  his  parents  being  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Bull)  Crump,  both  of 
whom  are  now  residents  of  Morrison.  They  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  the  county  and  aided  in  laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  its  pres- 
ent development  and  progress.  The  father  is  now  about  eighty  years  of  age 
and  is  one  of  the  venerable  citizens  as  well  as  one  of  the  honored  early  set- 
tlers of  this  part  of  the  state.  The  family  numbered  six  children,  of  whom 
four  are  yet  living,  namely:  William  J.,  a  resident  farmer  of  Mount  Pleas- 
ant township,  who  is  cultivating  land  belonging  to  George  Y.  Upton;  Mrs.  L. 
K.  Finnicum,  of  Morrison;  and  Mrs.  F.  E.  Wilson,  of  Newton  township.  Two 
of  the  children  died  in  early  life. 

The  other  member  of  the  family  is  James  H.  Crump,  whose  educational 
opportunities  were  those  afforded  by  the  district  schools  and  also  by  the  public 
school  system  of  Morrison.  He  was  early  trained  to  habits  of  industry  and  the 
spirit  of  self-reliance  and  enterprise  which  he  thus  developed  has  been  a  source 


572  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

of  his  later  success.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  carried  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits  and  during  the  past  ten  years  has  cultivated  the  old  home 
farm,  beginning  this  work  in  the  spring  of  1898.  Here  he  has  engaged  in 
buying,  feeding  and  shipping  cattle  and  hogs,  handling  and  feeding  from  six 
to  ten  carloads  annually.  He  also  raises  the  cereal?  best  adapted  to  soil  and 
climate  and  the  farm  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance,  indicating  his  careful 
supervision  and  practical  methods.  He  now  milks  from  fifteen  to  twenty  cows, 
selling  the  product  to  the  condensed  milk  factory.  This  branch  of  his  business 
adds  materially  to  his  income  and  he  is  justly  classed  with  the  substantial  agri- 
culturists of  his  community.  , 

Mr.  Crump  was  married  in  Newton  township  to  Miss  Emma  Curry,  who 
was  born  in  that  township  and  is  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Minerva  (Martin) 
Curry,  who  are  still  living  in  Newton  township  and  have  made  their  home  in 
the  county  from  pioneer  times.  Her  father  came  to  Illinois  in  1856  from' 
Pennsylvania  and  resided  in  Garden  Plain  township  until  his  removal  to 
Newton  township.  Mrs.  Crump  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children :  Albert, 
who  is  married  and  resides  upon  a  farm  in  Newton  township;  Margaret,  at 
home;  Mrs.  Louis  Echelbarger,  whose  home  is  near  Erie,  Illinois;  Elizabeth 
and  Belle,  who  died  in  childhood;  and  Mrs.  Crump.  The  last  named  was 
reared  in  this  county  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  By  her  mar- 
riage she  has  become  the  mother  of  four  children :  Clyde  L.,  born  April  23, 
1898;  Alice  M.,  born  July  19,  1900;  Albert  J.,  March  18,  1905;  and  Lena 
M.,  August  19,  1907. 

Mr.  Crump  votes  with  the  republican  party  but  has  no  aspiration  for  of- 
fice, as  he  feels  that  his  time  and  attention  are  fully  occupied  by  his  business 
pursuits.  He  is  a  young  man  of  energy  and  determination,  who.  carries  for- 
ward to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertakes  and  as  a  representative 
of  farming  interests  stands  prominent  among  the  agriculturists  of  Mount  Pleas- 
ant township. 


RICHARD    THOMPSON. 

Richard  Thompson,  now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Portland,  is 
one  of  the  honored  pioneer  residents  of  this  part  of  the  state.  His  memory 
goes  back  to  the  period  when  deer  and  wild  turkey  were  abundant  in  this  part 
of  the  state  and  when  many  evidences  of  frontier  life  and  its  conditions 
existed.  Chicago  was  at  that  time  the  nearest  market  for  grain  and  Mr. 
Thompson  made  frequent  trips  with  oxen  to  the  city  by  the  lake.  He  has 
now  reached  the  eightieth  milestone  of  life's  journey,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Ireland  on  the  19th  of  March,  1828.  His  parents  were  Robert 
and  Lydia  (Graham)  Thompson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Emerald 
Isle.  In  the  year  1835  they  came  to  the  United  States,  spending  some  time 
in  Vermont  and  afterward  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  whence  they  proceeded  to 
Chicago  by  way  of  the  lakes.  Reaching  that  city,  they  arranged  to  make 
the  trip  across  the  country  to  Whiteside  county  and  took  up  their  abode 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  573 

on  section  10,  Portland  township,  where  they  remained  until  called  to  their 
final  rest.  They  were  worthy  pioneer  settlers  of  this  district  and  aided  in 
extending  the  frontier  and  in  reclaiming  the  wild  region  for  the  purposes  of 
civilization.  Their  family  numbered  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living: 
Mary,  the  widow  of  William  Bes.se  and  now  a  resident  of  Sharpsburg,  Taylor 
county,  Iowa;  Richard,  of  this  review;  William,  who  married  Laura  Fay 
and  resides  in  Walnut,  Illinois;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  M.  E.  Seeley,  of 
Prophetstown,  Illinois;  Robert  J.,  who  makes  his  home  in  Erie,  this  state; 
and  Hiram  C.,  also  living  in  Prophetstown. 

Richard  Thompson  spent  the  first  nine  years  of  his  life  in  the  land 
of  his  birth  and  then  came  with  his  parents  to  the  new  world.  He  was 
reared  upon  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Portland  township,  amid  the  wild 
scenes  and  environments  of  pioneer  life.  There  were  few  opportunities  for 
an  education,  school  being  held  for  about  two  months  in  the  winter  season. 
The  first  school  convened  in  a  log  building  rented  of  Simeon  Fuller,  while 
the  teacher  was  a  daughter  of  Smith  Rowe.  When  ten  years  of  age  Mr. 
Thompson  could  fasten  up  a  yoke  of  oxen,  would  go  to  the  timber  and  chop 
down  trees,  put  a  log  chain  around  the  butts  and  thus  drag  them  home. 
His  youth  was  largely  a  period  of  earnest,  unremitting  toil  and  he  learned 
early  the  value  of  activity  and  industry  in  the  affairs  of  life.  He  also 
learned  many  other  lessons  which  go  with  life  on  the  frontier — the  caution, 
the  utilization  of  opportunity,  the  watchfulness  and  the  enterprise — all  of 
which  must  be  factors  in  the  life  of  the  frontiersman  if  he  would  win  success. 
Year  by  year  he  assisted  his  father  until  he  attained  the  age  of  thirty-two, 
when  he  started  out  in  life,  for  himself,  purchasing  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  on  sections  1,  2  and  11,  Portland  township.  There  were  no  improve- 
ments of  any  kind  upon  the  place,  but  with  characteristic  energy  he  began 
the  development  of  the  farm  and  as  the  years  passed  he  wrought  a  marked 
transformation  in  the  appearance  of  the  place.  He  transformed  the  wild 
land  into  productive  fields,  carrying  on  the  work  of  plowing  and  planting 
until  with  the  coming  of  the  autumn  he  gathered  rich  harvests.  Upon  his 
farm  he  placed  substantial  buildings  and  made  a  valuable  property,  which  he 
continued  to  further  develop  and  improve  until  about  twelve  years  ago, 
when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Portland,  where  he  and  his  wife  now 
reside. 

In  the  early  times  he  worked  many  a  day  in  the  harvest  field  for 
seventy-five  cents  and  considered  it  good  wages.  He  can  relate  many  inter- 
esting incidents  of  the  early  pioneer  days  and  well  remembers  the  trip  to 
America,  traveling  by  lake  to  Chicago.  The  father  there  made  arrangements 
with  Daniel  Brown,  who  lived  at  Unionville,  to  take  the  family  to  Whiteside 
county.  Brown  had  gone  to  Chicago  with  a  load  of  grain  and  had  place 
in  his  empty  wagon  to  take  the  family  back.  Robert  Thompson  purchased 
three  barrels  of  flour  and  one  of  salt  and  with  what  household  goods  they 
had  they  started,  being  four  and  a  half  days  getting  to  Widows  Point,  twelve 
miles  out  of  Chicago,  such  was  the  condition  of  the  roads.  They  were  almost 
impassable.  At  that  place  they  had  to  leave  two  barrels  of  the  flour  and  half 
of  the  salt  in  order  to  lighten  the  luggage.  It  required  three  weeks  to  com- 


574  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

plete  the  trip,  and  then  began  life  in  the  little  pioneer  home.  As  the  years 
passed  Richard  Thompson  aided  largely  in  the  development  of  the  farm  and 
gained  in  that  way  the  knowledge  and  experience  that  well  qualified  him 
for  fanning  on  his  own  account  in  his  later  years.  He  was  always  an  exten- 
sive raiser  of  hogs,  cattle,  sheep  and  horses  and  his  live  stock  interests  proved 
a  very  valuable  element  in  his  business. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1852,  Mr.  Thompson  was  married  to  Miss  Lovina 
Williams,  who  was  born  January  12,  1835,  in  Lodi,  New  York,  a  daughter 
•of  Calvin  and  Sally  (Hill)  Williams.  Her  father  was  born  in  Massachusetts 
January  28.  1799,  and  died  in  1883.  The  mother,  who  was  born  April  26, 
1791,  passed  away  August  11,  1884.  In  their  family  were  six  children,  of 
whom  two  are  living:  Mrs.  Almina  Seeley,  a  resident  of  Prophetstown ; 
.and  Mrs.  Thompson.  The  parents  removed  from  New  York  to  Detroit,  Michi- 
gan, and  in  1837,  came  to  Prophetstown,  where  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams 
passed  away.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  followed  that  trade  throughout  his 
•entire  life.  His  widow's  grave  was  the  first  one  made  in  the  Prophetstown 
cemetery.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  have  been  born  seven  children: 
Robert  E.,  who  married  Laura  Wilson,  his  widow  now  living  in  Calhoun 
county,  Iowa;  Nathan  C.,  a  resident  of  Idaho;  Fred,  deceased;  Frank  D., 
who  is  living  in  Montana;  Grace,  the  wife  of  Robert  McBride,  of  Lyndon, 
Illinois;  Edwin  R.,  who  married  Etta  Lancaster,  of  Sterling,  Illinois;  and 
Rosa,  the  wife  of  Edward  Myers,  of  Spring  Hill,  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  are  earnest  consistent  Christian  people,  whose  influence  has  ever  been 
found  on  the  side  of  right,  justice,  truth  and  progress.  He  served  his  locality 
for  fourteen  years  as  school  director  and  the  cause  of  education  found  in 
him  a  warm  friend.  He  has  now  reached  the  venerable  age  of  eighty  years 
and  a  life  of  integrity,  activity  and  honor  has  gained  for  him  the  unquali- 
fied regard  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 


JOSEPH    MARK    BICKFORD. 

Joseph  Mark  Bickford,  druggist  and  pharmacist,  proprietor  of  the  Ster- 
ling Pharmacy  and  the  Bickford  Drug  Company  of  Sterling,  was  born  in 
Neenah,  Wisconsin,  July  2,  1856,  and  is  a  representative  of  English  ances- 
try. The  name  was  originally  spelled  Beckford  and  the  family  was  founded 
in  America  in  early  colonial  days.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject 
lived  to  the  remarkable  old  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years.  The  grand- 
father, a  native  of  New  York,  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  fruit-raising 
and  he,  too,  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

Joseph  A.  Bickford,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts 
and  throughout  his  entire  life  was  engaged  in  manufacturing  interests.  Re- 
moving to  the  state  of  New  York,  he  located  at  Lockport,  where  he  lived  for 
several  years  and  subsequently  became  a  resident  of  Houghton,  Michigan, 
where  he  conducted  a  barrel  and  stave  factory,  making  barrels  for  ingots 


HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY  575 

secured  in  the  copper  mines.  In.  1868  he  came  to  Illinois,  settling  at  Rock 
Falls,  where  he  established  the  Eureka  Manufacturing  Company  for  the 
manufacture  of  furniture,  sash,  doors  and  blinds,  while  later  the  business- 
was  developed  into  a  carriage  manufactory.  Mr.  Bickford  employed  a  large 
force  of  men  and  conducted  the  business  successfully  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  early  manhood  he  wedded  Sarah  A.  Stiles  and  both  became  prominent 
and  respected  residents  of  Rock  Falls.  They  were  devoted  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Methodist  church  and  Mr.  Bickford  was  active  in  the  public 
life,  serving  as  village  trustee  for  several  terms,  also  township  collector  and 
assessor  at  different,  times.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years  and  hi& 
'  wife,  who  survived  him  for  ten  years,  was  also  about  the  same  age  at  the 
time  of  her  demise.  She,  too,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  but  her  father 
was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  died  near  Rutland 
in  Danville  Green,  Vermont,  at  a  comparatively  early  age,  while  his  wifer 
Mrs.  Sarah  Stiles,  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bickford  were  born  two  children  but  the  younger,  Minnie,  died  in  infancy. 

Joseph  M.  Bickford  of  this  review  came  to  Rock  Falls  with  his  parents 
in  1868  when  a  little  lad  of  ten  years  and  was  here  reared,  pursuing  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Sterling.  When  his  more  specifically  literary 
education  was  completed  he  took  up  the  study  of  pharmacy  and  served  for 
four  years  in  a  drug  store  in  Rock  Falls,  after  which  he  went  to  Chicago, 
where  he  pursued  a  full  course  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy,  com- 
pleting the  same  in  1879.  He  then  returned  to  Rock  Falls,  where  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  F.  W.  Wheeler  in  the  drug  business,  a  relation  that 
was  maintained  for  two  and  a  half  years,  when  he  purchased  Mr.  Wheeler's 
interest  and  continued  in  the  business  alone  until  1902.  He  then  sold  out 
and  was  not  again  engaged  in  trade  until  1903,  when  he  purchased  his 
present  business,  known  as  the  Sterling  Pharmacy.  In  1907  he  also  bought 
the  drug  store  of  Mrs.  K.  B.  Brown  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Locust 
streets.  His  son,  M.  Dean  Bickford,  had  just  completed  a  pharmaceutical 
course  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy  and  at  once  took  charge  of  the 
Brown  drug  store,  which  he  still  conducts.  The  name  of  Bickford  has  become 
synonymous  with  the  drug  trade  in  Sterling  and  both  father  and  son  are 
recognized  as  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  principles  and  science  of  phar- 
macy, while  in  trade  circles  they  are  known  as  reliable  business  men,  honored 
for  their  success  and  the  straightforward  methods  by  which  it  has  been 
achieved. 

On  the  2Sth  of  September,  1883,  Mr.  Bickford  was  married  to  Miss 
Hattie  A.  Packer,  a  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Charlotte  (Bass)  Packer,  of 
Rock  Falls.  Their  three  children  are:  Viola  M.,  the  wife  of  Clyde  P.  Hen- 
dricks,  a  resident  of  Kalkaska,  Michigan,  where  he  practices  dentistry;  M. 
Dean ;  and  Charlotte. 

The  parents  and  family  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Mr.  Bickford 's  father  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  leading  members  of  the 
Rock  Falls  Methodist  church  and  assisted  in  erecting  the  first  house  of 
wor-hip  there,  while  both  he  and  his  wife  were  active  workers  in  the  church. 
Mr.  Bickford  belongs  to  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Sterling 


576  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.;  Sterling  Commandery,  No.  57,  K.  T.;  while  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Politically  he  is  a  repub- 
lican, but  while  keeping  well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the 
day,  as  every  true  American  citizen  should  do,  he  has  never  sought  nor  de- 
sired office,  preferring  to  give  undivided  attention  to  his  business  interests, 
in  which  he  has  made  steady  progress,  manifesting  that  persistency  of  purpose 
which  ultimately  reaches  the  objective  point.  His  life  record  is  that  of 
a  business  man  of  alert  and  enterprising  spirit  who  finds  in  his  opportunities 
the  incentive  for  consecutive  effort  and  by  the  improvement  of  the  chances 
which  have  come  to  him  has  gained  a  creditable  and  gratifying  position  in 
the  business  world. 


JOHN  FRANKLIN   REEFER,   M.   D. 

Dr.  John  Franklin  Keefer,  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  med- 
icine and  surgery  at  Sterling,  with  office  at  No.  412  First  avenue,  is  one 
of  the  native  sons  of  Whiteside  county  who  have  attained  to  a  position  of 
distinction  in  the  locality  where  they  have  always  resided  and  where  they 
have  so  directed  their  labors  that  their  service  has  been  a  signal  benefit  to 
their  fellowmen.  Dr.  Keefer  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Strickler) 
Keefer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania.  Their 
family  numbered  only  two  children  and  the  daughter,  Mary  Levina,  died 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  the  Doctor  was 
John  Keefer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  Swiss  and  German  extraction. 
He  was  a  country  merchant  and  in  connection  with  the  management  of  his 
general  store  he  bought  cattle  and  was  a  general  trader.  He  died  very  sud- 
denly in  the  Keystone  state  at  the  age  of  about  fifty-eight  years.  His  first 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Hannah  Price,  was  of  English  and  Welsh 
extraction.  She  died  after  the  birth  of  her  fourth  child  and  Mr.  Keefer  later 
married  again,  his  second  union  being  with  Ann  Maria  Grove,  who  is  still 
living  in  Sterling. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Dr.  Keefer  was  Benjamin  Strickler,  also 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  German  descent.  He  was  a  cabinet-maker 
and  fine  wood  worker  and  later  in  life  became  a  horticulturist.  Removing 
westward  he  settled  at  Mount  Carroll,  Illinois,  in  1855  and  there  conducted 
a  hotel  and  also  operated  a  farm.  He  passed  away  there  when  about  eighty- 
five  years  of  age,  while  his  wife,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Strock)  Strickler,  was  about 
seventy-five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  Their  family  numbered 
six  children,  including  Elizabeth  Strickler,  who  in  early  womanhood  gave 
her  hand  in  marriage  to  Henry  Keefer.  Mr.  Keefer  was  a  farmer  in  early 
life  and  the  year  1854  witnessed  his  removal  from  Pennsylvania  to  Illinois. 
The  following  year  he  became  a  resident  of  Whiteside  county,  settling  about 
a  half  mile  from  Empire,  now  Emerson,  where  he  lived  for  about  thirty 
years.  He  then  removed  to  Sterling,  where  for  fifteen  years  he  conducted 
a  retail  drug  store  and  was  classed  with  the  enterprising  and  respected  mer- 
chants of  the  city.  He  died  March  23,  1898,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  577 

and  is  still  survived  by  his  widow,  who  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  Dr. 
Keefer.  They  were  Lutheran  in  religious  faith  and  Mr.  Keefer  was  very 
active  in  the  church  work,  serving  for  many  years  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  at  Emerson  and  doing  all  things  in  his  power  to  promote 
the  work  of  the  church  in  its  various  branches.  He  also  held  some  local 
offices,  including  that  of  supervisor  and  school  director.  . 

Dr.  Keefer  has  always  been  a  resident  of  Whiteside  county  and  its  at- 
tractiveness as  a  place  of  abode  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  many  of  her 
ambitious  native  sons  have  remained  here  to  enjoy  the  advantages  offered 
in  many  walks  of  life.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  acquired  his  prelim- 
inary education  in  the  district  schools,  while  later  he  was  graduated  from 
Carthage  (Illinois)  College  on  the  completion  of  a  classical  course  in  1878. 
Having  determined  to  make  the  practice  of  medicine  his  life  work  he  then 
began  study  toward  that  end  and  was  graduated  from  the  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Chicago  in  1881.  He  also  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  fall  of 
1892  and  1893.  Locating  for  practice  in  Sterling,  after  his  graduation,  he 
has  since  remained  here,  covering  a  period  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
and  has  become  known  as  one  of  the  ablest  physicians  of  this  part  of  the 
state. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1887,  Dr.  Keefer  was  married  to  Miss  Ermina  Har- 
per McBride.  They  became  the  parents  of  two  children :  Marie  Viola,  who 
is  now  attending  Knox  College  at  Galesburg,  Illinois;  and  Ralph,  who  died 
in  infancy.  The  wife  and  mother  passed  away  in  1890,  and  on  the  15th  of 
May,  1893,  Dr.  Keefer  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Dr.  Jane  Reid,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Ann  (Faron)  Reid.  Her  paternal  grandfather  was  John  Reid, 
a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  of  Scotch  parentage.  He  was  a  contractor 
and  died  in  Belfast  when  past  middle  life,  while  his  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  (Boyd) 
Reid,  was  sixty-nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  Andrew  Faron,  was  a  native  of  England  and  lived  in  Liverpool, 
where  he  died  in  middle  life.  He  was  a  stonemason  by  trade.  Unto  him 
and  his  wife,  Ann  Faron,  were  born  four  daughters,  three  of  whom  reached 
mature  years. 

John  Boyd  Reid,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Keefer,  was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland, 
while  his  wife's  birth  occurred  in  Liverpool,  England.  He  was  engaged  in 
business  as  a  shipsmith  in  Liverpool.  Belfast,  Edinburgh,  and  Kurrachee, 
East  India.  In  1843  he  caine  to  the  United  States  and  for  four  years  was 
a  resident  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  after  which  he  returned  to  Liverpool, 
where  he  spent  a  number  of  years.  Later  he  was  a  resident  of  India  for  four 
years  and  then  again  went  to  Liverpool.  It  was  at  that  time  that  he  mar- 
ried and  soon  afterward  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  wife,  settling  in 
Effingham  county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  His  last  days 
were  spent  in  Seattle,  Washington,  where  he  died  October  12,  1894,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years.  His  wife  survives  him  and  lives  with  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Keefer,  in  Sterling.  Mr.  Reid  was  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  faith, 
while  his  wife  is  an  Episcopalian.  In  their  family  were  three  daughters: 
Dr.  Jane  Keefer;  Miss  Annie  Reid,  now  of  Seattle,  Washington;  and  Ellen, 
the  wife  of  0.  A.  Byers,  also  of  Seattle. 


578  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

By  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Keefer  and  Dr.  Reid  four  children  have  been 
born:  Annie  Elizabeth.  Laura  Bell,  Jane  Frances  and  Frank  Reid  Keefer. 
Like  her  husband,  Mrs.  Keefer  is  an  able  physician.  She  was  born  in  Edge- 
wood,  Effingham  county,  Illinois,  and  during  the  first  nine  years  of  her  life 
lived  at  various  times  in  her  native  village,  Centralia,  and  St.  John,  Illinois, 
and  in  St.  Charles,  Missouri.  She  then  went  with  her  parents  to  Amboy,  Illi- 
nois, where  she  acquired  her  common-school  education,  being  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1878  from  the  high  school.  She  next  entered  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  at  Normal,  Illinois,  and  taught  in  the  Amboy  schools  in  1880-1  and 
at  Morris,  Illinois,  in  1882-3.  The  following  year  she  was  a  teacher  at 
Plainfield,  Illinois,  and  then  again  at  Amboy.  Later  she  entered  the  Woman's 
Medical  College  at  Philadelphia  in  1886  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in 
1889.  The  same  year  she  began  practice  in  Sterling.  She  and  her  husband 
belong  to  the  same  medical  societies,  holding  membership  in  the  Sterling 
and  Rock  Falls  Physicians'  Club,  the  North  Central  Illinois  Medical  Society, 
the  Whiteside  County  and  the  State  Medical  Societies  and  the  American 
Medical  Association.  They  are  deeply  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
advancement  of  the  profession  and  are  continually  broadening  their  knowl- 
edge through  scientific  research  and  investigations  as  well  as  through  ex- 
perience. Dr.  and  Mrs.  Keefer  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in 
which  he  is  serving  as  an  elder.  -  He  also  belongs  to  Sterling  Lodge,  No.  174, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  the  encampment,  while  he  and  his  wife  are  connected  with 
the  Rebekah  degree.  Both  have  gained  distinction  as  physicians  of  ability 
and  are  equally  well  known  socially  and  have  many  friends  in  Sterling  and 
throughout  the  county. 


FRANK  D.  RAMSAY. 

Frank  D.  Ramsay,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  appellate  court  for  the  third 
district,  wa->  born  iu  Prophetstown,  Illinois,  September  27,  1846.  His 
father,  Luther  B.  Ramsay,  was  a  native  of  Oneida  county,  New  York,  and 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  In  1839  he  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  at  Rapid 
City,  now  Rock  Falls,  Whiteside  county,  where  he  engaged  in  surveying  land 
a  part  of  that  year.  He  then  returned  to  New  York  and  brought  his  family, 
including  his  father,  to  the  middle  west,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming 
in  Prophetstown  township.  The  family  met  the  usual  experienca*  of  pioneer 
life  and  aided  in  extending  the  frontier  by  the  reclamation  of  the  wild  dis- 
trict for  the  uses  of  civilization.  He  continued  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  his  farm  until  1849,  when  he  took  up  hi,<  abode  in  the  village 
of  Prophetstown  and  spent  his  remaining  days  there.  For  several  years  lie 
was  identified  with  its  mercantile  interests  and  was  successful  in  his  under- 
takings. He  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  th?  early  develop- 
ment of  the  county,  aiding  in  molding  public  thought  and  in  shaping  the 
public  policy,  standing  as  he  did  at  all  times  for  progressive  citizenship  and 
for  substantial  development.  In  politics  he  was  an  old-line  whig  prior  to 


FRANK  D.  RAMSAY 


LIBRARY 

UNIVtRSKY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  581 

the  organization  of  the  republican  party,  when  he  joined  its  ranks.  He  had 
no  aspiration  for  office,  however,  being  content  to  do  his  public  service  as  a 
private  citizen.  He  married  Caroline  M.  Smith,  a  native  of  Poultney, 
Vermont,  and  of  New  England  ancestry,  her  parents  being  Steven  and 
Tyley  (Manly)  Smith,  who  came  to  Prophetstown  in  1840,  her  father  here 
following  the  occupation  of  farming.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ramsay  were 
born  a  son  and  daughter,  the  latter  being  Mrs.  Lucy  E.  Adams,  the  wife  of 
George  B.  Adams,  advertising  manager  for  the  Royal  Tailors  of  Chicago. 
The  father  died  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  and  the  mother's 
death  occurred  in  1903,  when  she  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years. 

Judge  Ramsay  received  no  special  advantages  in  his  youth.  He  attended 
the  common  schools  of  Prophetstown  and  the  Seminary  at  Dixon,  Illinois, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  entered  the  office  of  Frederick  Sackett,  of 
Sterling,  under  whose  direction  he  read  law.  In  1868  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  located  for  practice  in  Morrison,  where  he  has  since  remained 
with  the  exception  of  two  years,  which  he  spent  in  Kansas  City.  While 
advancement  at  the  bar  is  proverbially  slow,  no  dreary  novitiate  awaited 
Judge  Ramsay.  Gradually  he  worked  his  way  upward  and  his  practice  be- 
came extensive  and  of  an  important  character.  He  became  noted  among 
his  brethren  of  the  legal  fraternity  for  the  wide  research  and  provident  care 
with  which  he  prepared  his  cases  and  his  merits  received  public  recogni- 
tion, when  in  1897  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  circuit  court.  In  1905  he 
was  assigned  to  the  appellate  court  for  the  third  district  by  the  supreme 
court,  of  the  state.  He  is  now  filling  that  position  and  is  a  prominent  rep- 
resentative of  the  judiciary  of  Illinois.  His  legal  learning,  his  analytical 
mind,  the  readiness  with  which  he  grasps  the  points  in  an  argument,  all 
combine  to  make  him  one  of  the  capable  jurists  of  the  appellate  bench,  and 
the  public  and  the  profession  acknowledge  him  to  be  an  efficient  member 
of  the  appelhte  court. 

In  1872  Judge  Ramsay  was  married  to  Miss  Lovisa  McKenzie,  who  was 
born  in  Prophetstown,  in  1848,  a  daughter  of  William  R.  and  Harriet 
(Martin)  McKenzie.  The  father  removed  from  New  York  to  Prophetstown, 
while  the  mother  came  to  this  county  from  Canada  in  1839.  Mrs.  Ramsay 
is  of  Scotch  descent.  By  this  marriage  there  are  two  sons:  Luther  R.,  who 
was  born  in  1876,  and  is  an  attorney  at  law  of  the  firm  of  McCalmont  & 
Ramsay,  at  Morrison;  and  Robert  M.,  who  was  born  in  1879  and  is  a  court 
reporter  of  Chicago.  Both  sons  are  married. 

Judge  Ramsay  is  a  Mason  and  also  a  member  of  the  order  of  Knights 
of  Pythias.  In  politics  he  is  a  republican  and,  while  stalwart  in  the  cham- 
pionship of  the  principles  in  which  he  believes,  he  never  allows  his  political 
views  to  prejudice  him  in  any  way  in  his  judicial  duties.  He  belongs  to 
the  local  bar  association  and  aside  from  his  service  on  the  bench  he  was 
master  in  chancery  for  six  years.  He  has  earned  for  himself  the  favorable 
regard  of  the  public  and  the  profession.  His  decisions  indicate  strong 
mentality,  careful  analysis,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law  and  an  un- 
biased judgment.  He  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  finely  balanced  mind  and 


582  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

strong  intellectual  attainments,  possessing,  too,  .that  well  rounded  character 
which  contributes  to  his  success  in  the  discharge  of  the  multitudinous  deli- 
cate duties  which  devolve  upon  him. 


JAMES    RYAN. 

An  excellent  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  sections  32  and  33 
pays,  tribute  to  the  care,  industry  and  supervision  of  James  Ryan.  It  is  the 
old  family  homestead  upon  which  he  spent  much  of  his  boyhood  and  which 
he  has  purchased  in  recent  years.  He  is  one  of  Illinois'  native  sons,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Lee  county,  December  29,  1861.  His  parents,  Michael 
and  Johanna  (Conners)  Ryan,  were  both  natives  of  Ireland  and  in  1854, 
crossing  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  they  made  their  way  to  Dixon,  Illinois, 
where  the  father  worked  as  a  common  laborer  for  six  years.  Eagerly  availing 
himself  of  every  opportunity  for  advancement,  he  next  rented  a  farm  for 
five  years  and,  carefully  saving  his  earnings  during  that  period,  he  pur- 
chased, in  1865,  eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  33,  Montmorency  township. 
Later  he  invested  in  eighty  acres  on  section  32  adjoining  the  original  place, 
thus  becoming  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rich  land  capable 
of  high  cultivation  and  large  production.  As  the  years  passed  he  devoted  his 
time  and  energies  to  the  further  development  and  improvement  of  the  prop- 
erty, which  under  his  care  became  an  excellent  farm.  Unto  him  and  his 
wife  were  born  a  daughter  and  three  sons:  Nora,  now  in  Sterling;  James; 
Patrick,  deceased;  and  John,  of  this  county.  The  father  died  in  the  year 
1892,  while  the  mother  survived  for  fifteen  years,  passing  away  in  1907  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  James  Ryan  were  quietly  passed,  his  time 
being  divided  between  the  duties  of  the  schoolroom,  the  interests  of  the  play- 
ground and  the  labors  of  the  home  farm.  His  training  in  the  work  of  the 
fields  was  not  meager  but  on  the  contrary  he  began  work  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  place  almost  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  handle  the  plow.  After 
attaining  his  majority  he  rented  a  part  of  the  old  homestead  for  a  number 
of  years  and  then  in  1892  purchased  eighty  acres  on  section  32,  Mont- 
morency township.  To  this  he  afterward  added  by  purchasing  the  old  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  so  that  he  now  owns  a  valuable  tract 
of  land  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  sections  32  and  33.  Montmorency 
township.  His  farm  presents  an  attractive  appearance,  for  everything  about 
the  place  is  kept  in  good  condition  and  pasture  land  and  fields  are  all  rich 
and  productive. 

In  1889  Mr.  Ryan  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Reardon,  who 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Katherine  Reardon,  who 
are  now  living  in  Sterling.  Their  family  numbered  six  children.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ryan  have  been  born  two  (laughters.  Katie  and  Marie.  The  parents 
are  communicants  of  the  Catholic  church  and  in  politics  Mr.  Ryan  is  a  demo- 
crat. His  fellow  townsmen  have  several  times  called  him  to  ofliee  and  he  is 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  583 

now  assessor  of  Montmorency  township,  having  been  the  incumbent  in  the 
position  for  five  years.  He  has  likewise  been  school  director  for  five  years 
and  is  also  treasurer  of  the  drainage  district.  Coming  to  this  county  when 
four  years  of  age,  he  has  now  lived  within  its  borders  for  about  forty-three 
years  and  has  been  an  interested  witness  of  the  many  changes  and  the  trans- 
formation which  has  been  wrought  by  time  and  man.  The  onward  march  of 
civilization  has  made  this  one  of  the  richest  agricultural  districts  in  this  great 
state,  affording  to  its  citizens  all  the  advantages  that  are  known  to  the  older 
I'ast.  Mr.  Ryan  rejoices  in  what  has  been  accomplished  and  has  borne  his 
full  share  in  the  work  of  general  improvement  and  progress. 


MICHAEU  KLEINSCHRODT. 

Michael  Kleinschrodt.  who  follows  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Union 
Grove  township,  came  to  Whiteside  county  in  1872  and  has  resided  here 
continuously  since,  with  the  exception  of  a  year  and  a  half  spent  in  Iowa. 
He  has  always  made  his  home  in  the  middle  west  and  the  spirit  of  enter- 
prise and  development  characteristic  of  the  upper  Mississippi  valley  has  been 
manfest  in  his  business  career. 

He  was  born  in  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin,  February  2,  1858,  his 
parents  being  John  G.  and  Katherine  (Amos)  Kleinschrodt,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Germany,  whence  they  came  to  America  at  the  ages  of  four- 
teen and  twenty-one  years  respectively.  The  father  accompanied  his  parents 
to  the  new  world  and  the  family  home  was  established  in  Cook  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  purchased  and  improved 
a  farm.  John  G.  Kleinschrodt  continued  to  make  his  home  there  until  after 
his  marriage,  when  he  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  a  little  later  returned  to 
Illinois,  settling  at  Elgin,  where  he  remained  until  1872.  He  then  came  to 
Whiteside  county  but  three  years  later  went  to  western  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained for  several  years.  He  then  returned  to  Morrison  and  was  actively 
engaged  in  farming  in  this  locality  until  he  put  aside  the  arduous  duties  of 
the  fields  and  established  his  home  in  Morrison,  where  he  is  now  living  re- 
tired, at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born 
eight  children:  John,  now  a  resident  of  Sterling;  Maggie,  who  makes  her 
home  in  Elgin,  Illinois;  Michael,  of  this  review;  Henry,  also  living  in  Mor- 
rison ;  Philip,  of  Minnesota ;  Mrs.  Mary  Pierce,  whose  home  is  in  Elgin,  Illi- 
nois; Charles,  who  died  two  or  three  years  ago;  and  William,  of  Morrison. 

Michael  Kleinschrodt  has  resided  in  Whiteside  county  almost  continu- 
ously since  about  fourteen  years  of  age  and  has  always  been  identified  with 
general  farming  interests.  He  early  became  familiar  with  the  work  of  the 
fields,  as  he  aided  his  father  in  the  tasks  of  plowing,  planting  and  harvesting. 
He  thus  received  broad  experience  to  assist  him  in  carrying  on  farm  work 
on  his  own  account  and  is  now  numbered  among  the  successful  agriculturists 
of  Union  Grove  township.  Since  the  1st  of  March,  1902,  he  has  resided  on 
his  present  farm  and  is  here  carefully  and  successfully  carrying  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits  and  stock-raising. 


584  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

In  April,  1889,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kleinschrodt  and  Miss 
Grace  Van  Dyke,  who  was  born  near  Fulton,  this  county,  a  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Rimke  (Nouta)  Van  Dyke.  Her  father  came  to  the  United 
States  in  childhood  and  her  mother  when  a  young  lady.  The  father  re- 
sided during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Whiteside  county  and  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming  to  provide  for  the  support  of  his  family.  He  died 
in  April,  1905,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  Mrs.  Kleinschrodt  is  the 
eldest  in  the  family,  the  others  being  :  H.  B.  and  Peter,  who  are  residents 
of  Morrison;  Glaus,  living  in  Union  Grove  township;  Abel,  who  is  living  in 
Unionville,  Illinois;  David,  at  home;  Jacob,  who  die'd  in  infancy;  and  Jacob, 
the  second  of  the  name,  who  died  in  September,  1900. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kleinschrodt  has  been  blessed  with  one  child, 
Bernie  Lloyd,  born  November  6,  1891,  and  yet  under  the  parental  roof. 
Mr.  Kleinschrodt  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  republican  party  and  is  now  serving  for  the  fourth  year  as 
road  commissioner,  in  which  office  he  has  done  much  to  improve  the  public 
highways.  He  has  also  been  school  director  and  the  cause  of  education 
finds  in  him  a  warm  and  stalwart  friend.  He  believes  thoroughly  in  ad- 
vancement, in  eradicating  all  that  is  useless  in  methods  of  business  or  in 
the  elements  of  citizenship  and  in  promoting  public  progress  along  sub- 
stantial lines.  Such  a  course  has  characterized  his  business  career  and  he 
has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward,  becoming  one  of  the  enterprising  farm- 
ers of  Union  Grove  township. 


A.   W.    GREENLEE. 

A.  W.  Greenlee  'Stands  as  a  high  type  of  the  patriotic  and  public-spirited 
American  citizen.  He  served  his  country  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and 
has  been  equally  loyal  in  days  of  peace,  giving  proof  of  his  devotion  to  com- 
munity interests  by  fourteen  years'  capable  service  in  the  office  of  mayor 
of  Lyndon.  He  has  likewise  filled  the  position  of  postmaster  for  eleven 
years  and  over  the  record  of  his  official  career  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong 
nor  suspicion  of  evil. 

Mr.  Greenlee  is  a  native  of  "Frederickstown,  Knox  county,  Ohio,  born 
February  10,  1842.  His  parents  were  Robert  and  Mary  (Christie)  Greenlee, 
natives  of  Coshocton  county,  Ohio.  On  leaving  the  Buckeye  state  in  1855 
they  came  at  once  to  Whiteside  county,  where  they  spent  their  remaining 
days.  The  mother  was  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy  her  new  home,  her  death 
occurring  in  1856,  but  the  father  reached  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Their 
children  were:  Benjamin  F.,  who  died  while  serving  his  country  as  a  soldier 
of  the  Civil  war;  Robert  A.,  deceased;  Emily  Adaline,  the  wife  of  Plypton 
Baker,  of  West  Platt,  Nebraska;  A.  W.,  of  this  review;  William  C.,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Ninth  Iowa  Cavalry  in  the  Civil  war,  serving  for  two 
and  a  half  years,  but  is  now  deceased;  and  Ellen,  the  deceased  wife  of 
Ezra  French. 


HISTORY   OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  585 

A.  W.  Greenlee  (spent  the  first  thirteen  years  of  his  life  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity  and  with  his  parents  came  to  Whiteside  county  in  1855,  the 
family  home  being  established  at  Unionville,  Grove  township.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  his  enlistment  for  service  in  the  Civil  war. 
He  was  but  a  lad  of  nineteen  years  when  in  September,  1861,  the  fires  of 
patriotism  burning  brightly  in  his  breast,  he  joined  Company  I  of  the  Eighth 
Kansas  Infantry,  with  which  he  served  for  twenty-two  months.  Then  came 
an  interval  of  four  months,  after  which  he  again  enlisted,  this  time  joining 
the  Ninth  Iowa  Cavalry,  continuing  in  active  service  altogether  for  four 
years,  terminated  by  an  honorable  discharge  in  March,  1866.  He  had  been 
discharged  from  the  Eighth  Kansas  Infantry  because  of  physical  disability 
but  as  soon  as  his  health  permitted  he  again  joined  the  army,  nor  did  he 
hesitate  to  follow  the  old  flag  until  it  became  the  symbol  of  Union  victory. 
He  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Perryville  and  with  a  cavalry  company  did 
much  scouting  and  skirmish  duty  in  the  southwest,  holding  the  rank  of 
sergeant. 

When  the  war  was  orer  Mr.  Greenlee  returned  to  Whiteside  county  but 
soon  afterward  went  to  Hoi  ton,  Kansas,  where  he  worked  in  a  general  store 
for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to  his  Illinois  home,  where  he  has  since 
remained  and  with  the  material  interests  and  substantial  development  has 
been  closely  associated.  For  twenty  years  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Lyndon 
township,  where  he  rented  and  cultivated  a  tract  of  rich  land,  while  his  wife 
owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Rock  Island  county.  At 
length,  putting  aside  agricultural  pursuits,  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Lyndon 
and  for  three  years  was  in  the  employ  of  the  firm  of  Parmenter  Brothers. 
He  was  then  appointed  postmaster  and  for  the  past  eleven  years  has  filled 
this  position.  He  has  also  been  mayor  for  the  past  fourteen  years  and 
in  both  positions  gives  a  public-spirited  administration,  looking  to  the  best 
interests  of  the  community.  He  has  ever  placed  the  general  good  before 
partisanship  and  the  interests  of  his  office  before  personal  aggrandizement. 
He  is  a  stalwart  republican,  casting  his  presidential  ballot  for  each  Candidate 
at  the  head  of  the  national  ticket  since  voting  the  first  time  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  the  campaign  of  1864.  He  .is  recognized  as  one  of  the  local 
leaders  of  his  party,  his  .opinions  carrying  weight  in  its  councils,  while  his 
service  as  a  member  of  the  county  central  committee  for  the  past  sixteen 
years  has  been  far-reaching  and  beneficial.  In  addition  to  the  other  offices 
that  he  has  filled  he  has  served  as  village  clerk  and  as  township  clerk  and 
he  has  ever  worked  in  public  affairs  toward  practical  idealism. 

In  1876  Mr.  Greenlee  was  married  to  Miss  Olive  E.  Smith,  who  was 
born  in  Lyndon  township  in  1850  and  here  resided  until  her  death  in  March, 
1891.  Her  parents  were  Harry  and  Mary  Smith,  who  arrived  in  this  county 
from  New  York  in  the  '30s  and  entered  land  in  Lyndon  township,  where 
they  aided  in  planting  the  early  seeds  of  civilization  and  in  extending  the 
frontier.  They  continued  residents  of  the  township  throughout  their  remain- 
ing days  and  were  prominent  and  worthy  pioneer  people.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Greenlee"  were  born  three  children :  Maud,  now  the  wife  of  Carl  Palmer,  a 
resident  of  Sterling;  Frank,  also  living  in  Sterling;  and  Halford  R.,  who  is 


586  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

a  graduate  of  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis  of  the  class  of  1895  and  is 
now  an  ensign  on  the  battleship  Rhode  Island.  Having  lost  his  first  wife, 
Mr.  Greenlee  was  again  married  on  the  2d  of  June,  1893,  when  Miss  Helen 
Daggett  became  his  wife.  She  is  a  native  of  Lyndon  and  a  daughter  of 
Falarman  and  Falina  (Fitch)  Daggett,  who  remained  residents  of  this  local- 
ity until  called  to  their  final  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greenlee  are  well  known 
in  the  community,  having  an  extensive  circle  of  friends.  They  attend  the 
Congregational  church,  of  which  Mrs.  Greenlee  is  a  member,  while  Mr. 
Greenlee  holds  membership  relations  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
The  terms  progress  and  patriotism  might  well  be  termed  the  keynote  of  his 
character.  His  business  life  has  been  characterized  by  advancement,  while 
his  public  service  has  been  the  exemplification  of  marked  fidelity  to  the 
interests  entrusted  to  his  care. 


THOMAS   W.    STEVENS. 

In  a  history  of  Whiteside  county's  early  development  it  is  imperative 
that  mention  should  be  made  of  Thomas  W.  Stevens  and  his  wife,  the  latter 
being  a  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  Sterling.  Mr.  Steven.- 
also  came  here  in  pioneer  times  and  for  many  years  was  closely  associated 
with  its  agricultural  development,  transforming  the  wild  land  into  a  pro- 
ductive farm  arid  gaining  through  his  well  directed  labors  a  comfortable 
competence  that  enabled  him  to  spend  his  last  days  in  honorable  retirement 
and  to  leave  his  family  in  comfortable  financial  circumstances.  He  was  born 
in  the  northern  part  of  Pennsylvania  and  came  west  to  Illinois  with  his 
parents  when  a  youth  of  thirteen  years,  arriving  in  1838.  They  settled  half 
a  mile  north  of  Sterling  when  the  east  part  of  the  town  was  called  Harris- 
burg  and  the  west  part  Chatham.  The  father,  Jonathan  Stevens,  died  upon 
the  homestead  farm,  which  he  cultivated  for  many  years,  and  it  was  there 
that  his  wife,  Mrs.  Ellen  (Bowman)  Stevens,  also  passed  away. 

Thomas  W.  Stevens  was  reared  to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof 
and  pursued  his  education  in  the  little  school  house  east  of  Broadway,  in 
Sterling.  He  was  closely  associated  with  the  early  events  of  the  city  which 
framed  its  course  and  molded  its"  policy.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Miss  Adaline  Coe,  by  whom  he  had  two  children — Maltva 
Coe  and  Helen  Amanda  Stevens.  The  wife,  and  mother  passed  away  in  1850, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1852  Mr.  Stevens  went  to  California  in  company  with 
some  cousins.  They  inade  their  way  to  a  ranch,  where  Thomas  W.  Stevens 
continued  for  about  seven  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Sterling  and 
resumed  farming  in  Sterling  township,  being  the  owner  of  forty  acres  of 
land  'there,  which  he  had  purchased  before  he  went  to  California.  To  this 
he  added  eighty  acres  as  his  financial  resources  increased  and  became  an 
active  factor  in  the  agricultural  life  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Stevens  married  again  on  the  23d  of  February,  1859,  his  second 
wife  being  Mrs.  Helen  Ann  Snavely,  the  widow  of  Moses  Suavely  and  a 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  587 

daughter  of  Simeon  Maltva  and  Mary  (Miles)  Coe.  She  was  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Stevens'  first  wife.  Unto  this  marriage  there  were  born  five  sons:  Frederick, 
of  Sterling,  who  works  for  the  Rock  Falls  Manufacturing  Company,  married 
Grace  Scott,  and  they  have  four  children  living,  Wadsworth,  Beatrice,  Gladys 
and  Earl.  Thaddeu.5,  now  deceased,  married  Lydia  Klein  and  they  have 
seven  children,  of  whom  four  ai-e  living,  Kenneth,  Carl,  Mabel  and  Margaret. 
Frank  makes  his  home  in  Chicago.  Ernest  died  in  infancy.  Bowman 
married  Belle  Scott  and  both  are  now  deceased. 

For  a  considerable  period  Thomas  W.  Stevens  cultivated  his  farm  in 
Sterling  township,  but  at  length  sold  that  property  and  purchased  one  of 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Hopkins  township,  where  he  lived 
for  about  six  years.  He  then  sold  this  property  to  his  son  Thaddeus  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  Como,  where  he  resided  for  about  six  years.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period'  he  became  a  resident  of  Sterling,  where  his  last  days  were 
passed,  his  death  occurring  January  26,  1904,  when  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  years.  His  widow  still  survives  and  is  eighty-two  years  of 
church  but  later  became  identified  with  the  Congregational  church  and  were 
age.  She  was  born  July  29,  1826.  Both  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
earnest,  consistent  Christian  people. 

Mrs.  Stevens  belongs  to  one  of  the  first  pioneer  families  of  Whiteside 
county  and  is  now  the  only  living  member  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children, 
ten  sons  and  three  daughters,  who  were  born  unto  her  parents.  She  was 
the  twelfth  in  order  of  birth.  With  one  exception  all  the  children  reached 
mature  years  arid  reared  families.  Her  father,  Simeon  Maltva  Coe,  died  May 
20,  1848,  in  his  sixty-fourth  year.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  (Miles)  Coe,  sur- 
vived him  for  about  eight  years  and  was  in  her  seventy-second  year  at  the 
time  of  her  demise.  Mr.  Coe  held  various  township  offices,  to  which  he  was 
called  by  the  vote  of  his  fellow  townsmen,  who  recognized  his  worth  and 
ability.  In  the  early  days  here  he  took  up  a  large  tract  of  government  land 
and  was  one  of  the  first  to  aid  in  reclaiming  this  region,  then  wild  and  unim- 
proved, for  the  purposes  of  civilization.  He  came  here  to  locate  in  1838  but 
had  twice  visited  the  district  before  on  a  prospecting  tour.  His  son,  Simeon 
Miles  Coe,  came  to  Whiteside  county  in  1835  and  also  took  a  large  tract  of 
government  land.  He  was  closely  associated  with  the  later  development  and 
progress  of  the  county  until  his  death  in  1894  and  was  widely  recognized  as 
a  man  of  prominence  and  influence  here.  The  Coe  family  came  to  Illinois 
from  Monroe  county,  New  York,  having  lived  about  twelve  miles  south  of 
Rochester.  The  Indians  were  still  seen  to  some  extent  in  the  state  and  this 
section  of  Illinois  had  become  the  home  of  but  few  white  settlers  at  the  time 
of  the  arrival  of  the  Coe  family,  but  with  characteristic  energy  they  began  to 
clear  the  soil  and  cultivate  the  crops  and  from  the  earliest  day  the  family 
name  has  figured  as  one  of  the  most  honorable  and  prominent  in  the  records 
of  Whiteside  county.  Mrs.  Stevens,  although  now  eighty-two  years  of  age, 
is  still  well  preserved  and  largely  retains  her  mental  and  physical  faculties 
unimpaired.  She  has  in  recent  years,  however,  suffered  from  a  cataract  on 
the  eyes  which  has  left  her  blind.  She  does  not,  however,  allow  this  affliction 
to  overcast  her  cheerful  disposition.  She  is  a  most  intelligent  and  entertain- 


588  HISTORY   OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

ing  lady  and  a  fine  conversationalist.  Her  many  good  traits  of  heart  and 
mind  have  made  her  life  a  blessing  to  the  community  and  wherever  known 
she  is  held. in  the  highest  esteem  and  warmest  regard. 


DEDRICK  KNALSEN. 

A  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  on  section  12,  Mount  Pleasant  township 
pays  tribute  to  the  care  and  labor  of  Dedrick  Knalsen,  who  purchased  this 
property  in  March,  1900.  It  is  known  as  the  Aaron  Young  farm  and  when 
it  came  into  his  possession  was  worth  about  seventy-five  dollars  per  acre. 
Today  he  would  refuse  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre  for  the  place,  which  is 
now  well  improved,  while  the  fields  have  been  brought  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  He  carries  on  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  also  raises  stock 
and  both  branches  of  his  business  are  proving  profitable. 

Mr.  Knalsen  is  a  native  of  Germany,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  the 
state  of  Oldenburg,  January  15,  1856.  His  parents,  John  and  Emily  Fred- 
erika  (Gerdes)  Knalsen,  came  to  America  in  1859  and  settled  in  Lee  county, 
%  Illinois,  near  Dixon,  where  they  made  their  home  for  a  few  years  prior  to 
taking  up  their  abode  in  Whiteside  county.  The  mother  died  here  about 
twenty-one  years  ago,  when  fifty-nine  years  of  age.  The  father  made  his 
home  with  his  son  Dedrick  Knalsen  for  about  sixteen  years  prior  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1903,  when  he  was  on  a  visit  to  North  Dakota. 
He  was  then  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  He  owned  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Hopkins  township,  this  county,  and  for  several  years  during  his  active  life 
followed  farming  in  the  employ  of  others  in  order  to  gain  a  start.  He  was 
thus  engaged  in  1858,  when  wages  were  but  fifty  cents  per  day.  Whatever 
success  he  achieved  was  attributable  entirely  to  his  own  labors  and  he  well 
deserved  the  proud  American  title  of  a  "self-made  man."  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Knalsen  were  born  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  'daughters,  as  fol- 
lows: Henry,  a  farmer  and  thresher,  living  in  McLean  county,  North  Da- 
kota, is  now  married  and  has  two  sons.  Dedrick  is  the  next  of  the  family. 
Maggie  is  the  wife  of  John  Folkers,  a  farmer,  residing  in  Cloud  county,  Kan- 
sas, by  whom  she  has  two  children.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Buhler,  who 
follows  farming  near  Dixon,  Lee  county,  Illinois,  and  they  have  three  sons. 
Baker  and  Fred,  twins,  died  about  1878,  when  twenty  years  of  age.  Louisa 
died  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and  John  died  in  infancy  over  forty 
years  ago. 

Dedrick  Knalsen  was  largely  reared  in  Whiteside  county.  He  was  but 
three  years  old  when  his  parents  left  the  fatherland  and  established  their 
home  in  Illinois  and  was  but  a  young  lad  when  they  came  from  Lee  county 
to  this  county.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  thus  obtained  a  fair 
English  education  and  received  ample  training  in  the  work  of  the  farm.  He 
was  thus  well  qualified  to  take  charge  of  a  farm  of  his  own  after  attaining 
manhood,  and  in  his  chosen  life  work  he  has  met  with  gratifying  success. 
He  farmed  for  sixteen  years  in  Hopkins  township  and  since  then  has  lived 


tzj 
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LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


-  HISTORY   OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  591 

in  Moust  Pleasant  township,  purchasing  his  present  place  in  1900.  In  the 
intervening  years  he  has  added  many  improvements,  converting  it  into  one 
of  the  excellent  farms  of  the  locality,  supplied  with  all  modern  accessories 
and  conveniences,  including  the  latest  improved  machinery  and  substantial 
buildings. 

In  1876,  in  Hopkins  township,  Mr.  Knalsen  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  M. 
Frerichs,  who  was  born  in  Germany  near  the  town  of  Gever,  which  was  also 
the  locality  of  her  husband's  birth.  Her  parents,  Frederick  and  Katherine 
(Uken)  Frerichs,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1870  and  were  residents  of 
Hopkins  township,  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  until  the  death  of  the  father 
in  1890,  when  he  was  sixty-nine  years  of  age.  His  wife  survived  and  died 
at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Knalsen,  in  February,  1904,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  Mrs.  Knalsen  was  an  only  child  and  was  reared  in 
Whiteside  county  from  the  age  of  thirteen.  She  attended  school  in  Germany 
and  also  in  this  country.  By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of 
six  children.  Hannah,  the  eldest,  is  now  the  wife  of  Harm  Thilen,  who 
cultivates  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Hopkins  township  and  they  have  four 
children,  Emma,  Le  Roy,  Louisa  and  Edwin.  Ricka  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Mammen,  who  resides  on  a  farm  near  her  father's  place,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Raymond.  Louisa  is  the  wife  of  Louis  Cassens,  a  resident  farmer  of 
Hopkins  township,  and  they  have  two  daughters,  Florence  and  Edna.  Ed- 
ward, at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  -assists  in  the  operation  of  the  home 
farm.  Arthur  died  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  three  years  and  five  months.  Harry 
is  attending  school  at  the  age  of  eleven  years. 

Mr.  Knalsen  votes  with  the  republican  party  and  is  in  thorough  sym- 
pathy with  its  principles  and  policy.  He  has  served  as  school  director  and 
in  other  local  offices,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church.  They  are  interested  in  its  growth  and  in  the  extension  of 
its  influence  and  endorse  all  measures  for  the  public  progress  and  improve- 
ment. Throughout  his  life  he  has  been  actuated  by  the  enterprising  spirit 
of  the  west  and  the  salient  traits  of  his  character  are  such  as  work  for  success 
in  the  business  world  and  command  the  admiration  of  all.  Starting  out  in 
life  without  assistance,  he  has  gradually  worked  his  way  upward  and  holds 
today  an  enviable  position  as  one  who  owes  his  prosperity  to  his  well-defined 
energy  and  well-directed  labors. 


CLARENCE  M.  FRYE,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Clarence  M.  Frye  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery in  Rock  Falls  and  the  extent  of  the  patronage  accorded  him  is  in- 
dicative of  the  confidence  reposed  in  his  skill  and  ability.  He  is  one  of 
Illinois'  native  sons,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Morrison,  April  4,  1877, 
his  parents  being  Samuel  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Maxfield)  Frye,  whose  family 
numbered  two  children,  the  daughter  being  Mrs.  Nellie  Hess,  now  the  wife 
of  Fred  Hess,  of  Whiting,  Indiana.  The  father,  a  native  of  Michigan,  fol- 


592  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

lowed  farming  in  early  manhood.  He  was  brought  to  Whiteside  county, 
Illinois,  in  his  youth  and  was  reared  in  the  neighborhood  of  Morrison.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township  but  subsequently  abandoned  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and 
entered  commercial  life  as  a  dealer  in  musical  instruments,  carrying  on  that 
business  for  many  years  in  Morrison.  For  the  past  few  years,  however,  he 
has  lived  retired.  His  wife  is  a  native  of  Como,  Illinois,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  NathanieL  Maxfield. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  of  German  descent.  He  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  lived 
to  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Catherine  Frye,  the  grandmother,  lived  to 
be  eighty-three  years  of  age.  Nathaniel  Maxfield,  the  maternal  grandfather, 
was  born  in  Rhode  Island  and  in  early  life  was  a  frontier  stage  driver  but 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  carried  on  general  farming.  Removing 
to  the  west  during  the  formative  period  in  the  history  of  this  section  of  the 
state,  he  resided  in  Whiteside  county  and  took  up  land  from  the  government. 
It  was  entirely  destitute  of  improvements  and  the  entire  countryside  was 
largely  an  unclaimed  and  unsettled  district.  Mr.  Maxfield  lived  at  Como 
before  Sterling  was  known  and  subsequently  made  his  home  north  of  Round 
Grove.  At  a  later  date  he  owned  a  farm  east  of  Morrison,  where  he  resided 
until  1888,  when  his  death  occurred,  he  being  then  seventy-three  years  of 
age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Susan  Sherman,  was  an  own 
cousin  of  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  and  also  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  be- 
longed to  an  old  aristocratic  family.  She  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years. 
By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  two  sons  and  eight  daughters. 

Dr.  Clarence  M.  Frye  was  reared  in  Morrison  and  entered  the  public 
schools,  passing  through  successive  grades  until  he  completed  the  high-school 
course  in  the  class  of  ISO'S.  His  consideration  of  the  question  of  a  life  work  at 
length  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  medical  profession  and  as  a  preparation  for 
practice  he  matriculated  in  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1902.  He  then  located  for  practice  in  Rock  Falls, 
where  he  has  remained  to  the  present  time.  He  is  thoroughly  in  touch  with 
the  most  modern  methods  pursued  by  the  members  of  the  medical  fraternity 
and  his  professional  service  has  been  of  the  utmost  benefit  to  many  whom 
he  has  attended,  indicating  his  comprehensive  understanding  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  science  of  medicine  and  his  correct  application  of  his  knowledge 
to  the  needs  of  suffering  humanity.  He  is  now  medical  examiner  for  a 
large  number  of  fraternal  orders. 

Dr.  Frye  was  married  November  7,  1905,  to  Miss  Birdie  X.  Ferris,  a 
daughter  of  John  S.  and  Minnie  (Davis)  Ferris.  The  family  home  is  at  No. 
305  Dixon  avenue,  and  they  have  an  interesting  little  daughter,  Helen 
Elizabeth.  Dr.  Frye  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  while  his  wife  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  church.  He  belongs  to  Rock  River  Lodge, 
No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,;  Sterling  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.;  and  Sterling 
Commandery,  No.  57,  K.  T.,  while  with  the  Nobles  of  Tebala  Temple  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  he  has  crossed  the  sands  of  the  desert.  His  political  allegiance 
is  given  to  the  republican ,  party  but  official  honors  and  emoluments  have- 


HISTORY    OF    VVHITESIDE    COUNTY  593 

no  attraction  for  him,  as  he  prefers  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his 
professional  labors,  which  are  discharged  with  a  sense  of  conscientious  obliga- 
tion that  has  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  the  public  and  the  respect  of  his 
professional  brethren. 


SAMUEL  McKEAN  McCALMONT. 

Samuel  McKean  McCalmont,  one  of  the  strong  and  able  members  of  the 
Whiteside  county  bar,  practicing  as  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  McCalmont 
&  Ramsay,  at  Morrison,  was  born  in  Ustick  township,  this  county,  December 
30,  1867.  His  father,  John  J.  McCalmont,  a  native  of  Center  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, died  September  27,  1869,  when  about  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  his 
son  being  then  less  than  two  years  old.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  and 
his  great-grandfather,  Thomas  McCalmont,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  John  J.  McCalmont  acquired  a  common  school  education  and  devoted 
his  life  to  agricultural  .pursuits.  He  came  to  Illinois  about  1865,  settling  on 
a  tract  of  land  in  Ustick  township,  Whiteside  county,  his  remaining  days 
being  spent  upon  the  farm  which  he  there  purchased  and  improved.  He 
was  an  enterprising  agriculturist  and  successful  in  his  undertakings,  his  well- 
directed  labors  bringing  go'od  results.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to 
the  republican  party  and  in  religious  faith  he  was  a  Presbyterian.  His  ster- 
ling characteristics  were  those  which  constitute  honorable  manhood  and  busi- 
ness integrity.  He  married  Sarah  Elizabeth  McKean,  also  a  native  of  Center 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage.  She  is  still  living,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years  and  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Lowry) 
McKean,  both  of  whom  died  in  Pennsylvania.  After  losing  her  first  hus- 
band, Mrs.  McCalmont  became  the  wife  of  John  Miller,  now  of  Fulton, 
Illinois,  and  unto  them  was  born  a  daughter,  Anna,  the  wife  of  Edward  B. 
Garretson,  a  printer  of  Moline,  Illinois. 

Samuel  McKean  McCalmont,  the  only  son  of  the  first  marriage,  was- 
reared  upon  a  farm  to  the  age  of  nineteen  years  and  attended  the  district 
schools,  also  continuing  his  studies  in  the  schools  of  Morrison  and  of  Fulton, 
Illinois,  being  graduated  from  the  Fulton  high  school  in  the  class  of  1888. 
Later  he  spent  one  year  as  a  student  in  the  Northern  Illinois  College  at  Ful- 
ton, and  then  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan 
at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  in  the  fall  of  1889.  At  the  beginning  of  the  school 
year  of  1890  he  became  a  student  in  the  law  department  of  that  institution 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1892.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  bar 
in  June  of  the  same  year  and  at  once  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Fulton 
and  continued  there  until  March,  1895,  when  he  removed  to  Morrison,  where 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  Judge  Frank  D.  Ramsay,  under  the  firm 
style  of  Ramsay  &  McCalmont.  This  relation  was  maintained  until  the 
election  of  the  senior  partner  to  the  bench  of  the  circuit  court  in  1897,  after 
which  Mr.  McCalmont  practiced  alone  until  November,  1899,  when  Luther 
R.  Ramsay,  a  son  of  his  former  partner,  joined  him  in  the  firm  of  McCalmont 


594  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

&  Ramsay.    This  is  recognized  aS  one  of  the  strong  law  firms  of  the  county 
and  this  part  of  the  state. 

On  the  16th  of  November,  1898,  Mr.  McCalmont  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Alice  Taylor,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Taylor,  long  a  practitioner  of 
this  city.  Mr.  McCalmont  is  an  active  factor  in  the  public  interests  and  wel- 
fare of  Morrison.  He  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  the  Mystic 
Workers  and  the  Whiteside  County  Bar  Association.  In  1897-8  he  served  as 
city  attorney,  while  from  1903  until  1905  he  gave  to  the  city  a  public-spirited 
and  businesslike  administration  while  filling  the  office  of  mayor.  He  is  a 
most  active  worker  in  party  ranks  and  has  been  chairman  of  the  republican 
county  committee.  Deeply  interested  in  the  public  schools,  he  is  likewise 
president  of  the  board  of  education  of  Mount  Pleasant  township.  As  a  man 
and  lawyer  he  occupies  an  enviable  position  in  public  regard  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  whose  labors  have  been  an  element  in  the  best  interests  and  de- 
velopment of  Morrison  and  his  native  county. 


FRANK  ANTHONY,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Frank  Anthony,  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery  in  Sterling,  his  native  city,  was  born  March  9,  1858.  In  the 
paternal  line  he  is  descended  from  English  ancestry.  His  grandfather,  a 
native  of  England,  came  with  his  parents  to  America  and  settled  in  Onondaga 
county,  New  York,  where  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  passed.  There  he 
died  at  an  advanced  age,  after  which  his  widow,  Mrs.  Permelia  Anthony, 
came  to  Sterling  and  here  died  when  more  than  ninety  years  of  age. 

Their  son,  Julius  Phelps  Anthony,  was  born  in  the  Empire  state  and 
became  a  farmer,  teacher  and  physician.  He  removed  westward  to  Iowa  in 
1849  and  for  one  year  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  medicine  at  Comanche, 
after  which  he  removed  to  Sterling  and  for  more  than  forty  years  was  an 
able  physician  of  this  city.  He  practiced  among  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
throughout  the  surrounding  country  and  his  labors  were  attended  with  excel- 
lent results,  so  that  he  became  the  loved  family  physician  in  many  a  house- 
hold. At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  his  patriotism  was  strongly  aroused  and 
in  the  fall  of  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  becoming  assistant  surgeon  in 
the  Sixty-first  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  filled  that  position  until  the 
fall  of  1863,  when  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  so  continuing  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  then  mustered  out  at  Springfield  in  the  fall  of  1865,  having  done  an 
important  work  in  the  care  of  the  sick  and  the  wounded  in  the  south.  Re- 
turning to  his  home,  he  resumed  his  practice  in  Sterling  and  continued  an 
active  member  of  the  profession  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
June  9,  1891,  when  he  was  sixty-nine  years  of  age.  In  early  manhood  he 
wedded  Martha  Jane  Parks,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Both  were  faithful 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  their  lives  were  in  harmony  with 
their  professions.  Dr.  Anthony  gave  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  595 

party,  was  a  very  active  worker  in  its  ranks  and  took  a  helpful  interest  in  all 
public  improvements  and  in  the  progress  of  the  city.  He  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  building  of  the  macadamized  roads  throughout  the 
township.  Unto  him  and  his  wife  were  born  two  sons  and  three  daughters: 
Permelia,  who  is  now  living  in  Sterling;  Darwin  H.,  a  resident  of  California; 
Martha  L.,  the  wife  of  D.  R.  Crouse,  of  Salem,  Oregon;  Mary  C.,  the  wife 
of  Judge  Henry  C.  Ward,  a  prominent  lawyer  and  jurist  of  Whiteside  county; 
and  Frank,  of  this  review. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Dr.  Frank  Anthony  we  present  to 
our  readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  here, 
having  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  city.  His  early  educational  privileges 
afforded  by  the  public  schools  of  Sterling,  were  supplemented  by  study  in 
Beloit  College  and  he  qualified  for  the  profession  as  a  student  in  Rush  Med- 
ical College  of  Chicago,  from  which  he  was  graduated  on  the  22d  of  February, 
1881.  On  the  1st  of  April  of  that  year  he  began  practice  in  his  native  city, 
where  he  has  remained  continuously  since.  The  name  of  Anthony  has  long 
figured  in  connection  with  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  here  and 
has  always  been  associated  in  the  minds  of  the  people  of  Whiteside  county 
with  high  professional  honor  and  marked  capability. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  1882,  Mr.  Anthony  was  married  to  Miss  Nellie  E. 
Persels,  and  two  children  were  born  to  them:  Nellie  L.  and  Hazel  E.  The 
former  is  the  wife  of  Hugh  Ferguson,  a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  they  have 
one  son.  The  latter  is  a  trained  nurse  in  Chicago.  The  mother  died  Novem- 
ber 15,  1901,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  She  had  been  reared  in  the 
Methodist  church,  but  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  the  time 
of  her  demise.  On  the  26th  of  December,  1902,  Dr.  Anthony  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Allie  Sneed,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Shultz,  of  Dixon,  Illinois. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Anthony  hold  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
are  prominent  socially.  They  reside  at  No.  202  West  Fourth  street.  The 
doctor  has  had  some  military  experience,  having  enlisted  in  1888  in  Company 
E  of  the  Sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he  became  second  lieu- 
tenant. In  June,  1889,  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  Sixth  Regiment 
and  saw  service  in  the  railway  strike  in  Chicago  in  1894.  He  was  also  sur- 
geon of  the  Sixth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  Span- 
ish-American war  and  went  with  that  command  to  Porto  Rico,  being  mus- 
tered out  in  November,  1898,  after  the  close  of  hostilities  with  Spain.  He 
continued  with  the  National  Guard  until  1900,  when  he  resigned.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Sterling 
Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.;  and  Sterling  Commandery,  No.  57,  K.  T.  He 
is  likewise  connected  with  the  Knights  of  the  Globe  and  the  Illinois  Com- 
mandery of  the  Naval  and  Military  Order  of  the  Spanish-American  war. 
His  political  support  is  unfalteringly  given  the  republican  party.  In  the 
line  of  his  profession  he  has  various  membership  associations,  belonging  to 
the  County  and  State  Medical  Societies,  the  American  Medical  Association 
and  the  American  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons,  being  entitled  to  mem- 
bership in  the  last  named  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  is  surgeon  for  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  Company.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the 


596  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Western  Surgical  and  Gynecological  Association  and  to  other  societies  for  the 
dissemination  of  knowledge  concerning  the  science  of  medicine.  His  inves- 
tigations have  been  carried  far  and  wide  into  the  realms  of  medical  lore  and 
he  is  quick  to  adopt  any  new  method  or  remedy  which  his  judgment  sanc- 
tions as  of  value  in  his  professional  work. 


LEWIS    C.    ARNETT. 

Lewis  C.  Arnett,  a  retired  agriculturist  living  in  Prophetstown,  was  born 
in  Portland  township,  Whiteside  county,  on  the  18th  of  December,  1842. 
His  paternal  grandparents  were  Lewis  and  Clara  (Sheddick)  Arnett,  the 
former  a  native  of  Alsace,  France,  where  his  birth  occurred  in  1791.  He 
served  as  a  soldier  under  Napoleon  in  his  native  country,  and  in  the  year 
1827  emigrated  to  America,  first  locating  in  Rochester,  New  York,  while 
subsequently  he  removed  to  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania,  there  purchasing 
a  farm. 

His  son,  Jacob  Arnett,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Alsace, 
France,  April  15,  1815,  and  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  emigration  to 
the  United  States  in  1827.  He  remained  with  his  parents  on  the  home 
farm  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  fields  but  by  the  time  he  attained  his 
majority  had  become  convinced  that  he  could  never  carry  on  agricultural 
pursuits  successfully  in  the  Keystone  state  on  account  of  the  stony  condition 
of  the  soil.  The  day  previous  to  the  celebration  of  his  twenty-first  birthday, 
while  doing  some  plowing,  the  point  of  his  plow  struck  a  rock  and  the 
handles  flew  up  and  struck  him  in  the  ribs.  He  told  his  father  he  would 
never  touch  the  plow  again  and  the  next  day  was  employed  at  rafting  logs 
down  the  Ohio  river,  arriving  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  in  1836.  He  at 
once  took  up  a  claim  of  land  on  section  35,  Portland  township,  and  the  next 
year  induced  his  father  to  join  him  here,  entering  a  tract  of  land  for  him- 
self adjoining  his  original  claim  and  letting  his  father  settle  on  the  latter. 
The  death  of  Lewis  Arnett  occurred  in  1868.  Jacob  Arnett  early  displayed 
untiring  industry  and  sound  business  judgment  in  the  conduct  of  his  inter- 
ests. He  was  noted  for  his  trading  propensities  and  would  dig  ditches,  put 
up  fences  or  work  at  haying  and  harvesting,  taking  his  pay  in  stock  or  any- 
thing else  which  he  could  subsequently  trade  off.  In  a  few  years  he  had 
accumulated  quite  an  amount  of  property  and  was  widely  recognized  as  an 
enterprising  and  prosperous  citizen  and  respected  pioneer  of  his  community. 
At  the  time  of  the  California  gold  excitement  he  fitted  out  some  fine  teams, 
proceeded  to  the  Golden  state  and  there  used  his  teams  to  excellent  advantage, 
returning  to  his  home  in  Portland  township  when  he  had  a  goodly  supply 
of  the  precious  metal.  For  several  years  prior  to  his  death  he  was  engaged 
in  the  implement  business  at  Geneseo,  Illinois.  His  demise  occurred  in  May, 
1899,  at  that  place,  and  the  county  mourned  the  loss  of  one  of  its  must 
honored  pioneers  and  successful  business  men. 

In  1841  Jacob  Arnett  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Charlotte  Summers,  a  native,  of  Germany,  who  died  in  August,  1881, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  597 

at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  In  the  family  of  this  \vorthy  couple  were  seven 
children:  Lewis  C.,  of  this  review;  Samuel  J.,  of  Geneseo,  Illinois;  Phillip 
S.,  who  resides  in  Erie,  Illinois,  Mary  E.  Smith,  of  Geneseo;  Albert  W.,  who 
makes  his  home  in  North  Platte,  Nebraska;  Clara  Rapp,  who  lives  in  Henry 
County,  Illinois;  and  Tillie  Alber,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 

Lewis  C.  Arnett  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  when  not  busy  with 
the  labors  of  the  fields  during  the  winter  season  pursued  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  In  1866  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  and  two  years  later  added  eighty  acres  more  to  his  holdings.  He 
.still  owns  this  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  of  valuable  and  well  improved  land 
and  also  owns  twenty-seven  acres  of  timber  land  in  Henry  county,  Illinois. 
In  1878  Mr.  Arnett  rented  his  farm  and  removed  to  Geneseo,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  implement  business  for  three  years  but  on  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  returned  to  farming,  which  pursuit  he  carried  on  until 
February,  1908,  when  he  put  aside  active  work  and  is  now  living  retired  in 
Prophetstown,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil  in  well  earned  rest.  Per- 
severance, industry  and  capable  business  management  have  brought  him  the 
prosperity  which  now  crowns  his  labors  and  he  is  widely  known  as  one  of  the 
prominent  and  successful  citizens  of  his  native  county. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1868,  Mr.  Arnett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Sarah  Roos,  who  was  born  in  Henry  county,  Illinois,  in  May,  1849, 
a  daughter  of  Martin  and  Elizabeth  (Lehman)  Roos,  whose  family  num- 
bered five  children:  Martin  J.,  of  South  Dakota;  Phillip,  who  resides  in 
Erie,  Illinois;  Rebecca  Heller,  who  makes  her  home  in  Geneseo,  Illinois; 
Mrs.  Arnett;  and  one  who  is  deceased.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Roos  died  in  1855 
when  about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  and  for  his  second  wife  Martin  Roos 
chose  Miss  Barbara  Knapper,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  nine  of  whom 
are  yet  living.  The  father  passed  away  in  Geneseo  on  the  22d  of  September, 
1901,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  his  second  wife  surviving  him  until 
August,  1907,  when  she,  too,  was  called  to  her  final  rest.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Arnett  have  been  born  eight  children.  Clare,  who  is  the  wife  of  Gus  Weburg, 
resides  at  Prophetstown  and  has  four  children :  Claude,  Lewis,  Mildred  and 
Robert.  Stacy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  Zschiesche  and  lives  in 
Portland  township.  Roy,  who  married  Mabel  Weber,  lives  in  Henry  county, 
Illinois,  and  has  two  children,  Guy  and  Belva.  Ida,  the  wife  of  Leman  Hill, 
makes  her  home  in  Prophetstown.  Agnes,  who  became  the  wife  of  Jay 
Sibley,  is  living  in  Portland  township.  Winnie,  the  wife  of  B.  Berge,  also 
resides  in  Portland  township.  Maude,  wife  of  Frank  Sibley,  and  Harlan 
are  both  at  home. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1908,  Mr.  Arnett  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  his  wife.  She  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Evangelical  church 
and  was  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  community  by  reason  of  her  good 
traits  of  heart  and  mind.  Politically  Mr.  Arnett  is  a  republican  and  is  well 
known  in  the  local  ranks  of  his  party  a.s  an  active  and  efficient  worker  in 
the  cause  of  reform,  progress  and  improvement.  He  has  held  the  offices 
of  constable  and  school  director,  has  served  as  school  trustee  for  three  terms 
and  as  a  member  of  the  republican  central  committee  for  twelve  years.  Since 


598  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

1872  he  has  been  a  member  of  Masonic  Lodge,  No.  412,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Spring  Hill,  has  filled  all  the  chairs  in  that  order  and  has  been  treasurer 
for  eight  consecutive  years.  For  almost  three-fourths  of  a  century  the  name 
of  Arnett  has  figured  prominently  in  the  annals  of  Whiteside  county,  for 
from  early  pioneer  times  down  to  the  present,  representatives  of  the  name 
have  taken  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  progress  and  development  here. 


THOMAS  NEARY. 

Thomas  Neary,  living  retired  in  Fenton,  was  born  in  County  Galway, 
Ireland,  on  the  14th  of  December,  1837,  his  parents  being  Peter  and  Esther 
(Burns)  Neary,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Emerald  isle.  The  father  died 
when  his  son  was  but  two  and  a  half  years  of  age  and  the  boy  was  brought 
to  the  new  world  by  his  mother  and  a  brother,  Patrick,  about  1850.  They 
settled  at  Marlboro,  Monmouth  county,  New  Jersey,  where  they  lived  for 
four  or  five  years,  and  afterward  removed  to  Connersville,  Fayette  county, 
Indiana,  where  the  mother  and  brother  established  their  home.  Later,  how- 
ever, Thomas  Neary  came  to  Illinois,  arriving  in  1862.  He  located  in  Mont- 
morency  township,  Whiteside  county,  near  Rock  Falls,  and  further  com- 
pleted his  arrangements  for  having  a  home  of  his  own  by  his  marriage  in 
1864.  It  was  in  the  same  year  that  he  offered  his  services  to  the  government 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  army,  enlisting  on  the  4th  of  January,  1864,  as  a 
member  of  Company  H,  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalry,  under  Colonel  Davis.  He 
joined  the  regiment  at  Chicago,  was  sent  to  St.  Louis  and  afterward  to  New 
Orleans.  He  participated  in  the  Red  River  expedition  under  General 
Banks  and  was  engaged  in  warfare  with  the  guerrillas  in  Louisiana.  His 
service  was  largely  of  this  nature,  the  suppression  of  marauding  bands  of 
soldiers  who  seemed  to  care  more  for  plunder  than  for  their  country.  When 
the  war  was  over  Mr.  Neary  was  mustered  out  at  Houston,  Texas,  in  May, 
1866. 

Returning  to  Whiteside  county  on  the  26th  of  June,  following,  Mr. 
Neary  began  farming  upon  rented  land,  which  he  cultivated  for  three  years. 
In  the  meantime  he  carefully  saved  his  earnings  until  he  was  able  to  pur- 
chase eighty  acres,  when  he  invested  in  a  tract  of  land  of  that  size  on  section 
17,  Fenton  township.  Here  he  has  since  made  his  home,  but  has  extended 
the  boundaries  of  his  property  by  additional  purchases  until  he  now  owns 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  He  has  two  farms  in  the  township,  one  of 
one  hundred  acres  being  situated  about  a  mile  from  the  other.  He  carried 
one  general  agricultural  pursuits  with  gratifying  success  until  March,  1903, 
when  he  retired  to  the  village  of  Fenton  and  built  his  present  home.  Here 
he  is  comfortably  located,  his  farm  labor  having  brought  to  him  capita! 
sufficient  to  enable  him  to  enjoy  the  necessities  and  some  of  the  luxuries  of 
life. 

Mr.  Neary  was  married  in  1864  to  Miss  Ellen  Scott,  who  was  born  in 
Hopkins  township.  Whiteside  county,  July  3,  1845,  and  has  spent  her  entire 


MR.  AND  MRS.  THOMAS  NEARY 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  601 

life  in  this  county.  Her  parents  were  Asa  and  Elizabeth  (Taylor)  Scott, 
natives  of  Ohio,  the  former  born  in  Morgan  county  and  the  latter  in  Wash- 
ington county.  They  were  married  in  the  Buckeye  state  and  came  west  to 
Illinois  in  1835,  casting  in  their  lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Whiteside 
county.  The  father  entered  a  claim  from  the  government,  the  place  being 
situated  about  a  mile  and  a  third  south  of  Rock  Falls  in  Montmorency 
township.  Not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  improvement  made  upon 
the  claim,  but  with  characteristic  energy  he  began  its  development  and  soon 
broke  the  sod  and  converted  the  wild  prairie  into  rich  and  productive  fields, 
large  crops  of  grain  replacing  the  prairie  grasses  and  the  wild  flowers  which 
formerly  covered  the  countryside.  For  years  Mr.  Scott  carried  on  general 
agricultural  pursuits  and  was  known  as  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of 
the  community,  but  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death  in  May,  1883,  when 
he  was  sixty-six  years  of  age.  His  wife  passed  away  in  March,  1884,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  sons  and  eight  daugh- 
ters and  with  one  exception  all  of  the  daughters  are  yet  living,  but  three  of 
the  sons  have  passed  away,  one  having  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  as 
the  result  of  his  army  experience,  sustaining  injuries  at  the  battle  of  Perrys- 
ville  from  which  he  never  recovered,  although  he  returned  home  after  that 
engagement.  He  had  enlisted  from  Sterling  in  Company  D,  of  the  Seventy- 
fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  his  life  was  practically  given  for  his 
country.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neary  were  born  five  children:  Mary,  the 
wife  of  Fred  M.  Prestley,  of  Fenton;  Anna,  the  wife  of  Elisha  Ball,  of  Mor- 
rison ;  Emma,  the  wife  of  Frank  Elmendorf,  of  Morrison ;  -William  A.,  a 
farmer,  of  Fenton  township ;  and  Fred  C.,  who  is  living  on  his  father's  farm 
a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Fenton.  Mrs.  Neary  is  a  distant  relative  of  three 
distinguished  military  heroes  of  the  country,  Generals  Taylor,  Scott  and 
Sherman. 

Mr.  Neary  maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades 
through  his  membership  with  Morrison  Post,  No.  118,  G.  A.  R.  He  belongs 
to  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camp  and  in  politics  is  a  republican,  casting  his 
first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1860  and  supporting  each 
nominee  at  the  head  of  the  ticket  since  that  time.  He  never  sought  political 
honors  nor  emoluments,  his  life  being  devoted  to  his  business  interests, 
whereby  he  attained  the  success  that  now  makes  possible  his  present  retirement 
from  business  cares.  It  is  fitting  that  he  should  enjoy  rest  in  the  evening 
of  his  days,  for  he  has  reached  the  age  of  seventy  years. 


JOSEPH    F.    SMITH. 

Joseph  F.  Smith,  whose  well  directed  activity  in  former  years  while 
carrying  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  now  enables  him  to  live  retired 
from  further  business  cares,  is  pleasantly  located  at  No.  506  East  Third 
street.  He  was  born  in  Moline,  Illinois,  August  22,  1844,  and  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families  of  this  state.  His  paternal  grand- 


602  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  his  father,  Joseph  B.  Smith,  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  that  state.  He  was  reared  to  the  occupation 
of  farming  and  about  1843  came  to  the  middle  west,  attracted  by  the  broader 
opportunities  for  agricultural  progress  in  this  new  but  rapidly  developing 
section  of  the  country.  He  settled  first  at  Moline  and  soon  after  bought 
land  and  carried  on  farming  until  his  death,  which  resulted  from  smallpox 
in  May,  1863,  when  he  was  about  fifty-four  years  of  age.  In  early  manhood 
he  had  wedded  Catharine  Fuller,  also  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  she  survived  him  for  a  number  of  years,  passing  away  at 
the  age  of  seventy.  Both  were  consistent  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
church. 

Their  family  numbered  thirteen  children,  seven  sons  and  six  daughters, 
of  whom  nine  are  now  living:  Charlotte,  the  wife  of  William  Simmons, 
of  South  Moline ;  Louisa,  the  wife  of  James  A.  Griffith,  also  of  South  Moline ; 
Joseph  F.,  of  this  review;  Abraham,  who  makes  his  home  in  York  county, 
Nebraska;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Samuel  C.  Turner,  a  resident  of  Anita,  Cass 
county,  Iowa;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Asbury  Griffin,  of  South  Moline,  Illinois; 
Noah,  who  resides  in  Joplin.  Missouri;  Luella,  the  wife  of  George  Johnson, 
also  of  Missouri;  and  Nora,  the  wife  of  George  Bustard,  of  Moline. 

Joseph  F.  Smith  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Moline,  Illinois,  attending 
the  public  schools  while  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  during  his  youth  he 
was  instructed  not  only  'in  the  branches  of  learning  taught  through  the 
system  of  public  education  but  also  in  the  various  departments  of  farm  work 
as  he  assisted  his  father  in  tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  crops. 

He  was  not  yet  eighteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  but  notwithstanding  his  youth  he  enlisted  for  service,  as  did  his 
brothers,  James  W.  and  Jacob  Smith.  The  latter  did  not  enter  the  army 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war  but  subsequently  joined  Company  F  of  the 
Eighty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  while  Joseph  F.  and  James  W. 
joined  Company  H,.of  the  Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  The  two  broth- 
ers of  our  subject  arcs  both  now  deceased.  Jacob  was  under  fire  almost  con- 
stantly night  and  day  for  six  months  and  participated  in  twenty-two  hotly 
contested  battles  but  never  sustained  a  wound.  The  other  brother,  James, 
was  color  bearer  of  his  regiment.  Joseph  F.  Smith  loyally  marched  to  the 
defense  of  the  Union  and  meeting  the  enemy  at  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas,  was 
there  wounded  in  battle  on  the  7th  of  March,  1862,  and  lost  his  right  arm. 
This  naturally  ended  his  military  service,  although  he  was  present  at  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg. 

When  he  could  no  longer  do  active  duty  at  the  front  Mr.  Smith  re- 
turned home  and  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  his  mother's  farm. 
He  had  previously  gone  to  the  west,  however,  to  Howard  county,  Kansas, 
where  he  and  his  brother  Jacob  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
which  they  afterward  sold.  Joseph  F.  Smith  then  returned  to  Moline  and 
cultivated  his  mother's  farm,  as  above  mentioned,  for  several  years.  As  an 
agriculturist  his  methods  were  practical  and  progressive  and  his  labors  brought 
him  a  goodly  success,  which  now  makes  possible  his  present  retirement.  In 
the  fall  of  1895  he  became  a  resident  of  Rock  Falls. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  603 

In  1876  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Smith  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Irene 
Gamble,  a  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Elizabeth  (Heck)  Gamble,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  lived  in  Westmoreland  county.  The  latter 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Heck,  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state  and  of  Penn- 
sylvania German  descent.  His  wife  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Heck,  while  the  paternal 
grandmother  of  Mrs.  Smith  was  Polly  Gamble.  Leaving  the  east,  Josiah 
Gamble  became  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Illinois  and  devoted  his  time  and 
energies  to  the  occupation  of  farming  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in 
death  in  1868.  His  widow  long  survived  and  passed  away  in  April,  1895. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  living :  Aaron 
Gamble,  who  resides  in  Altoona,  Wilson  county,  Kansas ;  John,  who  is  living 
in  Clinton,  Iowa;  Irene,  the  wife  of  Joseph  F.  Smith;  Otterbein  Gamble, 
whose  home  is  in  Moline,  Illinois;  and  Silas,  also  a  resident  of  Moline. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  has  been  blessed  with  two  children, 
Noble  Edmund  and  Clyde  F.  The  "former,  H  railroad  man,  married  Miss 
Emma  Bassett,  and  they  have  four  children,  Clyde  Lester,  Irene  May,  Gladys 
and  Harry  Milton  Smith.  The  younger  son,  Clyde  F.  Smith,  is  a  fireman 
on  the  Northwestern  Railroad  and  lives  at  Blue  Island,  Illinois.  He  wedded 
Pearl  Orr  and  they  have  one  daughter.  Dorothy  Darline. 

Politically  Mr.  Smith  is  a  republican  and  while  never  an  active  poli- 
tician in  the  sense  of  office  seeking  he  acceptably  served  as  tax  collector  of 
South  Moline  for  several  terms.  He  is  identified  with  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  and  formerly  was  a  member  of  Moline  Post.  In  this  way  he 
has  kept  in  touch  with  his  old  army  comrades  and  greatly  enjoys  the  camp 
fires  and  the  reminiscences  of  events  which  occurred  on  the  tented  fields.  He 
owns  a  good  home  at  No.  506  East  Third  street  and  is  enjoying  well  earned 
rest  there  amid  many  friends,  who  entertain  for  him  kindly  regard. 


JOHN    A.    WARD. 

'  Among  the  younger  attorneys  at  the  Whiteside  county  bar  is  numbered 
John  A.  Ward,  whose  years,  however,  seem  no  bar  to  his  professional  success, 
as  he  has  already  gained  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  lawyer.  He  was  born 
in  Sterling,  October  16,  1881,  and  is  a  son  of  Judge  Henry  C.  and  Mary  C. 
(Anthony)  Ward,  of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

While  spending  his  boyhood  days  under  the  parental  roof,  he  pursued 
his  education  in  the  public  schools,  passing  through  consecutive  grades  until 
he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1899.  He  then 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  .Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
and  was  graduated  in  June,  1902.  In  December  of  the  same  year  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  practice  in  Sterling,  where  he  has  remained 
to  the  present  time.  Already  he  has  gained  a  large  clientage  and  is  indus- 
trious and  careful  in  his  work,  fearing  not  that  laborious  attention  to  detail 
and  to  careful  preparation  which  constitutes  the  basis  of  all  legal  success. 
He  does  a  large  loaning  business  and  also  represent^  the  Aachen  &  Munich  Fire 


604  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Insurance  Company,  and  is  agent  for  the  United  States  Fidelity  and  Guar- 
anty Company  of  Baltimore. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1904,  Mr.  Ward  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  A. 
Munson,  a  daughter  of  Charles  N.  and  Elizabeth  G.  (Gordon)  Munson,  for- 
merly of  Sterling  but  now  of  Pasadena,  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward 
have  one  daughter,  Elizabeth  Mary,  and  one  son,  Henry  Munson.  The 
parents  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  are  prominent  socially. 
They  reside  at  No.  809  B.  avenue. 

Mr.  Ward's  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and 
fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  is  identified  with  those  interests  which  represent  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  the  city  and  he  stands  for  high  ideals  in  professional  and  social  relations 
and  of  good  citizenship. 


REV.   CHARLES   GORMAN   RICHARDS. 

i 

Rev.  Charles  Gorman  Richards,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
of  Sterling,  was  born  in  Pittston,  Pennsylvania,  June  28,  1872.  His  grand- 
father, Peter  Richards,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  Removing  to  Pennsylvania,  he 
settled  in  Luzerne  county,  where  he  died  in  middle  age,  while  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Susan  Richards,  passed  away  at  the  age  of  thirty-five.  The  grandfather  of 
Peter  Richards,  Abram  Richards,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Peter  K.  Richards,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  in  early  life  engaged  in  business  as  a  carpenter  and  contractor. 
Later  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  subsequently  became  a  real- 
estate  dealer  of  Pittston,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  still  carries  on  the  business. 
He  married  Rosina  Corselius,  who  was  likewise  born  in  the  Keystone  state, 
a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Maria  (Young)  Corselius.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey  and  of  Holland  Dutch  descent.  He  filled  the  office  of  justice 
of  the  peace  and  was  prominent  in  the  work  for  moral  development  in  the 
and  two  daughters:  Floyd  P.;  Jeptha  C. ;  Jessie  M.,  the  widow  of  Isaac  N. 
community,  serving  as  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  for  over  forty 
years.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  K.  Richards  were  born  six  children,  four  sons 
Sutton;  Dorcas  H.,  the  wife  of  Earl  N.  Decker;  Rev.  Charles  Gorman,  of 
this  review;  and  Rev.  Parke  Richards,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Plymouth,  a  suburb  of  Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania. 

The  Rev.  Charles  Gorman  Richards,  reared  under  the  parental  roof  in 
his  native  city,  attended  the  public  schools  there  and  afterward  continued 
his  studies  in  the  Susquehanna  Collegiate  Institute  at  Towanda,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  next  entered  Princeton  University,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  class  of  1897.  For  a  year  he  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  Sus- 
quehanna Collegiate  Institute  and  then  came  west  to  Chicago,  entering  the 
McCormick  Theological  Seminary,  where  he  prepared  for  the  ministry,  being 
graduated  in  1901.  Becoming  an  ordained  preacher  of  the  Presbyterian 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  605 

church,  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Columbus, 
Indiana,  where  he  remained  for  five  years  and  on  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  came  to  Sterling,  July  1,  1906,  as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  this  city. 

On  the  26th  of  June,  1902,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Richards  was  united  in  the 
holy  bonds  of  matrimony  to  Miss  Mary  Louise  McKnight  and  they  have  one 
son,  Alexander  McKnight  Richards.  Mrs.  Richards  is  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Louisa  (Lindsay)  McKnight,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  father  was  a  lawyer  of  Chambersburg,  that  state.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
Lafayette  College  at  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  and  for  some  years  was  a  trustee 
of  that  college.  He  is  now  deceased  but  the  mother  survives  and  lives  in 
Chicago.  They  had  three  children:  Miss  Elizabeth  B.  McKnight,  who  is 
librarian  of  the  high  school  at  Joliet,  Illinois;  Mrs.  Richards;  and  a  son  who 
died  in  infancy.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Richards  was  William 
C.  McKnight,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  who  also  owned  and  edited  one  of 
the  newspapers  of  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  prominent  and 
influential  in  the  community  where  he  resided  and  for  a  number  of  years 
represented  his  district  in  the  Pennsylvania  legislature.  Mrs.  Richards  is 
a  graduate  of  Wilson  College  of  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania,  of  the  class 
of  1897,  and  is  a  lady  of  culture,  refinement  and  broad  sympathy,  who  is 
proving  of  much  assistance  to  her  husband  in  his  work. 


JOHN   MEE. 

John  Mee,  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance  and  loan  business  with  office 
in  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Sterling,  belongs  to  that  class  of  representative 
American  men,  whose  alert,  enterprising  spirit  and  recognition  of  opportun- 
ity constitutes  the  basis  of  success.  He  was  born  at  Colts  Neck,  Monmouth 
county,  New  Jersey,  April  23,  1852,  and  is  one  of  the  eight  children  of  Mar- 
tin and  Honora  (Hurley)  Mee,  natives  of  County  Galway,  Ireland.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  William  Mee,  was  born  on  the  Emerald  isle,  where  he 
devoted  his  life  to  farming  until  called  to  his  final  rest.  He  died  when 
past  middle  life,  while  his  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  (Kelley)  Mee,  lived  to  a  ripe 
old  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  daughters. 

Their  only  son,  Martin  Mee,  when  a  young  man  worked  in  England, 
devoting  his  attention  largely  to  farming.  In  1850  he  came  to  America  and 
settled  in  New  Jersey,  whence  in  March,  1861,  he  removed  to  Whiteside  county, 
Illinois,  and  began  farming  in  the  town  of  Hume,  where  he  carried  on  gen- 
eral agricultural  pursuits  for  about  sixteen  years.  In  1877  he  removed  to 
Tama  county,  Iowa,  settling  near  Grundy  Center,  and  died  at  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, in  January,  1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Hurley,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  was  also  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  passed  away  ot  the  age  of  eighty-five  year.-.  He  was  married 
five  times,  the  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Mee  being  a  Miss  Simon  in  her  maiden- 
hood. They  had  five  children,  two  daughters  and  three  sons,  including 


606  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Honora  Hurley,  who  in  early  womanhood  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to 
Martin  Mee.  She  passed  away  December  27,  1869,  at  the  age  of  forty-three 
years,  and  like  her  husband,  she  was  a  communicant  of  the  Catholic  church. 
They  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  six  are  living :  John ; 
Margaret,  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Canty,  of  Toledo,  Iowa;  Catherine,  the  wife  of 
David  Buchan,  of  Waterloo,  Iowa;  William,  of  Oklahoma  City,  Oklahoma; 
James,  of  Centerville,  South  Dakota;  and  Martin,  of  Gladbrook,  Iowa.  Mary, 
born  September  2,  1854,  married  John  Cunniff,  of  Hume  township,  this 
county,  and  died  June  11,  1891.  leaving  her  husband  and  four  children: 
John,  Jr.,  Catherine  E.,  Elizabeth  and  William  M. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  John  Mee  we  present  to  our  readers 
the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Whiteside 
county,  having  come  to  this  county  with  his  parents  when  but  nine  years 
of  age.  Here  he  was  reared  upon  a  farm  and  in  the  winter  months  attended 
the  district  schools,  while  in  the  summer  seasons  he  aided  in  the  work  of 
the  fields.  After  completing  his  education  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  account  for  three  years  and  later  engaged  in  the  sale  of  sewing  machines 
and  patent  medicines.  He  was  also  for  a  time  in  the  shoe  business,  and  on 
the  7th  of  June,  1875,  came  to  Sterling.  For  the  past  ten  years  he  has 
conducted  a  fire  insurance  and  loan  office  and  has  secured  a  good  clientage. 
He  also  has  an  income  property  in  an  excellent  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  Hume  township. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1890,  Mr.  Mee  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  Rourk, 
a  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Mary  (Williams)  Rourk.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Thomas  S.  R.  and  Mary  H.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mee  are  communi- 
cants of  the  Catholic  church  and  his  fraternal  relations  connect  him  with 
Sterling  Camp,  No.  12,  M.  W.  A.  Politically  he  is  a  democrat  and  has 
figured  somewhat  prominently  in  local  political  circles,  having  been  town- 
ship collector  of  Hume  township  for  one  term,  while  for  two  terms  he  repre- 
sented the  fifth  ward  in  the  city  council.  His  labors  in  behalf  of  municipal 
progress  are  marked  and  have  resulted  beneficially  to  the  city.  In  all  of  his 
official  service  he  is  actuated  by  a  public-spirited  devotion  to  the  general 
.good  and  his  official  record  is  altogether  creditable. 


WILLIAM  PIMM  HIDDLESON. 

Few  citizens  of  Whiteside  county  can  claim  so  long  a  residence  here  as 
does  William  Pimm  Hiddleson,  who  for  the  past  fifty-seven  years  has  resided 
within  its  borders.  He  is  numbered  among  the  substantial  agriculturists  of 
this  section  of  the  state,  owning  and  operating  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  situated  on  section  10,  Mount  Pleasant  township. 

He  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  2,  1843,  a  son 
of  Rufus  K.  and  Caroline  (Converse)  Hiddleson,  who  in  1850  made  the 
overland  trip  to  Illinois,  the  father  making  his  way  to  Whiteside  county, 
where  he  bought  a  claim  from  a  Mr.  Boyer,  this  property  being  now  the 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  607 

home  of  our  subject.  The  father  was  of  Irish  descent  and  the  mother  was  a 
native  of  Vermont.  After  settling  in  Mount  Pleasant  township  the  father 
was  engaged  in  general  agricultural  pursuits  throughout  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  his  death  there  occurring  in  1893,  when  he  had  reached  an  advanced 
age.  He  was  well  known  in  public  life,  having  for  several  terms  served  as 
sheriff  of  the  county,  this  being  in  the  latter  '50s,  while  he  also  acted  as 
county  commissioner  and  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  residence  in 
the  county  served  on  the  school  board.  His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  home 
beyond,  her  death  occurring  in  1885.  Their  family  numbered  three  chil- 
dren, the  sisters  of  our  subject  being  Elizabeth,  a  resident  of  the  state  of 
Washington  and  the  widow  of  William  Heaton,  who  died  in  Portland,  Oregon, 
several  years  ago;  and  Lydia  Jane,  the  widow  of  Henry  Tucker  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Morrison,  Illinois. 

William  Pimm  Hiddleson  was  a  little  lad  of  seven  years  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  from  the  Keystone  state  to  Illinois.  He  was  reared  in 
Whiteside  county  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Morrison. 
From  an  early  age  he  was  trained  to  the  duties  of  the  home  farm  and  thus 
received  practical  training  which  served  him  well  when  he  undertook  the 
management  of  the  farm  property.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  the  place  on 
which  he  was  reared,  the  place  comprising  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of 
valuable  land,  situated  on  section  10,  Mount  Pleasant  township.  He  has  made 
many  modern  improvements  here  and  is  now  comfortably  situated  in  life. 

Mr.  Hiddleson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  R.  Heaton,  a  native 
of  this  county,  born  in  1854.  Her  parents,  Alfred  and  Ann  Eliza  (Robertson) 
Hiddleson,  came  to  this  state  from  New  York  about  the  year  1844.  The 
mother  died  in  1888,  but  the  father  survived  her  and  made  his  home  in 
Morrison  until  March  20,  1908,  when  he  passed  away  at  the  very  advanced 
age  of  eighty-eight  years.  Mrs.  Hiddleson  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  the  other  members  of  the  family  being:  Warren,  who  in 
1861  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Illinois 
Cavalry  and  died  in  Washington  in  1862;  Mrs.  Olive  King,  who  resides  near 
Merrill,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Alfretta  Babcock,  a  resident  of  Shell  Lake,  Wisconsin; 
.Mrs.  Ada  Galentine,  of  Kearney,  Nebraska;  Mrs.  Emily  Thomas,  of  Morrison,; 
and  Katie,  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiddleson  has  been  blessed  with  a  son 
and  daughter.  Charles  Pimm,  who  is  engaged  in  the  gas  business  in  Mor- 
rison, married  Miss  Margaret  Spears,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons,  Spears  and 
Alfred,  aged  respectively  eleven  and  nine  years.  Pearle  Mae  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  West,  who  is  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Morrison.  They  have 
one  son,  Joshua  Pimm  West. 

Mr.  Hiddleson  gives  his  political  support  to  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  republican  party  and  for  many  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  Few  men  are  more  familiar  with  the  history  of  Whiteside  county 
during  the  last  half  century  than  Mr.  Hiddleson.  As  a  boy  he  made  his  way 
across  the  country  to  Illinois,  and  with  the  family  bore  all  the  hardships  and 
privations  incident  to  a  settlement  on  the  frontier.  Many  of  the  now  thriving 
cities  and  villages  of  the  county  were  as  yet  not  laid  out  and  much  of  the 


608  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

farm  lands  were  still  unclaimed.  He  has  seen  the  wonderful  changes  that 
have  since  been  wrought  and  with  its  agricultural  interests  has  been  actively 
identified,  so  that  the  history  of  the  pioneer  settlement  of  Whiteside  county 
would  be  incomplete  without  the  record  of  his  life  and  it  cannot  fail  to  be 
of  interest  to  our  readers. 


JAMES  H.  WOODBURN. 

James  H.  Woodburn,  residing  at  No.  1209  "West  Third  street,  is  con- 
ducting business  as  a  nurseryman  and  dealer  in  seeds  and  flowers.  He  has 
long  been  identified  with  the  agricultural  and  horticultural  interests  of 
Sterling  and  Whiteside  county  and  is  thoroughly  respected  in  business  circles. 

He  was  born  in  Newville,  Pennsylvania,  October  12,  1836,  his  parents 
being  George  W.  and  Mary  (Williams)  Woodburn,  likewise  natives  of  the 
same  state.  The  father  followed  merchandising  in  early  manhood  and  in 
1837  came  to  the  middle  west  on  a  prospecting  tour.  The  land  in  this  locality 
had  not  yet  been  -surveyed,  but  the  government  required  the  settlers  to  fence 
thirty  acres  of  their  homestead,  which  no  one  could  take  away  from  them, 
and  when  the  land  came  into  market  Mr.  "Woodburn  purchased  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  on  which  stood  a  log  cabin  containing  two  rooms.  He 
then  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  in  1838  came  again  to  Illinois,  leaving 
the  old  home  in  the  east  on  the  8th  of  January,  arriving  in  Sterling  on  the 
15th  of  April.  The  trip  westward  was  made  by  wagon  across  the  country, 
the  way  often  leading  through  the  primeval  forests  as  well  as  across  almost 
trackless  prairie.  Mr.  Woodburn  engaged  in  farming  on  what  is  now  the 
western  edge  of  Sterling,  concentrating  his  energies  upon  the  development 
of  a  new  farm.  His  wife  died  in  1846  and  three  years  later,  in  1849,  he  went 
to  the  far  west  and  prospected  for  gold  in  California.  About  seven  years 
were  spent  on  the  Pacific  coast  and  in  1856  he  returned  to  Whiteside  county, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
seventy-five  years  of  age.  For  his  second  wife  he  chose  Phoebe  Ann  Shultz, 
who  is  still  living. 

James  H.  Woodburn,  the  only  child  of  the  father's  first  marriage,  went 
to  Indianapolis  in  his  boyhood  days  and  attended  an  academy  there  while 
living  with  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Margaret  F.  (Williams)  Espy.  He  spent  six  years 
in  that  city,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  native  town,  becoming  a  student 
in  the  academy  there,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1854. 
His  education  completed,  he  returned  to  Sterling,  where  he  began  farming 
and  he  still  lives  upon  the  old  homestead,  which  has  been  his  place  of  resi- 
dence for  fifty-three  years  and  which  is  now  his  property.  The  homestead 
contains  about  twenty  acres,  lying  within  the  corporation  limits  of  Sterling. 
He  also  owns  forty  acres  of  the  original  purchase  on  the  creek,  which  is 
timberland.  Farming  and  fruit-growing  have  been  his  life  work  and  in 
connection  therewith  he  has  engaged  in  the  nursery  business  and  in  floricul- 
ture. His  business  is  profitable,  having  been  gradually  developed  along 


JAMES  II.  WOODMFRN 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSfTY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBAIM 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  611 

modern  lines  and  he  today  receives  a  liberal  patronage  in  the  sale  of  nursery 
stock,  seeds  and  flowers. 

In  1858  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Woodburn  and  Miss  Susan  A. 
Farrar,  of  Laconia,  New  Hampshire,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Hannah  Far- 
rar.  Two  sons  were  born  of  that  union:  Charles  H.  and  George  W.,  the 
latter  now  deceased.  The  former,  who  wedded  Mary  J.  Clatworthy,  is  an 
attorney  of  Sterling.  Mrs.  Susan  A.  Woodburn,  who  was  a  doveted  member 
of  the  Fourth  Street  Methodist  church,  died  in  March,  1903. 

Mr.  Woodburn  also  belongs  to  the  same  church  and  is  interested  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  moral  development  of  the  community.  He  is 
entitled  to  membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  by  reason  of 
his  active  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  for  three  years  at 
the  front,  enlisting  in  Company  I,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
as  a  private.  Immediately,  however,  he  was  made  sergeant  and  later  was 
commissioned  second  lieutenant,  but  was  not  mustered  in  as  such  from  the 
fact  that  the  company  was  not  full  enough,  its  ranks  having  been  greatly 
disseminated  by  the  ravages  of  war.  Politically  he  was  originally  a  whig 
and  since  the  dissolution  of  that  party  has  been  a  stalwart  republican.  He 
is  interested  in  all  matters  of  citizenship  and  his  cooperation  can  be  counted 
upon  to  further  progressive  public  measures. 

He  is  one  of  Whiteside  county's  oldest  settlers,  dating  his  residence  here 
from  1838,  and  his  mind  bears  the  impress  of  the  early  historic  annals  of  the 
state  and  forms  a  connecting  link  between  the  primitive  past  and  the  pro- 
gressive present.  When  one  looks  abroad  over  the  fine  farms  and  the  thriv- 
ing cities  of  Illinois  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  it  is  within  the  memory  of  any 
living  man  when  all  this  section  was  largely  an  unbroken  prairie,  but  such  it 
was  during  the  early  youth  of  James  H.  Woodburn.  One  could  ride  for 
miles  without  coming  to  a  house  or  fence  to  impede  his  progress  and  the 
land,  rich  in  its  natural  resources,  had  not  been  brought  under  the  plow. 
From  an  early  date  he  has  borne  his  full  part  in  promoting  the  interests 
which  have  transformed  this  into  a  rich  agricultural  district  with  thriving 
commercial  and  industrial  centers  in  its  midst. 


HARVEY    R.    SENIOR, 

Harvey  R.  Senior,  vice  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Albany, 
was  formerly  closely  associated  with  agricultural  interests  in  Whiteside  county 
but  has  retired  from  the  work  of  the  farm  and  gives  his  attention  merely  to 
his  invested  interests  at  the  present  time.  He  is  a  man  of  undoubted  business 
integrity,  of  enterprise  and  of  stalwart  determination — qualities  which  have 
characterized  him  throughout  his  entire  life  and  gained  him  his  present 
enviable  position  as  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  community.  He 
was  born  in  Garden  Plain  township,  this  county.  December  4,  1850,  his 
parents  being  John  and  Mary  (Murphy)  Senior.  The  father  came  to  White- 
side  county  some  years  prior  to  his  marriage.  At  the  time  he  located  here 


612  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

it  was  difficult  to  obtain  even  the  necessities  of  life,  while  none  of  the  corn- 
forte  and  luxuries  could  be  enjoyed.  In  fact,  the  settlers  had  to  undergo 
many  hardships  and  privations  in  order  to  reclaim  this  region  for  the  pur- 
poses of  civilization.  Mr.  Senior  had  come  from  England  and  in  this  country 
he  gave  his  time  and  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  Whiteside  county 
he  wedded  Mrs.  Mary  Baird,  nee  Murphy,  the  widow  of  Harvey  Baird. 
With  her  first  husband  she  came  from  Ohio  to  Illinois  in  1847  and  their 
home  was  established  in  Garden  Plain  township,  where  the  country  was 
absolutely  new,  neighbors  few  and  far  between  and  the  comforts  of  life 
almost  unknown.  Mr.  Baird  entered  and  purchased  land  and  became  quite 
an  extensive  farmer.  Following  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Baird  be- 
came the  wife  of  John  Senior  in  1849.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  four 
children  who  lived  to  years  of  maturity:  Frank,  now  deceased;  Ethelinda, 
the  deceased  wife  of  William  T.  Crotzer;  Mary,  the  widow  of  Mat  Hopkins 
and  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  and  Ebenezer,  of  Beaumont,  Texas. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Senior  became  the  parents  of  but  one  child,  Harvey  R.,  of 
this  review.  Mr.  Senior  had  also  been  previously  married  and  by  his  former 
union  had  one  son,  John,  who  is  probably  now  deceased.  Frank  Baird,  the 
half  brother  of  our  subject,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Vicksburg  in  July, 
1863.  The  mother  died  in  the  same  year. 

Harvey  R.  Senior  was  reared  upon  the  home  farm  and  educated  in  the 
country  schools.  He  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age  and  his  opportunities 
in  youth  were  about -like  those  of  the  average  boy  in  a  frontier  community. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  .years  he  commenced  farming  on  his  own  account 
on  land  purchased  by  the  family  and  for  a  long  period  continued  actively 
in,  general  agricultural  pursuits.  His  early  training  well  qualified  him  for 
the  capable  conduct  of  his  business  in  this  connection  and  as  a  farmer  he 
has  .been  very  successful,  the  methods  he  has  followed  leading  to  prosperity. 
He  early  learned  how  to  till  the  soil  to  the  best  advantage  and  to  take  the 
best  care  of  his  crops,  and  thus  for  a  long  period  he  annually  gathered  rich 
harvests,  for  which  he  found  a  ready  market.  Outside  of  farming  he  has 
had  but  few  business  interests.  In  1902,  however,  in  connection  with  Dr. 
S.  B.  Dimond  and  C.  E.  Peck,  he  organized  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Albany,  of  which  he  is  a  director  and  the  vice  president.  He  was  also  presi- 
dent for  a  number  of  years  of  the  Garden  Plain  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company. 

On  the  30th  of  March,  1876,  Mr.  Senior  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  A. 
Stone,  of  Garden  Plain  township,  a  daughter  of  I.  D.  Stone,  an  early  settler 
of  Whiteside  county  who  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  as  a  life  work. 
Mrs.  Senior  was  the  only  child  of  her  father's  first  marriage  and  there  were 
two  sons  of  his  second  marriage:  Daniel  S.,  now  living  in  Garden  Plain 
township ;  and  Burt,  whose  home  is  in  Morrison,  Illinois.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Senior  were  born  four  children:  Clarence  F.  and  Newell  K.,  both  residents 
of  Garden  Plain  township;  and  Olive  L.  and  Emily  B.,  at  home.  The  wife 
and  mother  died  in  1899,  and  her  death  was  deeply  regretted  by  many  friends, 
who  entertained  for  her  the  warmest  regard  in  recognition  of  her  many 
sterling  traits  of  heart  and  mind. 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  '613 

Mr.  Senior  gives  his  political  allegiance  to  the  republican  party  and 
in  1898  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  supervisor.  No  higher  testimonial 
of  his  efficient,  faithful  and  capable,  service  could  be  given  than  the  fact 
that  he  was  continued  in  the  office  by  re-election  until  December,  1903, 
when  he  resigned,  having  removed  that  year  to  Albany.  He  has  filled  various 
offices  in  this  township  and  no  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever  been  betrayed 
in  the  slightest  degree.  He  is  a  representative  man  of  his  county,  public 
spirited  in  anything  that  pertains  to  its  development  and  progress.  He  has 
at  all  times  been  broad-minded  in  his  business  affairs  as  well  as  in  his  public 
relations,  and  the  course  of  life  which  he  has  marked  out  for  himself  and 
closely  followed  is  one  which  has  gained  for  him  the  unqualified  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  townsmen. 


THOMAS  SHIRLEY  McKINNEY. 

Thomas  Shirley  McKinney,  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Sterling,  having  for  some  years  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  financial  interests  of  the  city,  belonged  to  that  class  of  men 
whose  worth  in  business  circles  and  in  citizenship  caused  their  death  to  be 
the  occasion  of  deep  and  wide-spread  regret.  A  native  of  Indiana,  he  was 
born  on  the  27th  of  April,  1855,  his  parents  being  Joshua  Vose  and  Catharine 
McKinney,  who  were  natives  of  the  Empire  state.  The  father  came  west  when 
a  young  man  and  he  and  his  brother  William  were  very  early  settlers  of  Ster- 
ling, where  for  some  years  he  conducted  a  milling  business.  His  last  years 
were  spent  in  honorable  retirement  from  labor  in  the  enjoyment  of  well 
earned  rest  and  he  died  November  27,  1906,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Congregational  church  here  and  a  man  of 
deeply  religious  sentiment,  whose  Christianity  was  evidenced  in  his  daily  life. 
He  was  ever  just  and  honorable,  having  the  strictest  regard  for  truth  and 
veracity,  while  in  his  opinions  of  others  he  was  charitable  and  in  his  actions 
kindly.  For  many  years  he  served  as  deacon  of  the  church  and  such  was  his 
life  that  he  left  to  his  family  an  untarnished  name.  Unto  him  and  his  wife 
were  born  eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  four  are 
now  living:  Jeannette,  the  wife  of  Dr.  James  E.  Harlan,  vice  president  of 
Cornell  College,  of  Mount  Vernon,  Iowa;  Olive,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Clinton  L.  White,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Sacramento,  California;  William  E., 
who  makes  his  home' in  Dewitt,  Iowa;  and  John  G.,  of  Los  Angeles,  California. 

Thomas  Shirley  McKinney,  brought  to  Illinois  in  his  early  childhood, 
was  reared  in  Sterling,  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  was 
graduated  from  the  high  school.  He  afterward  attended  Cornell  College  at 
Mount  Vernon,  Iowa,  and  entered  business  life  as  teller  in  the  First  National 
Bank,  where  his  fidelity,  loyalty  and  capability  won  him  promotion.  He 
became  assistant  cashier  and  eventually  succeeded  Mr.  Sanborn  in  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier,  in  which  capacity  he  was  retained  for  a  number  of  years  or 
until  the  time  of  his  own  demise.  Ever  faithful  to  the  interests  of  the  bank, 
he  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  its  success  and  was  a  popular  official. 


614  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

On  the  1st  of  August.  1892,  Mr.  McKinney  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Viola  Cassell,  a  daughter  of  Abram  C.  and  Barbara  (Meyers)  Cassell.  They 
became  the  parents  of  one  son,  John  B.  McKinney.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Mc- 
Kinuey  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  making  their  home  in  Philadelphia, 
where  their  daughter  was  born.  The  father  was  a  cigar  manufacturer  and 
about  1869  came  with  his  family  to  Sterling,  where  he  and  his  wife  still  reside, 
being  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  old  people  of  the  city.  They  are 
members  of  the  Christian  church  and  have  here  an  extensive  circle  of  friends. 
Mr.  Cassell  was  the  first  prohibitionist  in  Sterling.  His  father,  also  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  conducted  a  cotton  mill  there.  Mrs.  Cassell 's  parents  were 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Meyers)  Meyers,  likewise  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Un- 
to Abram  C.  and  Barbara  (Meyers)  Cassell  .were  born  seven  children,  five 
daughters  and  two  sons,  namely:  Henry  Clayton,  of  Pasadena,  California; 
Mrs.  McKinney;  Elizabeth  Gertrude,  of  Sterling;  Addie  Laurene;  Mabel 
Dora,  the  wife  of  Edward  AV.  Anger,  a  resident  of  Chicago;  John  Allen,  also 
of  Sterling;  and  Beulah  Latina  Cassell. 

The  death  of  Mr.  McKinney  occurred  July  1,  1905,  when  he  was  fifty 
years  of  age.  He  belonged  to  the  Congregational  church  with  which  Mrs. 
McKinney  still  holds  membership,  and  his  life,  displaying  many  excellent 
traits  of  character,  won  for  him  the  stalwart  friendship  of  the  great  majority 
of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  was  an  exemplary  representa- 
tive of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M. ;  Sterling  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  Sterling  Commandery,  No. 
57,  K.  T.  His  political  allegiance  was  given  to  the  republican  party  but  he 
neither  sought  nor  desired  office,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  energies  upon 
his  business  affairs.  In  manner  he  was  genial  and  cordial  and  he  had  the 
happy  faculty  not  only  of  winning  but  also  of  retaining  friends,  and  when 
he  was  called  from  this  life  Sterling  felt  that  death  claimed  one  whom  she 
could  ill  afford  to  lose. 


JUDGE  JAMES  E.  McPHERRAN. 

An  enumeration  of  the  men  of  "VVhiteside  county  whose  record  confers 
honor  and  dignity  upon  the  community  which  has  honored  them  would  be  in- 
complete were  there  failure  to  make  prominent  reference  to  Judge  James  Em- 
"mett  McPherran,  for  no  man  of  the  county  was  ever  more  respected  or  ever 
more  fully  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  people  or  more  richly  deserved  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held.  In  his  lifetime  his  fellow  citizens,  recognizing 
his  merit,  rejoiced  in  his  advancement,  and  since  hi«  death  they  have  cher- 
ished his  memory.  Honorable  in  business,  loyal  in  citizenship,  charitable  in 
thought,  kindly  in  action  and  true  to  every  trust  confided  to  his  care,  his  life 
was  of  the  highest  type  of  American  manhood,  and  he  left  the  impress  of 
his  individuality  upon  the  laws  of  the  .state  in  their  formation  and  in  their 
execution. 

Judge  McPherran  was  a  native  of  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania, 
"born  in  1834.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Stewart)  McPherran, 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  615 

a  grandson  of  Andrew  and  Martha  (Adams)  McPherran  and  a  great-grandson 
of  John  McPherran.  The  earliest  representatives  of  the  family  in  the  new 
world  came  originally  from  the  highlands  of  Scotland  and  had  all  the  sterling 
traits  of  the  Scotch  people.  Andrew  McPherran  served  his  country  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  married  Martha  Adams,  a  cousin  of  the 
two  presidents  of  that  name.  Her  mother  was  a  Sterling  from  the  town  of 
Sterling,  Scotland.  Andrew  McPherran  was  one  of  three  brothers,  two  step- 
brothers and  three  sisters  who  came  from  Scotland  to  the  new  world  and 
after  aiding  in  winning  independence  for  the  colonies  he  settled  at  Racetown 
Branch  in  Huntingdon  county.  Pennsylvania.  Two  cousins  of  the  name, 
John  and  William  McPherran,  also  came  to  America  with  the  brothers  and 
sisters  mentioned  and  settled  at  Baltimore,  Maryland. 

John  McPherran,  father  of  Judge  McPherran,  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, became  an  iron  master  and  also  operated  a  farm.  He  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  served  as  elder,  and  he  died 
when  well  advanced  in  years,  having  long  survived  his  wife,  who  passed  away 
in  middle  life.  Of  their  children,  only  one,  Stewart  McPherran,  of  Kansas, 
is  now  living. 

Judge  McPherran  acquired  his  early  education  in  Pennsylvania  and  was 
graduated  from  Jefferson  College,  after  which  he  made  his  way  westward  to 
Chicago  and  completed  a  course  in  the  Chicago  Law  School  in  1862.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  Sterling,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  practiced 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Sackett,  McPherran  &  Ward.  After  a  short  time, 
however,  he  withdrew  from  this  association  and  continued  alone  in  practice 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  long  connection  with  the  Whiteside  county 
bar.  As  an  attorney  he  ranked  at  the  head  of  this  bar,  being  widely  recog- 
nized as  a  lawyer  of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  His  success  in  a  profes- 
sional way  afforded  the  best  evidence  of  his  power?.  He  was  a  strong  advocate 
with  the  jury  and  concise  in  his  appeals  before  the  court.  Much  of  the  suc- 
cess which  attended  him  in  his  professional  career  was  undoubtedly  due  to 
the  fact  that  in  no  instance  did  he  permit  himself  to  go  into  court  with  a 
case  unless  he  had  absolute  confidence  in  the  justice  of  his  client's  cause. 
Basing  his  efforts  on  this  principle,  from  which  there  are  far  too  many  lapses 
in  professional  ranks,  it  naturally  followed  that  he  seldom  lost  a  case  in 
whose  support  he  was  enlisted.  For  a  number  of  years  he  served  as  master  in 
chancery  and  was  filling  that  position  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1865.  Judge  McPherran  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Withrow,  of  Macomb,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  William  E.  and 
Harriet  Eliza  (Chase)  Withrow.  Her  mother  was  a  relative  of  Salmon  P. 
Chase.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Lewisburg,  Virginia,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College.  He  read  law  in  the  east  and  afterward  came  to  Illinois,  settling  at 
Rushville  in  1835.  There  he  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Chase  and  they 
were  married  in  1839.  His  parents  were  James  and  Letitia  (Edgar)  Withrow, 
while  his  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Moody  and  Lucy  (Farnum)  Chase.  The 
former  owned  a  large  farm  near  Cornish,  New  Hampshire.  He  was  a  son  of 
Moses  Chase,  who  served  as  a  private  in  Captain  William  Scott's  company  of 
Colonel  Jonathan  Chase's  regiment  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  who  was  a 


616  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

member  of  the  house  of  representatives  three  times.  He  married  Hannah 
Brown.  William  E.  Withrow  died  in  Sterling,  November  15,  1886,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years,  while  his  wife  died  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  thirty-three  year?.  They  had  three  children:  Chase  Withrow,  now  a 
prominent  lawyer  of  Denver,  Colorado;  Mrs.  McPherran;  and  Judge  James 
Edgar  Withrow,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  who  has  been  on  the  bench  for 
twenty  years. 

Four  children  were  born  unto  Judge  and  Mrs.  McPherran  but  the  only 
daughter,  Mabel,  died  in  1897  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  years.  Edgar  With- 
row, the  eldest  son,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  both  Michigan  and  Illinois 
and  is  now  land  commissioner  for  the  Duluth;  South  Shore  &  Atlantic  Rail- 
road and  lives  at  Marquette,  Michigan.  He  married  Miss  Mabel  Alice  Wil- 
kinson and  they  have  two  daughters,  Elizabeth  and  Sarah.  Ralph  Stewart 
McPherran,  the  second  son,  pursued  a  course  in  chemistry  and  metallurgy 
and  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor.  After 
spending  ten  years  with  the  Allis-Chalmers  Company  at  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin, he  is  now  holding  a  position  in  the  line  of  his  profession  with  the 
J.  1.  Case  Threshing  Machine  Company,  of  Racine,  Wisconsin.  Charles 
Chase  McPherran,  the  youngest  son,  is  a  chemist  and  metallurgist  and  suc- 
ceeded his  brother  in  the  service  of  the  Allis-Chalmers  Company.  He  mar- 
ried Mis.?  Fredericka  Augusta  Wholrab,  a  granddaughter  of  Colonel  Lind- 
wurm,  an  old  resident  of  Milwaukee. 

Judge  McPherran,  because  of  his  long  residence  in  Sterling  and  his 
active  and  honorable  service  in  behalf  of  public  interests,  was  one  of  the 
best  known  citizens  here.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Washington  Lodge, 
No.  164,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  affiliated  with  Char- 
tiers  Lodge,  No.  297,  at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  June  23,  1856,  and  joined 
Sterling  Lodge,  No.  202,  June  '21,  1862,  while  'on  the  6th  of  March,  1896, 
he  became  a  member  of  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612.  He  was  exalted  to  the 
Royal  Arch  Degree  of  Sterling  Chapter,  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.,  June  27,  1900, 
was  created  a  Knight  Templar  in  Sterling  Commandery, '  No.  57,  October 
80,  1900.  and  was  an  exemplary  member  of  the  craft.  He  was  long  an  earnest 
Christian  man  and  prior  to  his  death  united  with'  the  Presbyterian  church, 
of  which  Mrs.  McPherran  is  also  a  member. 

He  possessed  rather  a  retiring  disposition  but  spch  was  his  genuine 
worth  that  the  measure  of  respect  and  confidence  accorded  him  was  no  lim- 
ited One.  He  might  have  attained  to  distinguished  honors  in  political  and 
public  life  had  he  so  desired.  As  it  was,  he  was  prominent  in  both  state  and 
municipal  affairs  and  in  1873-4  represented  his  district  in  the  Illinois  assem- 
bly, becoming  identified  with  some  of  the  most  important  legislative  meas- 
ures enacted  during  that  period,  being  the  author  of  several  bills  which 
today  occupy  a  place  among  the  statutes  of  the  state.  Public  spirited  in  an 
eminent  degree,  he  was  interested  in  all  that  pertained  to  local  advancement 
and  national  progress  and  when  called  to  positions  of  honor  and  trust  dis: 
charged  his  duties  with  marked  fidelity  and  promptness.  He  was  especially 
interested  in"  the  library  of  Sterling  and  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other 
citizen,  the  city  is  indebted  for  its  present  excellence.  His  home  life  was 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE   COUNTY  617 

largely  ideal  and  he  found  his  greatest  happiness  in  the  quiet  enjoyment 
of  the  companionship  of  his  wife  and  children.  He  died  December  11,  1903, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  Few  lawyers  have  made  a  more  lasting  im- 
pression upon  the  bar  of  Whiteside  county,  both  for  legal  ability  of  a  high 
order  and  for  the  individuality  of  a  personal  character  which  impresses  itself 
upon  a  community.  He  stood  for  high  ideals,  not  only  in  the  practice  of 
law  but  in  every  walk  of  life,  and  while  his  retiring  disposition  limited  in 
a  way  his  circle  of  intimate  friends,  there  were  none  who  knew  him  that 
did  not  entertain  for  him  the  highest  respect. 


ANTHONY  A.   THOME. 

Anthony  A.  Thome,  whose  position  in  the  public  regard  and  confidence 
of  his  fcllowmen  is  indicated  by  his  recent  election  to  the  mayoralty  of  Rock 
Falls,  is  also  well  known  as  a  representative  of  industrial  life  here,  being 
?enior  partner  of  the  firm  of  Thome  &  Decker,  general  blacksmiths,  in  which 
connection  he  is  enjoying  a  growing  and  profitable  patronage.  His  life 
record  began  in  Jordan  township,  this  county,  on  the  1st  of  January,  1864. 

His  parents  were  Anthony  A.  and  Maria  (Van  Buskirk)  Thome,  natives 
of  Alsace-Loraine.  Germany,  and  New  York  respectively.  The  mother  be- 
longed to  an  old  colonial  family  and  on  the  maternal  side  was  descended 
from  Captain  Braddock,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  New  York  and  died  in  middle  life.  Our  subject's  paternal  grandfather, 
who  also  bore  the  name  of  Anthony  A.  Thome,  died  in  Germany  at  an 
advanced  age. 

Reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming,  the  father  of  our  subject  always 
followed  that  pursuit.  The  opportunities  of  the  new  world  were  attractive 
to  him  and  thinking  to  enjoy  the  better  business  chances  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  he  came  to  America  and  settled  first  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
later  becoming  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Whiteside  county,  Illinois.  Fol- 
lowing his  removal  to  ihe  west  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Jordan  township, 
where  he  cultivated  a  good  tract  of  land  and  successfully  engaged  in  farm- 
ing operations  until  his  removal  to  Dixon,  Illinois,  where  he  is  now  living 
retired.  He  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  German  army  ere  leaving  his  native 
land.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1905,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  and 
her  death  was  the  occasion  of  deep  regret  to  many  friends  who  had  come 
to  esteem  her'  for  her  many  good  qualities.  In  the  family  were  five  children, 
four  sons  and  a  daughter:  Katy.  the  wife  of  J.  P.  Johnson,  a  resident  of 
Grafton,  Nebraska;  John,  who  makes  his  home  in  Dixon,  Illinois;  Anthony 
A.,  whose  name  introduces  this  record;  Henry,  of  Harmon  township,  White- 
side  county;  and  George,  of  Montmorency  township,  this  county, 

Anthony  A.  Thome  was  reared  in  Nelson  township  on  the  home  farm 
and  attended 'the  district  schools,  mastering  those  branches  of  learning  which 
enable  one 'to  successfully  cope  with  the  problems  which  continually  arise 
in  a  practical  business  career.  He  lived  at  home  until  he  had  attained  his 


618  HISTORY    OF  WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

majority  and  when  twenty-one  year?  of  age,  thinking  to  find  another  pur- 
suit more  congenial  than  that  of  farming,  he  began  learning  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  which  he  has  followed  continuously  .since.  No  doubt  one  feature  of 
.  his  success  has  been  his  persistent  purpose,  while  his  business  advancement 
may  also  be  attributed  to  his  unflagging  industry  and  his  straightforward 
dealing.  He  first  established  a  smithy  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years,  and  then  came  to  Rock  Falls  and  opened  a  shop, 
which  he  conducted  alone  for  about  fourteen  years.  He  then  admitted  John 
Decker  to  a  partnership  and  the  firm  style  of  Thome  &  Decker  has  since  been 
maintained,  while  a  liberal  patronage  has  been  enjoyed  by  the  partners. 
They  are  both  practical  workmen  and  their  expert  service  has  given  them 
.1.  right  to  expect  and  receive  a  generous  share  of  the  public  trade.  They 
have  a  splendidly  equipped  shop  and  conduct  a  general  blacksmithing 
business. 

In  1888  Mr.  Thome  was  married  to  Miss  Lily  Johnson,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Lorette  (Proctor)  Johnson.  Her  father  came  from  Vermont 
at  a  very  early  day  and  settled  near  Morrison  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois. 
He  continued  a  resident  of  this  county  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
dying  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thome  have 
six  children :  Mabel,  Roy,  Clyde,  Eftie,  Anthony  and  Dora.  The  eldest 
daughter,  Mabel,  is  now  the  wife  of  Urban  H.  Eakle. 

Mr.  Thome  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow  for  twenty  years,  holding  member- 
ship in  Advance  Lodge,  No.  590.  He  is  a  stalwart  advocate  of  republican 
principles,  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  six  years  and 
as  alderman  for  four  years  gave  evidence  of  his  loyalty  to  municipal  affairs. 
He  was  also  elected  as  mayor  of  Rock  Falls  in  1907  and  in  his  official 
capacity  he  stands  for  all  those  interests  which  are  a  matter  of  civic  virtue 
and  of  civic  pride.  He  has  thus  made  a  good  record  in  citizenship  and  in 
business  life  and  deserves  classification  with  the  representative  men  of  White- 
side  county. 


JOHN  B.  GALT. 

John  B.  Gait,  living  retired  at  No.  1204  West  Third  street,  Sterling,  has 
through  intense  and  well-directed  energy  become  one  of  the  prosperous  citi- 
zens of  Whiteside  county,  where  he  located  at  an  early  period  in  its  develop- 
ment. There  are  few  residents  of  the  county  who  have  more  intimate  or 
accurate  knowledge  of  its  history.  He  came  here  with  his  parents  when 
this  was  a  frontier  region  and  the  family  were  prominent  in  reclaiming  it 
for  the  purposes  of  civilization.  As  one  looks  abroad  today  over  the  fine 
farms  with  their  splendid  improvements  it  seems  hardly  possible  that  it  is 
within  the  memory  of  living  man  when  almost  the  entire  countryside  was 
wild  and  unbroken  prairie,  much  of  it  being  still  in  possession  of  the  govern- 
ment. Wild  game  wTas  quite  abundant  here  in  the  early  days — another  proof 
of  the  unsettled  condition.  Comparatively  few  roads  had  been  made  and  in 


JOHN  B.  HALT. 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

U2BANA 


HISTORY    OF    AVHITESIDE    COUNTY       /  621 

June  the  prairies  were  starred  with  millions  of  wild  flowers  and  in  December 
covered  with  one  unbroken,  glistening  sheet  of  snow. 

John  B.  Gait  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  7,  1835, 
at  the  family  home,  bordering  the  Conestoga  creek.  Several  generations  of 
the  family  had  previously  resided  in  Pennsylvania.  The  ancestry  was  Scotch 
and  the  first  settlement  in  America  by  any  of  the  family  was  made  in  Penn- 
sylvania about  1710.  There  is  a  Gait  family  cemetery  at  Piqua  Valley, 
Pennsylvania,  not  far  from  the  old  Piqua  Valley  Presbyterian  church.  Rob- 
ert Gait,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  America,  was  the  father  of  James  Gait 
and  the  grandfather  of  Thomas  Gait,  the  last  named  being  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  review.  Thomas  Gait  and  his  wife,  Isabelle, 
both  died  in  Pennsylvania.  Their  son,  James  Gait,  was  born  in  that  state, 
March  19,  1757,  and  on  the  3d  of  February  1791,  wedded  Mary  Martin,  who 
was  born  in  1772.  He  died  October  7,  1821,  in  his  sixty-sixth  year,  while 
his  wife  passed  away  August  2,  1847.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Eliza,  William,  James,  Catharine,  John,  Alexander, 
Thomas,  Lydia,  Mary,  Isabelle  and  Martin. 

Of  this  family  John  Gait,  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  followed  mer- 
chandising there  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  1844,  when  he  journeyed 
westward  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Sterling.  He  became  one  of  the  early  mer- 
chants of  the  city  and  also  purchased  a  farm  that  included  the  present  site 
of  the  town  of  Gait,  which  was  named  in  his  honor.  After  residing  in  Ster- 
ling for  two  years  he  located  upon  his  farm,  which  he  purchased  from  Mr. 
Passmore.  There  was  a  log  cabin  of  one  room  and  thirty  acres  had  been 
broken.  The  remainder  of  his  farm  he  purchased  from  the  state  and  govern- 
ment. The  family  never  lived  in  the  log  cabin,  however.  It  was  in  the 
spring  of  1846  that  the  family  removed  to  the  farm  and  with  characteristic 
energy  the  father  began  its  improvement,  erecting  there  one  of  the  first  brick 
houses  in  the  county.  It  contained  eight  rooms  and  is  still  standing — one 
of  the  landmarks  of  the  early  days  and  a.  mute  witness  of  the  history  that 
has  been  enacted  in  that  part  of  the  county.  In  the  early  days  the  family 
hauled  grain  to  Albany  on  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  pork  market  was  at 
Galena  and  La  Salle,  where  dressed  pork  sold  for  a  dollar  and  a  half  per 
hundred.  Mr.  Gait  of  this  review  has  known  wheat  to  sell  here  for  as  low 
as  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel,  and  other  farm  products  also  brought  very 
low  prices.  His  father  in  the  early  days  would  go  down  the  river  to  St. 
Louis  to  buy  his  groceries  and  dry  goods — the  frontier  settlers  being  thus 
far  separated  from  the  source  of  supplies.  John  Gait  continued  to  supervise 
his  agricultural  interests  until  his  demise,  which  occurred  in  1866  when  he 
was  in  his  sixty-sixth  year.  His  wife  long  survived  him,  passing  away  in 
1898  at  the  remarkable  old  age  of  ninety-four  years.  They  Avere  Presby- 
terians in  religious  faith  and  were  numbered  among  the  worthy  pioneer 
people  of  the  county,  contributing  in  substantial  measure  to  its  early  devel- 
opment and  progress. 

In  their  famliy  were  thirteen  children,  eight  sons  and  five  daughters, 
of  whom  four  are  now  living:  Elizabeth  M.,  who  resides  in  Sterling ;. John 
B.,  of  this  review;  Letitia,  the  widow  of  D.  M.  Crawford,  of  Sterling;  and 


622  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

Frances,  the  widow  of  John  Buyers,  also  of  Sterling.  The  daughter  Eliza- 
beth resides  with  her  brother  John.  She  always  remained  at  home  with  her 
parents,  giving  to  them  the  utmost  filial  devotion  and  love,  caring  for  them 
through  all  the  years  of  old  age,  the  mother  being  ninety-four  at  the  time 
of  her  demise.  Her  kindly  spirit,  neighborly  assistance  and  her  many  good 
traits  of  heart  and  mind  have  endeared  her  to  those  with  whom  she  has  been 
brought  in  contact.  The  deceased  members  of  the  family  are :  James ;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  James  A.  Gait;  Robert  A.,  Thomas,  Alexander,  Joseph,  William, 
Henry  and  Josephine.  Thomas  was  a  physician  and  at  one  time  mayor  of 
Rock  Island.  William  and  Henry  died  in  infancy.  Joseph  was  a  student 
of  medicine  in  New  York  city  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  Robert  was  a 
farmer  and  merchant. 

In  the  maternal  line  John  B.  Gait  is  descended  from  Captain  Robert 
and  Jean  Buyers,  the  former  a  captain  of  the  Continental  army  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  Their  son,  Robert  Armour  Buyers,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, but  of  Scotch  descent.  He  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and 
as  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  life's  journey  chose  Elizabeth  McCalla. 
He  died  of  typhoid  fever  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  thirty-five  years 
and  his  widow  survived  him  for  but  a  few  years.  They  left  a  daughter, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Maria  Gait,  and  two  sons,  John  M.  and  James  A.  Buyers. 

John  B.  Gait  was  only  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  family 
to  Whiteside  county.  One  can  hardly  imagine  the  conditions  that  then  ex- 
isted here.  There  were  only  four  houses  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river 
beyond  Sterling  and  the  county  seat  was  a  small  village,  giving  little  promise 
of  industrial  or  commercial  importance.  The  removal  of  the  family  from 
the  city  caused  Mr.  Gait  to  spend  his  life  in  the  usual  manner  of  farm  lads 
and  while  the  work  of  the  fields  became  familiar  to  him  he  also  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  the  common  branches  of  English  learning  as  a  pupil  in  the 
public  schools.  The  first  school  he  ever  attended  was  at  the  corner  of  Broad- 
way and  Fourth  streets  in  Sterling,  held  in  a  small  frame  building  and 
taught  by  James  McElmore.  He  later  attended  a  school  taught  by  Mrs.  Worth- 
ington  and  William  Cole.  He  likewise  spent  a  short  time  as  a  student  in 
Knox  College  in  Galesburg,  Illinois,  and  then  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  continuing  in  that  business  until  he  came  to  Sterling.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  the  original  farm  which  his  father  purchased  in  Hopkins  town- 
ship upon  his  arrival  in  Whiteside  county.  The  place  comprises  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-nine  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land  and  John  B.  Gait 
resided  thereon  until  about  1877,  when  he  removed  to  the  city.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  made  judicious  and  extensive  investments  in  property  in 
other  parts  of  the  country.  He  owns  twenty-two  hundred  and  forty-nine 
acres  north  of  Duluth  in  St.  Louis  county,  Minnesota,  in  the  Messaubic  iron 
range.  He  spent  one  year  as  a  commercial  traveler,  but  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  has  concentrated  his  energies  upon  agricultural  pursuit's  or 
investments.  He  has,  however,  traveled  broadly  for  pleasure,  visiting  Alaska 
and  many  parts  of  the  western  country  as  well  as  the  older  east,  the  southern 
district  around  the  gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  upper  sections  of  the  country 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  623 

surrounding  the  Great  Lakes.     He  has  no  active  business  interests  now  save 
the  supervision  of  his  property  and  other  investments. 

Mr.  Gait  has  never  married  and  lives  with  his  sister,  Elizabeth  M.  Gait, 
at  No.  1204  West  Third  street,  where  they  own  a  pleasant  modern  residence. 
They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  their  father  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  also  the  first  elder.  Politically  Mr.  Gait  is  a  stalwart 
republican,  casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Fremont  and  for  every 
republican  candidate  for  president  since  that  time.  Before  the  organization 
of  the  party  he  was  an  abolitionist,  being  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  move- 
ment to  blot  out  slavery  in  America.  He  has  in  many  instances  been  identi- 
fied with  the  movements  for  reform  and  improvement  and  in  Whiteside 
county  is  known  as  a  representative  and  valued  citizen.  He  has  witnessed 
the  transformation  of  the  county  from  a  wilderness  to  its  present  fine  devel- 
opment and  has  borne  his  share  in  the  work  of  progress  as  the  years  have 
gone  by.  He  can  remember  when  Sterling  was  but  a  small  village  and  when 
outlying  districts  were  largely  unimproved  prairie  land.  He  has  seen  deer 
on  the  site  of  the  present  city  and  has  seen  them  swim  across  the  river  to  the 
island.  He  has  lived  to  witness  a  remarkable  change  in  all  the  countryside 
and  has  always  cooperated  in  the  work  of  improvement.  The  name  of  Gait 
has  been  long  and  honorably  associated  with  the  upbuilding  of  this  section 
of  the  state,  and  John  B.  Gait,  like  the  others  of  the  family,  has  stood  for  all 
that  promotes  progress. 


JOHN  I).  FENTON. 

No  history  of  Whiteside  county  would  be  complete  without  extended 
mention  of  John  D.  Fenton  and  the  family  of  which  he  is  a  representative,  for 
the  name  has  figured  in  connection  with  the  development  of  this  part  of  the 
state  from  the  time  when  the  first  white  settlers  founded  homes  within  the  bor- 
ders of -the  county  and  undertook  the  work  of  reclaiming  the  district  for  the 
uses  of  the  white  race.  Fenton  township  was  named  in  honor  of  his  father,  Jo- 
seph Fenton,  who  was  a  native  of  Burlington  county,  New  Jersey,  and  was  of 
Irish  descent.  When  a  young  lad  of  nine  years  he  was  bound  out  to  a  mas- 
ter whom  he  served  as  an  apprentice  until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  When 
his  term  of  indenture  had  expired,  he  went  on  a  flatboat  to  New  Orleans,  mak- 
ing the  long  trip  down  the  Mississippi  river  at  a  time  when  all  the  produce 
was  carried  in  that  manner  to  the  southern  market.  Following  his  return 
to  the  north  he  was  married  to  Mis.?  Elizabeth  Durrell,  also  a  native  of  Bur- 
lington county,  New  Jersey,  and  of  Danish  lineage.  She  was  reared  in  a 
Quaker  family  but  was  not  regularly  bound  out,  as  was  the  custom  in  those 
days,  for  the  Quakers  did  not  believe  in  that  practice.  Following  his  mar- 
riage, Joseph  Fenton  carried  on  farming  in  the  east  until  his  arrival  in  White- 
side  county,  Illinois.  He  became  the  first  settler  of  what  is  now  Fenton  town- 
ship, that  district  being  named  in  his  honor.  He  was  a  quiet  home  man  who 
avoided  all  political  contests  and  devoted  his  energies  to  caring  for  his  fam- 


624  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

ily  and  making  for  them  a  comfortable  home.  In  the  early  days  many  hard- 
ships and  privations  were  endured  such  as  are  incident  to  settlement  upon 
the  frontier.  Their  remoteness  from  cities  of  any  size  or  importance  made  it 
difficult  for  them  to  obtain  supplies  and  they  had  to  depend  largely  upon  what 
was  raised.  Mr.  Fenton  raised  what  was  known  as  razorback  hogs  but  he 
found  no  market  for  them  for  some  time  and  he  had  to  dispose  of  his  meat 
by  selling  one  hog  at  a  time.  He  made  his  sales  to  the  miners  working  in 
the  first  lead  mines  near  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin.  There  he  received  at 
first  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  hundred  for  the  meat  but  later  had  to  sell  as 
low  as  fifty  cents  per  hundred.  In  the  early  days  their  threshing  was  done  by 
oxen,  tramping  out  the  grain  on  the  floor  of  the  barn.  Grain  was  hauled  to 
Chicago  where  wheat  sold  for  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel  and  sugar  cost 
twenty-five  cents  per  pound.  The  family  home  was  a  little  log  cabin,  fourteen 
by  twenty  feet,  with  a  puncheon  floor,  and  they  resided  in  this  primitive  dwell- 
ing for  about  fifteen  years,  or  until  1850,  when  a  house  of  sand  and  gravel 
was  built.  It  is  the  only  one  in  the  county  and  is  still  standing  today,  a 
mute  reminder  of  the  pioneer  times  and  a  silent  witness  of  the  facts  which 
have  shaped  the  history  and  molded  the  policy  of  the  county.  Alfred  Fen- 
ton,  a  brother  of  our  subject,  was  the  first  white  male  child  born  in  Whiteside 
county,  his  natal  day  being  May  13,  1837.  In  the  family  were  the  following: 
Elwood  W.,  who  in  1850  went  with  his  brother,  Joseph  R.,  with  two  yoke  of 
oxen,  to  California,  where  they  arrived  after  travelling  five  months,  spent 
his  last  days  in  Amador,  that  state;  Joseph  R.,  who,  as  stated,  made  the  trip 
with  his  brother,  died  in  Berkeley,  California.  John  D.  was  the  next  of  the 
family.  Elizabeth  died  in  New  Jersey  when  about  three  years  of  age.  Rob- 
ert S.  died  in  Erie.  Alfred  W.  died  in  Erie  in  July,  1888.  Mary  E.  is  now  the 
wife  of  R.  E.  Medhurst,  a  machinist  of  Erie.  Sylvester  H.  and  Henry  C.  are 
both  residents  of  Erie.  The  father  died  upon  the  home  'farm,  which  he  had 
developed  from  the  wild  prairie,  passing  away  September  28,  1874,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years  and  seven  days.  His  wife  passed  away  in  January,  1879,  at 
the  age  of  about  eighty  years. 

John  D.  Fenton  was  born  near  Mount  Holly,  Burlington  county,  New 
Jersey,  November  10,  1832.  On  the  7th  of  October,  1835,  his  parents  ar- 
rived in  Whiteside  county  with  their  family  of.  four  children.  They  made 
the  journey  westward  by  canal  to  Buffalo,  thence  by  schooner  to  Chicago,  and 
from  that  point  proceeded  with  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  "prairie  schooner" 
to  Dixon's  Ferry,  where  a  party  of  ten  spent  the  night  of  October  6,  1835,  in 
a  little  log  cabin.  The  next  day  they  arrived  in  Whiteside  county,  which  was 
then  a  part  of  Jo  Daviess  county.  Chicago  -was  at  that  time  a  little  town  of 
no  industrial  or  commercial  importance  and  much  of  the  site  of  the  city 
which  is  now  thickly  covered  with  business  blocks  and  residences  was  a 
swamp  marked  "bottomless.'"'  After  reaching  this  county  the  father  home- 
steaded  a  claim  of  about  two  hundred  acres  situated  in  Fenton  township  yet 
a  part  extending  over  the  boundary  line  into  Erie  township.  It  was  upon 
this  farm  that  John  D.  Fenton  was  reared  and  experienced  all  of  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  incident  to  pioneer  life.  He  wore  the  coarsest  kind  of  cow- 
hide shoes  for  which  he  had  to  pay  three  dollars  a  pair,  and  at  times  he  would 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  625 

go  barefooted  for  want  of  the  necessary  foot  covering.  Everything  in  the 
home  was  made  by  hand,  including  all  of  the  clothing  for  the  children,  and 
in  the  early  days  Mr.  Fenton  went  to  bed  many  a  time  in  order  to  have  his 
mother  mend  his  only  suit  of  clothes.  It  was  very  difficult  to  gain  supplies 
of  any  kind,  not  only  because  money  was  scarce  but  also  because  the  towns 
kept  such  a  limited  stock  of  goods,  everybody  depending  upon  what  could 
be  raised  for  the  necessaries  of  life. 

Mr.  Fenton  continued  to  work  upon  the  home  farm  until  about  twenty- 
four  years  of  age.  assisting  in  the  arduous  task  of  breaking  the  sod  and  culti- 
vating the  prairie.  He  worked  for  neighbors  at  fifty  cents  per  day  and  in 
1857  was  paid  in  money  that  proved  to  be  almost  worthless,  bringing  about 
fifteen  cents  on  the  dollar.  Thus  his  wages  were  diminished  although  he 
had  been  nominally  paid  fifty  cents  per  day  for  chopping  wood.  At  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age  he  was  married  and  began  farming  on  his  father's  old 
homestead,  -which  he  continued  to  cultivate  for  several  years.  He  then  came 
to  Erie  and  taught  a  district  school  at  twenty-five  dollars  per  month.  He 
walked  three  miles  and  back  each  day  to  teach.  He  has  since  resided  in 
Erie  township.  The  only  educational  advantages  which  he  was  afforded  came 
to  him  after  walking  to  Erie  and  becoming  a  pupil,  in  the  little  log  school- 
house  where  the  season  covered  the  three  winter  months.  He  read  law  under 
Judge  C.  C.  Teats  but  was  not  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  has,  however, 'practiced 
commercial  law  and  has  been  "executor  arid  administrator  of  many  estates. 
He  is  always  found  to  be  thoroughly  reliable  and  no  trust  reposed  in  him 
has  ever  been  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree. 

On  the  14th  of  March,  1859.  Mr.  Fenton  was  married  to  Miss 
Marcia  "Wonser,  who  was  born  in  P^llisville,  Illinois,  March  7,  1840,  and  came 
here  from  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  in  February,  1840,  with  her  parents,  Mil- 
den  G.  and  Ruth  M.  (Churchill)  Wonser.  Her  father  died  in  1883  but  her 
mother,  who  was  born  March  12,  1813,  died  the  evening  of  April  3,  1908,  at 
the  age  of  ninety-five  years.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Fenton  occurred  April  17, 
1906,  after  they  had  traveled  life's  journey  together  for  forty-seven  years. 
She  was  a  remarkable  lady,  had  been  a  faithful  companion  and  helpmate  to 
her  husband  and  wherever 'known  she  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  By  her 
marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  three  children  but  Myra  Blanche,  the 
eldest,  died  in  infancy.  Celona  Isabelle  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  early 
womanhood  and  was  a  graduate  of  Fulton  College.  She  became  the  wife  of 
James  P.  Hubbart,  of  Erie  township,  and  died  December  18,  1899,  leaving  one 
child,  Beryl  Elizabeth.  Ruth  Elizabeth,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  is  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie  and  resides  with  her  father. 

Mr.  Fenton  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Millard  Fillmore  and  has 
been  a  stalwart  republican  since  the  organization  of  the  party  in  1856,  always 
voting  for  its  presidential  candidates  save  in  1872,  when  he  voted  for  Horace 
Greeley.  He  is  now  recognized  as  an  independent  and  progressive  republican. 
He  does  not  believe  in  blind  allegiance  to  the  party  but  stands  for  improve- 
ment and  progress  in  politics  as  well  as  along  other  lines.  He  served  on  the 
village  board  of  Erie  for  a  number  of  years,  filling  that  position  at  the  time 
the  village  was  "incorporated.  He  has  also  been  president  of  the  village  for  a 


628  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

number  of  terms  and  constable  for  several  years,  while  for  some  time  he 
served  as  school  director  and  for  twenty-four  years  has  filled  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  although  this  service  has  not  been  consecutive.  He  was 
notary  public  for  about  forty  years  and  in  1887  was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy 
in  the  position  of  supervisor,  after  which  he  was  elected  and  served  for  ten 
consecutive  years,  acting  as  chairman  of  the  board  one  year.  He  was  also  a 
candidate  for  the  legislature  from  thi?  district  and  stood  second  highest  in  the 
convention.  Undoubtedly  he  could  have  won  the  nomination  had  he  announced 
his  candidacy  earlier.  He  served  as  deputy  sheriff  for  two  years  under  E.  A. 
Worrell,  beginning  with  1870,  and  in  all  his  public  service  his  duties  have  been 
discharged  with  promptness  and  capability  that  have  won  him  high  com- 
mendation. He  has  been  a  correspondent  of  the  Morrison  Sentinel  since  1880 
and  of  the  Sterling  Standard  for  a  number  of  years.  Although  his  opportu- 
nities and  advantages  in  youth  were  very  limited  he  made  steady  progress 
throughout  life,  is  a  thinker  and  student  and  takes  a  very  philosophic  view  of 
many  of  life's  important  problems.  He  is  today  a  broad-minded,  intelligent 
man,  of  high  purposes  and  lofty  principles.  Respected  and  honored  by  all 
who  know  him,  he  well  deserves  mention  in  this  volume,  for  his  life  work 
forms  an  important  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  county  where  he  has  now 
lived  for  seventy-three  years. 


JOHN  WELLS. 

John  Wells  is  now  living  retired,  his  home  being  in  the  village  of  Mal- 
vern,  but  he  still  owns  his  farm  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  acres  on  sections 
22,  23  and  26,  Clyde  township.  He  left  the  farm  five  years  ago,  after  residing 
there  continuously  from  1862.  In  the  interim  his  labors  and  energies  wrought 
a  marked  transformation  in  the  place,  which  was  converted  from  a  wild  tract 
of  land  into  one  of  rich  fertility,  annually  producing  large  and  abundant 
crops. 

Mr.  Wells  is  a  native  of  Berkshire,  England,  his  birth  having  occurred 
near  the  boundary  line  of  Wilts-shire,  December  12,  1834.  His  parents  were 
Charles  and  Lucy  (Nash)  Wells.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  England  in 
1800,  came  to  America,  May  15,  1851,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Cuyahoga 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  farming  for  four  years,  when  he  was  stricken 
with  cholera  and  died  in  1855.  His  wife  died  when  their  son  John  was  about 
eight  or  nine  years  of  age.  The  family  numbered  six  children :  Mrs.  Mary 
A.  Ferguson,  now  living  in  Polo,  Illinois ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Carnett,  whose  home  is 
in  Dixon,  Illinois;  Thomas,  William  and  Maria,  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 

The  other  member  of  the  family  is  John  Wells  of  this  review,  who  was 
reared  in  England.  His  educational  privileges  were  extremely  limited,  as  he 
practically  had  no  opportunity  of  attending  school,  either  in  his  native  coun- 
try or  in  America.  He  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age  when  the  family  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  and  following  his  father's  death  he  and  his 
three  sisters  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Carroll  county  in  1855.  There  he 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  627 

resided  for  seven  years  and  in  1862  came  to  Whiteside  county,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  He  took  up  his  abode  upon  a  farm  in  Clyde  township 
and  there  continued  to  carry  on  general  farming  with  excellent  success  until 
about  five  years  ago,  when  he  put  aside  the  more  'active  work  of  the  fields  and 
removed  to  Malvern,  where  he  now  resides,  deriving  a  good  income  from  his 
farm.  He  and  his  brother  started  out  here  with  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  which  John  Wells  had  purchased.  He  sold  sixty  acres,  however,  to  his 
brother.  He  had  gone  in  debt  for  the  entire  farm  and  paid  seven  per  cent 
interest  on  the  purchase  price  in  advance.  In  the  early  days  he  endured  many 
hardships  while  trying  to  meet  his  payments  and  suffered  many  privations, 
but  he  possessed  a  resolute  and  determined  spirit  and  in  course  of  time  over- 
came all  of  the  difficulties  and  obstacles  in  his  path.  As  the  years  went  by  his 
unfaltering  industry  brought  him  success  and  he  is  now  a  prosperous  agri- 
culturist. 

Mr.  Wells  was  married  in  Ohio,  returning  to  that  state  in  1859  to  wed 
Miss  Catherine  Ruckel,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  Ohio  in  1848, 
when  about  eighteen  or  twenty  years  of  age.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  have 
been  born  nine  children :  Charles,  who  is  now  a  merchant  of  Malvern ;  Glen- 
wood,  a  farmer  residing  in  this  state;  Frank,  a  successful  farmer  and  sheep- 
raiser  of  Fort  Collins,  Colorado;  George,  who  follows  farming  in  Rock  Island 
county,  Illinois;  Fred,  who  carries  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  in  Clyde 
township;  Ulysses,  at  home;  Edward,  who  is  operating  the  old  home  farm; 
Agnes,  the  wife  of  Samuel  James,  a  farmer  of  Clyde  township;  and  Irene, 
the  wife  of  William  Detra,  who  resides  at  Clarksdale,  Iowa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  have  reared  a  family  of  children  of  whom  they  have 
every  reason  to  be  proud.  In  connection  with  his  sons  he  owns  ten  hundred 
and  fifty-five  acres  of  the  rich  farming  land  of  Illinois,  lying  in  Whiteside 
and  Ogle  counties*  His  success  is  well  merited,  for  it  has  come  as  the  reward 
of  earnest,  persistent  labor,  and  his  example  in  this  respect  may  well  serve  as 
a  source  of  encouragment  and  inspiration  to  others,  showing  what  may  be 
accomplished  when  one  has  energy  and  perseverance.  In  politics  Mr.  Wells 
has  always  been  a  republican  and  has  filled  some  local  offices.  He  served  for 
three  years  as  road  commissioner  and  for  twenty-seven  years  was  school  direc- 
tor, while  his  son  succeeds  him  in  that  position.  He  has  always  stood  for 
advancement  and  improvement  in  public  affair*  and  his  aid  and  cooperation 
have  ever  been  counted  upon  in  advancing  community  interests. 


CHARLES  C.  WELLS. 

Charle?  C.  Wells,  now  actively  identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
Malvern,  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Illinois,  October  20,  1861,  but  was  reared 
vipon  the  old  home  farm  in  Whiteside  county.  He  is  a  son  of  John  Wells, 
of  whom  mention  is  made  above.  Early  in  life  he  aided  to  some  extent  in 
carrying  on  the  home  farm  and  later  engaged  in  drilling  wells  and  operating 
a  threshing  machine  in  Whiteside  and  Carroll  counties.  Withdrawing  from 


628  HISTORY    OF   WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

these  lines  of  activity,  he  has  for  the  past  five  years  conducted  a  general 
store  at  Malvern,  where  he  carries  a  good  line  of  general  merchandise  and  is 
meeting  with  success  in  its  sale.  Hi?  store  is  tastefully  arranged  and  his 
reasonable  prices  and  courtesy  to  his  customers  secure  him  a  liberal  patronage. 
Charles  C.  Wells  married  Miss  Nettie  Zollers,  of  Genesee  township,  this 
county,  and  they  have  three  children:  Joshua,  Irvin  and  Marjorie.  Mr. 
Wells  is  a  member  of  the  Knight*  of  Pythias  Lodge  at  Morrison  and  of  the 
Mystic  Workers  of  Malvern.  His  political  views  accord  with  the  principles 
of  the  republican  party  and  he  has  served  as  town  clerk  of  Clyde  township  for 
.the  past  five  years.  He  is  now  filling  the  position  of  school  director  and  his 
official  duties  are  discharged  with  a  promptness  and  fidelity  that  make  his 
services  very  acceptable  to  the  general  public.  He  represents  one  of  the  old 
und  prominent  families  of  this  part  of  the  county  and  his  record  is  a  credit 
to  the  untarnished  family  name. 


YORK  EDDY. 

Among  the  names  which  are  engraved  deeply  and  ineffaceably  upon  the 
records  of  Whiteside  county  is  the  family  name  which  is  borne  by  the  subject 
of  this  review.  He  has-been  a  resident  of  Illinois  since  the  pioneer  epoch  in 
its  history.  The  Indians  had  hardly  been  driven  from  their  old  hunting 
grounds  in  this  section  of  the  state  when  the  Eddy  family  was  established  in 
Dupage  county.  The  prairies  were  uncultivated,  the  forests  uncut,  the 
streams  unbridged,  and  in  fact  the  work  of  civilization  and  development 
had  been  scarcely  begun. 

York  Eddy  was  less  than  four  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of 
his  parents  in  the  middle  west.  He  was  born  September  5,  1831,  in  Oneida 
county,  New  York,  a  son  of  Augustus  and  Polly  (McKinster)  Eddy,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Oneida  county,  New  York.  Leaving  the  east  in 
1835,  they  made  their  way  westward  and  settled  about  nineteen  miles  west 
of  Chicago  in  Dupage  county.  Chicago  had  not  at  that  time  been  incor- 
porated as  a  city  and  gave  little  evidence  of  the  wonderful  transformation 
which  was  to  occur  and  make  its  growth  one  of  the  .wonders  of  the  world. 
The  family  shared  in  all  of  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  pioneer 
life  in  the  establishment  of  a  home  upon  the  wild  prairie,  but  they  bore 
uncomplainingly  the  hardships  incident  to  frontier  settlement  and  in  the 
course  of  years  their  farm  became  productive  and  brought  them  a  comfortable 
competence.  In  1854  they  removed  from  Dupage  to  Whiteside  county 
and  their  remaining  days  were  passed  in  Erie  township,  where  Augustus 
Eddy  secured  land  and  carried  on  a  farm.  The  wife  died  July  8,  1862,  when 
about  sixty-five  years  of  age,  while  his  death  occurred  in  November,  1889, 
when  about  eighty-two  years  of  age.  Their  family  numbered  six  children, 
but  only  two  are  now  living,  the  elder  being  Lorenzo  Eddy,  of  Harkin, 
Colorado. 

As  stated,  York  Eddy  was  less  than  four  years  of  age  when  brought  to 
Illinois  by  his  parents,  and  thus  he  was  reared  upon  the  frontier,  where  in 


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LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

UR3ANA 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  631 

his  boyhood  days  he  occasionally  saw  Indians,  while  many  kinds  of  wild 
animals  and  wild  game  were  to  be  seen.  His  educational  privileges  in 
youth  were  limited  owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country  and  as 
the  years  went  by  he  understood  what  it  meant  to  break  sod  and  develop  a 
new  farm,  giving  active  assistance  to  his  father  in  this  work. 

He  was  married  on  the  27th  of  January,  1853,  in  Dupage  county,  to 
Miss  Louisa  Newton,  who  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  New  York,  October 
1,  1833.  Her  father,  Marshall  Newton,  was  born  September  7,  1792,  in 
Shoreham,  Vermont,  and  died  in  Erie,  Illinois,  February  24,  1878.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Hannah  Jones,  was  also  a  native  of 
Shoreham,  born  March  4,  1793,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Erie,  October  5, 
1870.  In  1856  they  came  westward  to  Whiteside  county,  settling  in  Erie 
township,  where  their  remaining  days  were  passed,  the  father  devoting  his 
life  here  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  In  their  family  were  six  children, 
of  whom  three  are  yet  living:  Lucius,  now  a  resident  of  Erie;  Mrs.  Eddy; 
and  Emily,  the  wife  of  Henry  Hamilton,  of  Iowa.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eddy  have  been  born  ten  children:  Ai,  who  married  Cora  Wood  and  lives 
in  Kansas;  Seth,  who  wedded  Cora  Seger  and  is  a  resident  farmer  of  Erie 
township,  this  county ;  Nellie,  the  wife  of  George  Thompson,  of  Erie ;  Clar- 
ence; Mrs.  Laura  Pickering,  of  Wayne,  Illinois;  Seward,  who  married  Eva 
Fritz  and  is  living  in  Erie  township;  Lloyd,  who  wedded  Minnie  Pratt  and 
makes  his  home  in  Tampico;  Newell,  who  married  Emma  Sohrbeck  and  is 
living  in  Erie  township;  Danna,  who  married  Minnie  Scott  and  resides  in 
Chicago;  and  Lottie  M.,  the  wife  of  Herbert  Smith. 

In  1854  York  Eddy  removed  to  Whiteside  county  and  settled  on  sec- 
tion 2,  Erie  township.  Here  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  which  was  destitute  of  all  improvements  save  that  a  little  house  had 
been  erected  thereon.  Indians  called  there  often  and  there  were  many  evi- 
dences of  pioneer  life  to  be  found  in.  the  county.  The  railroads  had  not 
been  built  and  the  settlers  had  to  haul  their  grain  long  distances  to  market 
and  to  mill.  With  characteristic  energy  Mr.  Eddy  took  up  the  work  of 
tilling  the  soil  and  caring  for  the  farm,  and  as  the  years  passed  he  brought 
his  fields  under  cultivation  and  from  the  sale  of  his  harvests  derived  a  grati- 
fying annual  income.  As  his  financial  resources  increased  he  added  to  his 
property  and  is  now  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  rich  and 
productive  land  in  his  farm,  while  in  the  village  of  Erie  he  has  two  acres, 
upon  which  his  residence  stands.  Having  retired  from  the  farm,  he  now 
makes  his  home  in  the  town  and  from  his  property  he  yet  derives  a  sub- 
stantial income.  For  many  years  he  carefully  conducted  the  work  of  the 
fields  and  as  time  passed  he  accumulated  a  comfortable  competence  which 
now  makes  possible  his  present  rest  from  labor. 

In  politics  he  is  a  republican,  but  without  aspiration  for  office.  He  and 
his  wife  have  been  members  of  the  Baptist  church  for  a  great  many  years, 
have  been  interested  in  its  work  and  have  supported  various  measures  for 
the  material,  intellectual  and  moral  progress  of  the  community.  Mr.  Eddy 
has  intimate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  northern  Illinois  in  its  development 
from  pioneer  times  to  the  present,  his  memory  forming  a  connecting  link 


632  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

between  the  primitive  past  and  the  latter  day  progress  and  development. 
He  can  relate  many  interesting  incidents  of  early  time  when  there  were 
no  large  houses  upon  the  farms,  the  homes  of  the  settlers  being  mostly  log 
cabins.  The  work  of  the  fields,  too,  was  done  by  hand  and  the  scythe  and 
the  ox-teams  were  familiar  features  of  the  fields.  All  this  has  changed  and 
as  invention  brought  new  and  improved  machinery  Mr.  Eddy  kept  up  with 
the  progress  of  the  times,  being  quick  to  adopt  any  machinery  or  measure 
that  would  promote  farming  interests.  His  energy  and  diligence  consti- 
tute the  basis  of  his  success  and  his  honorable  dealing  brought  to  him  the 
unqualified  respect  of  all. 


FRANK  HEFLEBOWER, 

There  is  nothing  in  the  life  history  of  the  average  business  man  to  attract 
the  reader  in  search  of  a  sensational  chapter  but  the  history  of  each  sub- 
stantial citizen  who  is  energetic,  faithful  and  reliable  in  business  life  and 
loyal  in  his  devotion  to  the  public  good,  contains  lessons  which  may  well  be 
heeded  by  the  younger  generation.  Frank  Heflebower  has  made  for  himself 
a  creditable  position  in  the  business  world  and  his  labors  as  cashier  of  the 
State  Bank  of  Sterling,  are  now  proving  a  valued  element  in  its  successful  con- 
trol. He  was  born  in  Polo,  Illinois,  October  27,  1865,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Annie  (Cookus)  Heflebower,  who  were  natives  of  West  Virginia.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Heflebower,  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  a 
planter  and  .slave  owner  of  an  early  day.  He  died  in  1865  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  He  was  of  German  descent  and  was  twice  married. 

The  ten  children  born  of  the  first  union  included  John  Heflebower,  who 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  and'  has  devoted  his  entire  life  to  general 
farming.  Removing  westward  in  1860,  he  settled  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  still  resides.  He  wedded  Miss  Annie  Cookus,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Cookus,  who  was  born  in  Old  Dominion  and  was  of  German  lineage.  Her 
father  made  milling  his  life  work  and  died  from  an  accident  prior  to  the 
Civil  war.  His  wife  was  twice  married,  her  first  husband  being  a  Mr.  Sny- 
der.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cookus  were  born  eight  children.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Heflebower  were  born  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  namely:  Charles  W.,  who  has  passed  away;  George  C.,  of  Cam- 
eron, Missouri;  Frank,  of  this  review;  Margaret  Virginia,  the  wife  of  Sam- 
uel Fahrney,  of  Ogle  counly,  Illinois;  Mary  M.,  wife  of  Howard  Irvin,  also  of 
Ogle  county;  and  Joseph  A.,  who  resides  in  that  county. 

Frank  Heflebower  was  reared  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  remaining  in  Polo 
until  ten  years  ago,  after  which  his  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm.  He  at- 
tended the  public  and  high  schools  of  Polo  and  when  he  ceased  to  be  a  stu- 
dent became  a  teacher,  following  that  profession  for  several  years.  He  be- 
came a  recognized  factor  in  the  public  life  and  while  teaching  school  made 
the  assessment  in  Polo  for  five  years,  from  1892  until  1898.  In  the  fall  of  the 
latter  vear  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  county,  entering  upon  the  duties 


• 

HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  633 

of  the  office  in  December  and  filling  the  position  with  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  his  constituents  for  four  years.  The  next  two  years  were 
largely  passed  in  travel.  In  the  fall  of  1905  he  arrived  in  Sterling  and  organ- 
ized the  Sterling  State  Bank,  in  association  with  R.  G.  Shumway.  The  bank 
was  capitalized  for  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  has  prospered  from  the  first,  a 
constantly  increasing  business  being  conducted.  It  is  located  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Locust  streets  and  is  supplied  with  all  modern  equip- 
ments, being  thoroughly  first  class  in  every  particular.  The  first  president 
was  N.  G.  Van  Sant,  who  was  re-elected  to  that  office,  while  the  vice  president 
is  Charles  E.  Windom,  and  Mr.  Heflebower  is  the  cashier.  The  last  named 
also  own.?  an  elevator  at  Sterling  and  buys  and  sells  grain.  He  is  likewise 
interested  in  the  coal  trade  in  partnership  with  Alfred  Weeks,  the  firm  style 
being  the  Weeks  Coal  Company.  He  is  continually  alert  for  good  business 
opportunities  and  displays  a  sound  judgment  that  makes  his  opinions  of 
value  in  the  commercial  world. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  1904,  Mr.  Heflebower  was  married  to  Miss 
Rilla  Heller,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Emma  (Lance)  Heller.  Mrs.  Heflebower 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  is  prominent  in  the  social  circles  of 
the  city.  She  taught  school  for  seven  years  in  early  womanhood  and  after- 
ward attended  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston,  from  which  she  was 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1904,  being  a  pupil  in  elocution  under  Professor 
Cumnock.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heflebower  reside  at  No.  405  Second  avenue.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  republican  and  his  interest  in  politics  is  that  of  a  public-spirited 
citizen  who  desires  above  all  things  the  general  welfare.  He  is  straightforward 
and  reliable  in  all  his  business  .interests  and  his  opinions  are  regarded  as 
sound  concerning  commercial  and  financial  interests. 


NICHOLAS    G.    VAN    SANT. 

Nicholas  G.  Van  Sant,  one  of  Illinois'  native  .sons,  is  well  known  in 
Sterling  as  a  banker,  business  man,  lawyer  and  citizen  wrho  cooperates  in 
.many  measures  that  have  direct  bearing  upon  the  welfare,  progress  and 
upbuilding  of  the  community.  While  giving  close  and  earnest  attention  to 
his  business  and  professional  interests,  he  has  yet  found  time  to  devote  to 
those  interests  which  work  for  the  uplifting  of  humanity,  and  is  particularly 
well  known  as  an  exponent  of  the  temperance  cause  and  of  the  work  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  His  natal  day  was  November  22,  1846, 
and  the  place  of  his  birth  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 

His  great-grandfather,  John  Van  Sant;  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  was 
one  of  the  heroes,  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  After  his  military  experience 
he  engaged  in  boating  and  ship-building  and  reached  the  very  venerable  age 
of  ninety-four  years.  His  wife  was  Mrs.  Rebecca  Van  Sant.  His  paternal 
grandfather.  Nicholas  Van  Sant,  lived  at  Lower  Bank,  New  Jersey,  and  when 
death  claimed  him  his  grave  was  there  made.  He  was  of  Holland  Dutch 
descent  and  was  a  boat-builder  by  trade.  His  business  interests,  however, 


634  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

were  interrupted  by  his  sendee  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  died 
when  more  than  ninety  years  of  age  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Mercy  Van  Sant,  was 
also  over  ninety  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  Their  family  num- 
bered twelve  or  thirteen  children. 

John  Wesley  Van  Sant,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  New  Jersey, 
there  acquired  his  education  and  became  a  ship  carpenter.  He  was  likewise 
connected  with  steamboat  interests  and  in  1837,  coming  to  Illinois,  settled 
on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  river,  where  he  lived  for  sixty-five  years.  He 
made  his  home  at  Rock  Island  from  1837  until  1860  and  then  removed  to 
Le  Claire,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away  in  1903, 
when  he  was  ninety-three  years  of  age.  His  wife  survived  him  until  March, 
1905,  and  died  in  her  ninety-fourth  year.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Elias 
Anderson,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who  came  of  a  race  of  sailors,  but  who 
identified  his  •  interests  with  agricultural  pursuits,  owning  a  large  plantation 
and  a  number  of  slaves.  He  died  in  New  Jersey  at  an  advanced  age,  while 
his  wife,  Mrs.  Penelope  Anderson,  passed  away  when  more  than  ninety 
years  of  age. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  W.  Van  Sant  were  born  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  of  whom  four  are  yet  living:  Adam  C.,  who  is  conducting  a  com- 
mercial college  at  Omaha,  Nebraska;  Hester  A.,  the  wife  of  Captain  Thomas 
Harris,  of  the  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  now  at  Los  Angeles,  •California; 
Samuel  R.,  who  was  president  of  the  Johnson-Van  Sant  Mortgage  Company, 
of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  and  Nicholas  G.,  of  Sterling. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Nicholas  G.  Van  Sant  "we  present 
to  our  readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known. 
He  lived  in  Rock  Island  until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  attending  the 
public  schools  there  and  later  continuing  his  studies  in  Knox  College,  at 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  prior  to  entering  Cornell  College,  at  Mount  Vernon, 
Iowa.  He  was  graduated  from  the  last  named  in  1870  and  thus  by  liberal 
educational  advantages  was  well  fitted  for  life's  practical  and  responsible 
duties.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he  had  had  military  experience  as  a 
.soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  1863  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  Ninth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  with  which  he  served  for  two  years.  He  was  in  the  battles 
of  Guntown,  Tupelo,  Old  Town  Creek,  Pontatock  and  the  last  battle  of  Nash- 
ville. He  served  as  a  private,  ever  loyal  to  the  cause  which  he  espoused  and 
after  the  war  he  resumed  his  education. 

When  he  had  graduated  from  Cornell  College  Mr.  Van  Sant  turned  his 
attention  to  the  boat  business  in  connection  with  his  father  on  the  Mississippi 
river.  After  two  years,  however,  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Rock  Falls, 
Whiteside  county,  where  he  conducted  a  lumber  business  for  a  number  of 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  disposed  of  his  yard  and  entered 
ihe  law  department  of  the  John  B.  Stetson  University  at  Deland,  Florida, 
where  he  carefully  pursued  his  studies  for  two  years.  He  next  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  was  grad- 
uated in  June.  1905.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  at  once  opened  an  office  in  Sterling,  where  he  has  since  continued  in 
practice.  Although  one  of  the  more  recent  additions  to  the  Whiteside  county 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  635 

bar  he  is  well  qualified  for  the  profession  and  in  his  trial  of  causes  has  shown 
clear  reasoning  and  logical  deductions,  together  with  correct  application 
of  legal  principles.  He  is,  moreover,  well  known  in  financial  circles  as 
president  of  the  State  Bank  of  Sterling,  which  was  organized  in  1905,  with 
a  capital  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  has  done  a  large  business  from  the 
start.  He  is  thus  recognized  as  a  leading  factor  in  financial  circles  of  Ster- 
ling, founding  his  business  upon  a  safe,  substantial  basis  and  pursuing  a 
conservative  policy  that  wins  uniform  confidence  and  gains  a  liberal  pat- 
ronage. He  is  also  identified  with  the  Johnson-Van  Sant  Mortgage  Com- 
pany, of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  and  in  business  matters  his  judgment  is 
sound  and  reliable. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1870,  Mr.  Van  Sant  was  married  to  Miss 
Ella  A.  Golder,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Prudence  (Goodrich)  Colder. 
They  are  pleasantly  located  at  No.  601  Second  avenue,  and  the  hospitality 
of  their  home  is  much  enjoyed  by  their  many  warm  friends. 

Politically  Mr.  Van  Sant  is  an  earnest  republican  but  without  aspiration 
for  office.  He  maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades 
through  his  membership  in  Will  Robinson  Post,  No.  274,  G.  A.  R.,  and  is 
also  an  exemplary  representative  of  Rock  River  Lodge,  No.  612,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  he  is  serving  on  the  official  board.  He  has  been  particularly  prominent 
in  his  work  for  local  option  and  is  a  strong  prohibitionist.  He  regards  intem- 
perance as  one  of  the  greatest  evils  of  the  country  and  puts  forth  every  effort 
in  his  power  to  check  its  course,  further  indicating  his  views  upon  the  sub- 
ject by  his  ballot,  giving  loyal  support  to  the  prohibition  party.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  earnest  and  able  workers  in  the  local  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  and,  moreover,  has  lectured  for  the  organization:  His  influence 
is  always  found  on  the  side  of  right,  reform,  truth,  justice  and  progress, 
and  his  position  upon  any  question  of  vital  moment  is  never  an  equivocal 
one.  His  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  city  along  material,  intellectual,  social 
and  moral  lines  is  manifest  in  many  tangible  ways,  and  in  citizenship  he 
displays  the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  which  characterized  him  when  as  a  boy 
soldier  he  fought  for  the  defense  of  the  Union.  In  fact  he  stands  loyally 
and  courageously  in  support  of  every  cause  or  movement  which  he  believes 
to  be  right,  and  the  principles  which  have  governed  his  life  are  those  which 
work  for  honorable  manhood. 


JEREMIAH  v.  MCCARTY. 

4 

Jeremiah  V.  McCarty,  conducting  a  successful  business  as  a  hardware 
merchant  at  Rock  Falls,  was  born  June  22,  1842,  in  London,  England,  his 
parents  being  Dennis  and  Johanna  (Cochlan)  McCarty,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Ireland.  The  paternal  grandparents  emigrated  from  Ireland  to 
America  in  1855,  settling  near  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  where  they  spent  their 
remaining  days.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  when  the  son  was  three 


636  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

years  of  age  and  in  1849  the  father  married  Margaret  Barry,  also  a  native  of 
the  Emerald  isle.  They  resided  in  London  for  twenty  years  and  in  1850 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  remaining,  however,  for  about  a  year 
in  New  England.  They  then  continued  on  their  westward  way  to  McHenry 
county,  Illinois,  living  for  a  time  near  Harvard,  and  about  a  year  later  they 
took  up  their  abode  near  Elgin.  In  1853  they  became  residents  of  Peca- 
tonica,  Winnebago  county,  Illinois,  where  they  resided  until  1856,  when  they 
again  spent  a  year  in  Elgin.  In  June,  1856,-  they  removed  to  Lee  county 
and  in  1857  to  Whiteside  county,  taking  up  their  abode  on  a  farm  northeast 
of  Round  Grove,  the  place  being  known  as  the  Hecker  farm,  in  Hopkins 
township.  There  they  lived  until  1870,  then  removing  to  Sterling,  and  the 
father's  death  occurred  in  that  city  on  the  3d  of  October,  1871.  Five  chil- 
dren were  born  unto  him  and  his  wife:  Jeremiah  V.,  of  this  review;  Kate, 
who  was  married  in  1872  to  M.  B.  Fitzgerald,  a  contractor  of  Sterling;  Mary; 
the  wife  of  James  Fitzgerald,  also  a  contractor  of  Sterling;  Ella,  the  wife 
of  James  Ballou;  a  mechanic  of  Chicago;  and  Fannie,  the  wife  of  James 
Wood,  of  Chicago. 

Jeremiah  V.  McCarty  spent  the  first  eight  years  of  his  life  in  the  land 
of  his  nativity  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  to  the  new  world.  He  was 
with  them  on  their  various  removals  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 
when  in  1861  'he  offered  his  .services  to  the  government  and  enlisted  for 
three  years  in  Company  E,  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
was  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  during  this  time,  save  for  a  short 
period  in  186*2,  when  his  regiment  was  sent  to  reinforce  Grant's  army  at 
the  battle  of  Shiloh,  returning  thence  to  the  department  in  Tennessee.  At 
the  battle  of  Shiloh  Mr.  McCarty  was  wounded  twice.  He  was  also  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth  and  in  the  battles  of  Stone  River,  Liberty  Gap  and  Chicka- 
mauga,  being  the  only  member  of  his  regiment  who  took  part  in '  the  last 
named  engagement,  for  the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  had  been  detached  to 
guard  the  bridge  that  crossed  the  river  over  -which  his  corps  passed  to  drive 
Bragg  out  of  Chickamauga.  At  this  time  Mr.  McCarty  was  made  orderly  of 
the  brigade.  He  was  also  in  the  engagements  of  Missionary  Ridge,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Buzzard's  Roast,  Resaca,  Rome,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  Jonesboro  and  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  being  engaged  in  continual  fight- 
ing for  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  days.  He  was  only  once  in  the. hos- 
pital, although  he  was  many  times"  exposed  to  the  thickest  fire  of  the  enemy. 
His  bravery  and  loyalty  were  ever  above  question  and  after  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  he  received  honorable  mention.  At  Atlanta,  Georgia,  he  was 
discharged  September  17,  1864,  by  reason  of  the  expiration  of  his  term,  and 
although  he  had  been  at  the  front  for  three  years  he  was  then  but  little  past 
the  twenty-first  year  of  his  life.  No  veteran  of  twice  his  years,  however, 
was  more  fearless  or  more  true  to  the  old  flag  than  was  this  soldier  boy  who 
faced  the  enemy  in  many  of  the  most  hotly  contested  engagements  of  the 
war. 

When  mustered  out  Mr.  McCarty  returned  home  and  followed  different 
pursuits  in  order  to  secure  a  livelihood,  leaving  the  parental  roof  in  1866. 
In  1868  he  began  railroading  between  Sterling  and  Rock  Island  on  the 


HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY  637 

Rockford,  Rock  Island  &  St.  Louis  Railroad.  For  two  years  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  locomotive  engineer  arid  during  the  succeeding  thirteen  years 
was  engineer  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  between  Bradford, 
Ohio,  and  Chicago.  For  eleven  years  of  that  period  he  lived  in  Logansport, 
Indiana. 

Mr.  McCarty  was  married  in  that  city  April  22,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary 
Amelia  Cassidy,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Kissinger)  Cassidy, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  contractor  by  occupation,  who 
died  in  his  home  in  Logansport,  Indiana,  in  1866.  In  addition  to  Mrs. 
McCarty  there  were  three  other  children :  Cecelia,  who  was  born  in  Logans- 
port  and  who  married  James  Shafer,  a  locomotive  engineer;  John  M.,  also 
a  native  of  Logansport ;  and  William,  general  foreman  of  the  roundhouse 
at  Logansport,  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railway  Company. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCarty  have  two  children :  Charles  J.,  born  in  Logans- 
port,  Indiana,  September  29,  1876,  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
came  to  Whiteside  county  and  in  1894  was  graduated  from  the  Rock  Falls 
high  school.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  electrical  engineering  in  the 
State  University  at  Champaign,  completing  the  four  years'  course.  He  is 
now  a  civil  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  Company  and  lives  in  Aurora,  Illinois.  He  was  for  a  time  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  coal  business  at  Rock  Falls.  He  married  Miss  Susan 
Nickelson,  a  resident  of  Aurora.  Gertrude  E.,  the  younger  child,  married 
John  Kadel,  Jr.,  of  Rock  Falls,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
with  his  father-in-law. 

Following  his  marriage  Mr.  McCarty  continued  to  engage  in  railroading 
until  1881,  when  he  resigned  his  position  with  the  Pennsylvania  Company 
and  with  his  family  returned  to  Rock  Falls.  Here  he  purchased  the  business 
interests  of  the  Montague  family  and  dealt  in  coal,  lime  and  buil'ding  ma- 
terials on  lot  6,  block  4,  River  street,  continuing  there  until  1898,  when  he 
sold  out  to  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Grater.  He  was  then  engaged  in  building 
operations  until  May,  1905,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  Kadel,  in  the  hardware  business,  purchasing  the  stock  of  Derbe- 
shier  &  Sons.  They  have  since  carried  on  the  business  and  now  have  a  well 
appointed  store,  in  which  they  are  receiving  a  liberal  patronage  in  recogni- 
tion of  their  reasonable  prices,  honorable  methods  and  earnest  desire  to 
please  their  customers. 

Mr.  McCarty  suffers  slightly  from  his  old  wounds  but  otherwise  enjoys 
good  health  and  is  pleasantly  situated  socially  and  commercially.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camp  and  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. He  has  several  times  served  as  commander  of  the  latter  and  also 
as  adjutant.  He  is  likewise  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  His 
political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  republican  party  and  he  was  for  one 
terns  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  while  for 'five  consecutive  years  he 
served  as  assessor  of  the  town.  Aside  from  his  business  his  interest  centers 
largely  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  he  stands  with  the  old  guard 
whose  faces  are  still  set  to  the  front.  Many  of  his  old  army  comrades  have 
recently  passed  away.  In  all  that  he  does  he  has  been  actuated  by  the  spirit 


638  HISTORY    OF    WHITESIDE    COUNTY 

of  Commissioner  Warner,  of  the  pension  department,  who  wrote,  "As  the 
setting  sun  shines  on  our  faces  as  we  march  down  the  western  slope  of  life 
to  our  last  camp  in  the  valley,  let  us  go  forward  with  the  same  unfaltering 
step  as  when  in  the  days  of  the  '60s  we  bore  'old  glory'  to  the  front  on  many 
a  hard  fought  battlefield  nor  furled  it  until  victory  was  won."  Mr.  McCarty 
has  never  deviated  from  a  course  that  he  believed  to  be  right  between  his 
fellowmen  and  himself  and  there  has  been  much  of  the  spirit  of  the  old  sol- 
dier in  all  that  he  has  done  as  year  by  year  he  has  fought  the  battles  of  life 
and  in  the  great  majority  of  instances  has  come  out  victor  in  the  strife. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


